Classic White Bread

Recipe and picture from www.bakingbites.com

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups warm water (105-115F)
1 package active dry yeast (.25 oz)
1 tbsp sugar
6-7 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp butter, softened

Method
1. Combine 1/2 cup water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl and let stand until foamy - about 10 minutes. Add remaining water, flour and salt to yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon (or in a mixer) until dough cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Knead in butter until dough is smooth and not sticky. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and continue kneading for an additional minute or two. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl to rise until doubled, about 1- 1 1/2 hours.
2. Butter two 8×4 inch loaf pans and set aside. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide in two equal portions. Shape as described above and place seam side down into prepared loaf pans. Cover loaf pans lightly with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Dough will rise above the lip of the pan.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F.
4. Place loaves in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. After 35 minutes, use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the bread. It will read 200F when the loaves are done. If you do not have an instant read themometer (meat thermometer), simply cook the loaves for 40 minutes and keep an eye on your oven thermometer to make sure the temperature remains constant.
5. Remove loaves from pans immediately and let cool completely (2-3 hours) before slicing.

Makes 2 loaves

Cinnamon Buns

Recipe and picture from www.bakingbites.com

Dough
1/2 cup water, warmed
2 tsp sugar
2 packets active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp butter, softened
5 1/2-6 cups flour

1. Combine first three ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let stand for 10 minutes, until yeast is foamy.
2. Add milk, eggs, salt, sugar, butter and 3 cups of flour. Mix until well incorporated and smooth. Add 2 more cups of flour. Mix until smooth. Add any remaining flour in smaller increments until dough comes together and away from the sides of the bowl. Dough will be slightly sticky, but very smooth.
3. Form dough into a ball and place in greased, covered bowl to rise until doubled, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Filling
3-4 tbsp milk
Cinnamon
Brown sugar
1 cup raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Coat two 9×13 glass baking dishes with cooking spray or butter.
3. Remove dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
4. Divide dough in two and roll each piece out into (roughly) a 10×14 inch rectangle. Brush each rectangle with milk, dust throughly with cinnamon and top with brown sugar. Sprinkle with raisins, if desired. Roll in a jelly-roll fashion beginning at a short end. Pinch seam shut. Repeat for second rectangle.
5. Slice logs at 1 inch intervals and place rounds in the baking dish so they are just touching.
6. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400F, until tops are golden brown.
7. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut apart and drizzle with glaze.
Makes about 20 buns.

Quick and Easy Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Enough milk to form a pourable consistency
Stir ingredients until smooth with a fork. Drizzle over cinnamon buns.

Buttermilk Cornbread

Recipe and picture from www.bakingbites.com

Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method
1. Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.
2. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat buttermilk, egg, honey and vegetable oil until well blended. Stir in dry ingredients, mixing until no streaks remain.
4. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 400F for 23-28 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the bread pulls away from the side of the dish slightly.
6. Serves 12.

Turkish Pizza (Vegetarian)

Recipe and picture from www.taste.com.au

Ingredients (serves 4)
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g baby spinach
Grated rind and juice of 1 large lemon, plus lemon wedges to serve
1 round Turkish bread or half a rectangle of Turkish bread, halved sideways through the centre
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frypan, then add the garlic, spinach, lemon rind and half the juice. Toss over low heat until the spinach is just wilted. Allow the spinach to cool, then squeeze out excess liquid.
3. Arrange the spinach mixture over bread base, squeeze over remaining lemon juice, then top with cheeses and season with pepper. Top with the other bread half and drizzle with remaining oil. Wrap completely in foil and place on a baking sheet. To flatten, place a heavy baking tray on top and bake for 10 minutes. To serve, unwrap and serve with lemon wedges.

Super Moist Pumpkin Bread

Recipe and picture from www.allrecipes.com

"This is an incredible bread. Its moistness comes from the addition of an unusual ingredient: coconut milk! If sweetened coconut is used, reduce white sugar to 1/2 cup."

Original recipe yield: 2 - 8x4 inch loaves

INGREDIENTS
1 cup (120g) chopped walnuts
3 1/2 cups (440g) all-purpose flour
2 cups (440g) packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup (135g) white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups (490g) pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup (160ml) coconut milk
2/3 cup (50g) flaked coconut

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. Spread walnuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Toast in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add the pumpkin puree, oil, and coconut milk, and mix until all of the flour is absorbed. Fold in the flaked coconut and toasted walnuts. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and cover loaves tightly with foil. Allow to steam for 10 minutes. Remove foil, and turn out onto a cooling rack. Tent loosely with the foil, and allow to cool completely.

Quick Pizza Dough

Recipe and picture from www.taste.com.au

Makes 2

Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
8g sachet instant dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method
1. Sift flour into a large bowl. Add yeast, sugar and a pinch of salt. Combine warm water and oil. Add to flour mixture. Mix until dough comes together.
2. Turn onto a lightly-floured surface. Knead for 8 minutes, adding more flour if necessary, or until elastic (when you press the top it should bounce back and leave no indentation). Cut dough in half.
3. Notes & tips
4. The pizza dough can be made to the end of step 2 and frozen. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge then bring to room temperature before rolling out.

Freckle Sandwiches

Recipe and picture from www.taste.com.au

Makes 32

Ingredients
2 loaves thick-sliced white bread
125g unsalted butter, softened
Strawberry jam, to spread
Nutella, to spread
1 cup 100s and 1000s
1 cup chocolate sprinkles

Method
1. Butter 1 loaf of bread. Spread half the slices with strawberry jam, then top each slice with remaining slices to make sandwiches.
2. Butter the remaining loaf of bread.
3. Spread half the slices with Nutella, then top with remaining slices.
4. Remove the crusts from all the sandwiches, then cut each into 4 triangles. Lay the sandwiches on two separate platters long-edge down to form 2 long pyramids.
5. Spread the remaining butter along one side of each pyramid. Sprinkle the buttered-side of the jam sandwiches with the 100s and 1000s and the chocolate sandwiches with the chocolate sprinkles.

Apple & Cinnamon Slice

Recipe and picture from www.taste.com.au

Ingredients (serves 8)
340g pkt golden buttercake mix
1 cup (90g) desiccated coconut
125g butter, melted
400g can apple pieces
300g sour cream
1 tsp cinnamon sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm square cake pan. Line base and the two opposite sides with baking paper, extending the paper 5cm over edge of pan.
2. Combine cake mix, coconut and butter in a medium bowl. Press mixture evenly over base of prepared pan. Cook for 15 mins, or until lightly browned. Cool slightly.
3. Spread apple evenly over base, then spread sour cream evenly over apple and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cook for further 20 mins, or until sour cream has set.
4. Cool in pan. Cut the slice into fingers to serve.

Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe and picture from www.allrecipes.com

"I serve these yummy frosted rolls warm from the oven as a Christmas morning treat at our house. Even if you are not accustomed to working with yeast dough, you'll find this dough is easy to handle." -Julie Sterchi, Harrisburg, Illinois

Original recipe yield: 24 servings

INGREDIENTS
5 cups (625g) all-purpose flour
1 (18.25 ounce) package (517g) yellow cake mix
2 (.25 ounce ) packages (14g) quick-rise yeast
2 1/2 cups (590ml) warm water (120 to 130 degrees F/50 degrees C)
1/4 cup (55g) butter, melted
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

FROSTING:
6 tablespoons (85g) butter, softened
3 cups (360g) confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS
1. In a mixing bowl, combine 4 cups flour, dry cake mix, yeast and warm water until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
2. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 14-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Brush with butter; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Cut each roll into 12 slices; place cut side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pans. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 20 minutes.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes. For frosting, in a mixing bowl, cream butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Frost warm rolls.

Banana Loaf Cake I

Recipe and picture from www.allrecipes.com

Recipe yields: 1 loaf pan

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (200g) white sugar
1/4 cup (55g) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
3 very ripe bananas

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 5x9 inch loaf pan
2. Mash bananas and add flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and egg. Mix well. Pour into loaf pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Cream Scones

Recipe and picture from www.eggfreebaking.com

Makes 8

Ingredients
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 Tbsp icing sugar
½ cup cream
½ cup milk
extra milk, for glaze

Method
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and icing sugar into a medium size bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix to a soft dough with a fork.
2. Turn onto a floured bench and knead lightly 5-6 times. Pat out to 2cm thick.
3. Using a cutter cut into 6cm rounds. Arrange close together on a greased oven tray.
4. Rest 10 minutes.
5. Brush the top of the scones with milk then bake at 190ºC for 15 - 20 minutes.
6. Wrap in a tea towel to cool.

Serve warm with butter or with jam and cream - Devonshire Tea style.

Tip: The old fashioned way to cool scones was to put them on a clean tea towel covered wire rack. The edges of the tea towel were then flipped over the scones. It’s still a good way to prevent them from drying out.

Wholemeal Date Loaf

Recipe and picture from www.eggfreebaking.com

Ingredients
1 cup chopped dates
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
25g butter, chopped
1 Tbsp golden syrup
1 cup boiling water
1 cup flour
1 cup wholemeal flour

Method
1. Put the chopped dates, baking soda, sugar, golden syrup and butter in a medium sized bowl. Add the boiling water and leave to cool.
2. Sift the flours and stir into cooled date mixture.
3. Put into a prepared 11 x 22cm loaf tin.
4. Bake at 180ºC for 1 hour.
5. Leave in tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Better if kept for a day before cutting into it.
Serve sliced and buttered.
Keeps for a week. Freezes well.

Wholemeal Date and Walnut Loaf
Replace ⅓ cup of the dates with chopped walnuts.

Wholemeal Apricot Loaf
Replace the dates with chopped dried apricots.