Homemade Bread and Jam

I made some strawberry freezer jam since strawberries are so cheap right now and it turned out really yummy. I decided I needed some yummy homemade white bread to fully enjoy the experience and I got this recipe thanks to my sister-in-law, Robin. It comes from a Barefoot Contessa cookbook that she has. It turned out really yummy and I had bread and jam for days!

Honey White Bread

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 packages dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees) (I didn't have whole milk and used 2%)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
2 extra-large egg yolks (I didn't have extra-large eggs so I used 3 large egg yolks)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Place warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add yeast and sugar; stir and allow them to dissolve for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, butter, and honey. Mix on medium speed until blended. Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour and the salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to medium and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn’t stick to the bowl. Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over so the top is lightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in volume.

Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans with butter. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into a loaf shape and place each in a prepared pan. Cover again with the damp towel and allow to rise again for an hour, until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with egg white and bake for 40-45 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Greek Yogurt

I recently discovered Greek yogurt and like to have it for breakfast with berries and granola. I find it kind of expensive, but I found this brand at Sam's Club and it was slightly cheaper than at the grocery store (still a little expensive). It has 130 calories and 13 grams of protein! It is a pretty good size portion, too. I am having it for breakfast this morning with blackberries and raspberries and a sprinkle of granola cereal. I am feeling oh so healthy and hope I can carry that on throughout the day. I like it, but it isn't as sweet as regular yogurt, probably a good thing. I went on their website and they are saying that you can substitute the yogurt for heavy cream in cooking. I am anxious to try that out and see if it is any good.

Crepes! Yummmm!

For our Mother's Day after church breakfast we had yummy crepes with Nutella spread all over them and cut up strawberries and bananas. So good! I can't take credit for the idea since we recently had this at a Relief Society activity for the dessert. I used this crepe recipe: Basic Crepes
If you have never had Nutella, you should try it. You won't be sorry. You can find it next to the peanut butter, usually on the top shelf next to the organic kind that you have to stir. It is a chocolatey blend of hazlenuts and yummy goodness.

Biscuits and Gravy

Our family has a new tradition to eat breakfast foods right after church. So far we have done it three times. :o) I found this recipe for biscuits and gravy and they turned out really good. The biscuit recipe is from America's Test Kitchen.


Cream Biscuits

2 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. heavy cream

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups cream and stir with a wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Trasnfer the dough to the countertop, leaving all dry, floury bits behind in the bowl. In 1 T. increments, add up to 1/4 C. cream to the dry bits in the bowl, mixing until moistened. Add these moistened bits to the rest of the dough and knead by hand just until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pat into a flat, 3/4 inch tall circle, and using a round drinking glass, cut out 8-10 biscuits and place on baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.


Sausage Gravy

1 pound ground pork sausage
3 T. flour
3 C. milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spatula. Set sausage aside, leaving the drippings in the skillet (add a T. of butter if sausage didn't render enough fat). Reduce heat to medium, add flour to the drippings, and stir constantly until mixture just turns golden brown. Gradually whisk milk into skillet. When the mixture is smooth, thickened, and begins to bubble, return the sausage to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.


These were so delicious, but probably not very healthy. :o( Next Sunday, we attempt crepes!