Kumquat Oatmeal Bread

In my produce co-op basket this week I had a bunch of kumquats. "What are kumquats?," you ask. These are kumquats:

They are tiny little miniature citrus fruits with sweet rinds and sour centers. You can eat the whole thing, peel and all if you like sour fruit. They also have a seed in the middle. Most of the ones I opened had just one seed, but one had several.

Aren't they cute?

For this bread I used an oatmeal bread recipe and added some pureed kumquat with the seeds removed. And some cinnamon. I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy it turned out. The first loaf is already gone. The kids can't get enough.

I realize that most people don't have kumquats on hand, but I'm certain you could substitute about any citrus fruit and get roughly the same effect.

Here is the recipe:

Mix together and let sit 5 minutes:

2 cups hot water

1 Tb. yeast

1/4 cup brown sugar

In mixer or bread machine dump the remaining ingredients:

5 cups all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons vital wheat glutin

1 Tablespoon dough enhancer

2 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal (not quick cooking)

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup kumquat puree (or orange, or lemon)

Mix together with paddle attachment until well blended, then switch to bread hook and pour in yeast mixture. Mix on speed 2 until you get a nice smooth dough ball.

Cover for 1 hour and let it rise. Divide dough in half and knead lightly for 1-2 minutes by hand. Shape loaves and place in well greased loaf pans. Cover again and let rise for one more hour. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

We really need to get some smell-o-vision for these blogs. It smells SO amazing. A new favorite for sure.

Spinach Parmesan-Peppercorn Bread

Since it happens to be St. Patrick's Day, I decided to try experimenting with some green bread made with spinach. I used my parmesan-peppercorn bread recipe with several changes. Here is the recipe:

3 cups hot water

4 teaspoons yeast

2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

4 cups all purpose flour

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 Tablespoon dough enhancer

2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten

2/3 cups finely minced spinach

(I chopped this in the food processor. 2/3 cup is the measurement after chopped. It took about 3-4 cups of spinach leaves)

2/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons fresh ground peppercorns

and because it wasn't quite green enough for St. Patty's:

1/2 teaspoon green food coloring

First, proof yeast in the hot water with the sugar. Let rest about 5 minutes.

Dump flour and then all other ingredients in the mixer bowl and mix with the paddle mixer until well incorporated. Switch to bread hook and pour in yeast mixture. (I put the coloring in with the water right before dumping it in) Mix on speed 2, stopping occasionally to stir down the dough. Mix until you have a nice solid dough ball.

If you are using a bread machine, dump all ingredients in, then the yeast mixture and let it do its thing on the dough setting. I've recently switched to making bread with my stand mixer because I have more control over the dough consistency.

Let it rise covered with a cloth for one hour. Divide dough in half and knead it by hand for a minute or two, then shape it into the pan. Make sure to grease the pans really well because the cheese tends to stick a little.

Cover and let rise for another hour, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This makes two 2-pound loaves. (quite large) If your mixer or machine can't handle this much flour at once, just half the recipe.

It has a really rich spinach flavor with a delicate taste of parmesan. It would make a fantastic sandwich and would be really delicious with a tuscan tomato soup.

Mmmm. Wish I had some fresh pesto to go on it.

Nana's Banana Nut Bread

This was my great-grandma's banana bread recipe and it's pretty much all I've known. I've tried a recipe here or there since being out of college, but I always come back to this one. It's so moist and full of flavor. I think adding the chocolate chips (and peanut butter chips on occasion) really helps. Yum. I love it!

1/2 c. shortening (I use either room temperature butter or softened butter most of the time, but shortening works just fine if I'm out of butter, which I seldom am, but it happens!)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. mashed bananas

1 c. sugar (I usually do 1/2 c. white and a 1/2 c. brown sugar, but you can use whatever you prefer)

1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

2 eggs

1-2 cups chocolate chips (Guittard are the best!)

*today I added peanut butter chips as well. It compliments the banana so well

Mix shortening (or butter) and sugar. Beat in eggs, bananas, and flour that's been sifted with the soda and salt. Add nuts. Bake in a moderate oven (350 ) for 40-60 minutes.

Makes 1 loaf.

Lion House Dinner Rolls

This was my very first attempt at making rolls...and they turned out pretty well. So I thought I'd share. I got this recipe from: Real Mom Kitchen.

2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine (I use canola oil)
1 egg
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and yeast; let sit 5 minutes. Add dry milk yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).

Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.

Scrape dough out onto floured board. Divide dough into two. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 12 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 12 pieces of dough.

Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper (I just use a greased pan). Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter.

Makes 2 dozen rolls.

Visit the link above for photos and other tips.

Garlic Rosemary Baquettes

4 cups water
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp Salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

8 cups flour
4 Tbsp rosemary, minced

1 head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 egg white

In a large non-reactive bowl (plastic or stainless steel) combine four cups warm water with yeast, salt and sugar. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Let stand ten minutes.

Pour mixture and half of the flour into your *stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix and add remaining flour until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Switch to bread hook and mix on speed 2 for 2-3 minutes. (You may need to stop occasionally and push down the dough with a spoon or spatula.)

*Note: If you do not have a mixer, you can use your bread machine to mix the dough, or mix dough by hand. Just make sure ingredients are well mixed.

Add rosemary and garlic and mix briefly. Remove dough hook and cover bowl with a clean cloth. Allow to rise for one hour or until dough doubles in size. Shape loaves into long baguettes and place on a greased baguette tray, or a greased cookie sheet. Brush loaves with olive oil or egg white. (This is an artisan bread, so you don't need to let it raise again.)

Bake for twenty minutes at 450 degrees F.