Banana Bread with Coconut & Chocolate

Had a bunch of over ripe bananas and wanted to try something new.  Boy was this good!  Even my daughters who don't like coconut liked this.  Great warm with a little butter spread on it and a tall cold glass of milk...mmmm need I say more?

1 cup mashed bananas
3 /4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup grated coconut 
1/4 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Whisk the flour with the cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon powder and salt.

2. Beat the egg and sugar together till fluffy and pale lemony in color. Then fold in the mashed bananas and the grated coconut. Sprinkle the baking soda over this mixture and fold it in.

3. Then add the coconut oil in a thin trickle and mix it well into the batter. Finally, fold in the flour in 3 additions.

4. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Pour the batter into a greased medium sized loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.



Recipe and photo found at Served With Love.

Naan Bread

Naan is a thick flat bread that goes with so many dishes.  You can eat it with soup, sop up gravies, place your favorite fixins in it, use it to make pizza, and much much more.  It is soft and chewy, you will love it! It is super easy to make and very inexpensive, and who doesn't like good cheap food!

2 teaspoon dry active yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm milk
2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup yogurt
1 egg
1-2 teaspoons of your favorite spices
(I used garlic and cummin to go with my Chicken Tikka Masala.)

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and milk. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt and your choice of spices. Next, add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).

3. At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. I ended up using about 3 cups of flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.

4. Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.

5. Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet (I use cast iron) over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs and enjoy!

For the most bubbles, don't roll out the ball of dough until just before it is ready to be placed in the skillet. I experimented with different skillet temperatures and found that a medium heat produces the most bubbles in the dough and does not burn the surface.



Photo and recipe adapted from Budget Bytes.

My New Favorite Monkey Bread!

This is defiantly not for you if you are trying to eat healthy or diet...so beware, if you keep reading you will be way tempted to make this...I will not be held responsible for your actions...I have made Monkey Bread many times before but never quite like this, all of my family loved it and said it was the best I have ever made.  This is definitely going to be my go-to recipe for this scrumptious dessert!  I know you will love it as well.

Sweet Dough
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup of milk, warmed to 115 degrees
1/3 cup water, warmed to 115 degrees
1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons of bread machine yeast or rapid rise
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for your work surface
2 tsp of salt

Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of melted butter

1.  I love to use my bread machine so I just put in the melted butter, milk, water, sugar, salt, flour than yeast and place it on the dough cycle.  (Easy enough.)

2. Take out the dough and on a lightly floured work surface roll it into a 8 inch by 8 inch square.  Once you have that 8×8 square, mark off 8 sections, each way, so you are ending up with 64 lovely little squares.  Cut the squares apart,making sure to separate them as you cut, they love to stick back together which defeats the purpose entirely. 

3. Melt the 1/2 cup of butter in a bowl.  In a larger bowl combine the brown sugar and 2 1/2 tsp of brown sugar.  Rolls a dough square into a ball, dip it in the butter, dip it in the sugar mix then place it in the bunt pan.  Stagger the layers. Build like you would build a brick wall, staggering the “bricks” so that the seams are not in the same place ever, building a lovely wall of dough.

4. Place the dough somewhere warm, the oven works perfectly.  In about 45-50 minutes the dough will rise almost to the top of the pan.  After you remove the pan from the oven preheat it to 350°F then get those babies back in there to bake for about 25 minutes.  Serve warm and don't enjoy too much!

New York Style Soft Pretzel

More bread recipes!  Can you tell my major weakness yet?  Love these dipped in ranch and or mustard for a great snack.  They are a little more involved, but I tend to throw my ingredients in the bread machine and let it do most of the work!  Turns out pretty nice. 

1 cup warm water (100º to 110ºF)
1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1 cup bread flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
Vegetable oil, for bowl and baking sheets
1/4 cup baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon course grain sea salt
Egg, beaten
1 teaspoon water

1.  In a bread machine add, water, 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons sugar, butter, both flours, and yeast.  Set machine to dough cycle and go do something for about 1 1/2 hours!

2. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces, and roll each into an 18-inch rope. Form a U shape with 1 rope, and twist ends together twice. Fold twisted portions backward along center of U shape to form a circle, then gently press ends of rope onto dough to seal. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet, and repeat. Let rise for 20 minutes.

3.  Preheat oven to 475ºF.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add baking soda and 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Boil pretzels in batches until puffed and slightly shiny, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to wire racks to drain. Place pretzels on an oiled baking sheet. Mix the 1 teaspoon water and egg in a small bowl. Brush each pretzel with the egg wash. Sprinkle the with course grain sea salt.

4.  Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Pretzels will keep, uncovered at room temperature for up to 12 hours.  Re-warm in a 250-degree oven if desired, toast the pretzels on a toaster, and served with mustard enjoying immensely!

Recipe from The Sophisticated Gourmet.

Garlic Parmesan Skillet Bread

With only a few ingredients these are great for when you need a quick bread side dish, and oh so tastey!

1 can flaky buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8" saute pan

1. Preheat oven to 350.


2. Melt butter in saute pan. Add garlic, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

3. Cut biscuits into quarters and toss in saute pan.

4. Place whole pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and slide onto platter for serving.

Recipe and photo from Sunshine and Bones.

Rosemary Cashew Biscotti

If you can fall in love with bread...that is what I have done!  My mother-in-law made this biscotti and I can't get enough of it!  I have had rosemary in herbed breads, but never something semi sweet.  Wow is the best word I can say, at least the best I can think of at this second.  I am sure there are many more wonderful words I can use that would describe this delectable treat!  I am not a coffee person so I have been eating these by themselves, but bought some hot chocolate today to try them with.  It has been getting colder here in Santa Fe, so I need something to warm me up.  I think a cup of hot chocolate, biscotti, a blazing fire, and a good book sound like a wonderful idea very soon! 

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons dried rosemary, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole cashew nuts (or almonds)

1. In a food processor combine flour, sugar, baking powder,dried rosemary and cracked black pepper; process briefly.  With processor running add eggs and vanilla extract; process until dough forms a ball.  Transfer to a large bowl and add cashew nuts blending well.

2. Shape dough into two flat 3 inch wide logs on a large greased cookie sheet or baking pan.  Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.  Remove the rosemary cashew biscotti from the oven.  When cool enough to handle slice logs into 1/2 inch diagonal pieces; place cut side down on cookie sheet.  Bake an additional 15 minutes  or until golden brown.  Cool on racks and store in tins up to 1 month or more.

Herb Encrusted Braided Bread

Saw this recipe on foodgawker and had to try it out.  I am such a lover of bread...sigh...the recipe I came across did not top it with herbs, but since I am also a spice lover, I topped it with a bunch, oh and some garlic.  All of that is optional, but boy did it make the house smell wonderful!  I would make it again just for that lovely aroma.

Apparently everyone else liked it as well cause it is early the next morning and sadly to say...it is all gone!  Guess I will just have to make some more!  This is excellent as sandwich bread, which I made some yummy cranberry chicken spread to go with it.  My daughter hates cranberries so I was surprised that she loved that!  Even wanted more!  It is also great as toast.  I had some this morning with jalapeno jelly, would have been wonderful with cream cheese and jalapeno jelly, but alas, I have none.  But maybe that is a good thing cause I am trying to lose weight!

This bread is a two day process, but well worth the weight I mean wait...

Sponge:

1 cup cool water, about 65°F

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough:

1/2 cup cool water, about 65°F
2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water

1. The Sponge: Combine all of the sponge ingredients, mixing just till a cohesive dough forms. Allow it to rest, covered, for 12 to 16 hours at room temperature. (I put it in my oven with the light on.)  When the sponge is ready, it will be filled with large holes and bubbles.

2.  The Dough: Add the water to the sponge, and mix till smooth. Add the flour, yeast and salt, and knead the dough till it’s fairly smooth but not necessarily elastic, about 3 minutes by machine, or 5 minutes by hand. (The gluten will continue to develop as the dough rises, so you don’t want to develop it fully during the kneading process.)

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours. To help develop the gluten and distribute the yeast’s food, turn the dough twice during the rising time: gently fold all four sides into the middle, and turn the dough over.

4. Divide dough in thirds, and roll each third into a 20-inch-long rope. Braid ropes. Set the braid on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until just puffy.

5. Preheat oven to 345°F. Gently brush the braid with the beaten egg white mixture and sprinkle generously with your choice of herbs. Place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven and bake bread for 25 to 35 minutes. If you want a crispy crust spray your loaf with water 2 to 3 times while it cooks.  Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Once cool, slice and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Fake Ginger

Pumpkin Bread That Will Melt In Your Mouth!

I was craving something sweet, and wanted to put something different in my hubby's lunch, after searching the cupboard I came across a can of pumpkin puree and my gears started turning!  This bread is so moist and yummy and sweet, not overly sweet, but just the right amount.  I hope you make this soon and enjoy it as much as I did!

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 15 oz can pumpkin

1. Preheat your oven to 350º F, grease two loaf pans and set aside.

2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a bowl.  Mix well and set aside.

3. In a large bowl cream your butter and sugar with an electric mixer until blended.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Continue beating until very light and fluffy.  Beat in pumpkin till combined.

4. On low beat in flour mixture, pour batter into pans and bake 65-75 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool on a wire wrack completely.  Serve and let it melt in your mouth...

Pita Bread

Well today was my first try at Pita Bread.  It was fun, my daughter helped out and we had a blast.  We sat in front of the oven watching it "poof" up!  I just made it plain, but next time I think I might flavor up the bread with some herbs and maybe some garlic...yumm! This will be for dinner along with the chicken salad she helped me make too.  She is going to be a little cooker she says...children are a delight!

1 1/8 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1. Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine, select Dough setting and start. When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas are  softened, either cut in half. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Italian Bread

Thought I would try a new bread tonight instead of the plain white I always cook. I didn't detour too much though, I made Italian Bread in my bread machine.  It was lovely!  Crispy and chewy crust, soft yummy inside.  Great accompaniment to dinner.  (You don't have to use a bread machine, you can mix it and let it rise for an hour or so until it doubles.)  A must try soon!

1 1/3 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
4 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1. Place warm water, brown sugar, salt, olive oil, flour, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. Spread cornmeal on your baking stone.
2. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into two loaves. Place the loaves seam side down on a baking stone.  Let rise, until doubled in volume about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the risen loaves with egg mixture. Make a single long, quick cut down the center of the loaves with a sharp knife.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Authentic Tortillas

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup shortening or lard

3/4 cup HOT water

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Either by hand or with a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening/lard till the mixture is crumbly. If the mixture looks more floury than crumbly, be sure to add just one or two more tablespoons of shortening/lard till it is crumbly. Add 3/4 cup of hot water to the mixture, or just enough to make the ingredients look moist.

2. With your hands or a large fork, need the mixture making sure to rub the dough against the sides of the mixing bowl to gather any clinging dough. If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl, add a couple more tablespoons or flour until the dough forms a soft round shape. The dough is ready to roll out now, but it is best to let it sit for about an hour or so.

3. Take the dough, pull it apart into 10-12 balls. Lightly flour your rolling area, and roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.

4. Place each tortilla on a medium hot tortilla pan or cast iron skillet. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until slightly browned.