Banana Bread

 

Banana Bread always disappears quickly in our home.  My family loves this recipe, and it slices so nicely once it is completely cooled.  I love that this bread is not crumbly.   This makes one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, but you may want to double it like I do.   

Banana Bread

3 large ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugars, eggs, milk and canola oil.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix till combined.  Do not over mix.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Remove carefully from pan and cool completely on wire rack.  Enjoy!
 

 

Sandwich Bread

 

For the past few years, minus the summer when it is just too hot to bake, I have been making our own Sandwich Bread. My family HATES it, if for some reason I have to buy bread from the grocery store. This bread is far superior to that which you will find at the grocery store. The list of ingredients in this recipe are simple and recognizable! I can pronounce every ingredient and I know what it is. I know that my family is eating this bread, they are getting something good. Have you tried my bread? You need to!

 This recipe makes two loaves, so if your blender is small, you are going to want to make half a batch. Also, this can be done by hand as well, and it turns out just as good.

 Sandwich Bread
(This recipe makes 2 loaves)

5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup gluten flour
2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups warm milk
1 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons yeast
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 Tablespoons Olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the warm milk, water and yeast. With a wire whisk, stir to dissolve the yeast. Add vinegar and olive oil and give it a quick stir with the whisk.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture.  With the Dough Hook attachment, mix and knead the dough for about 10 minutes(or by hand).

Spread some olive oil over the dough, cover, let rise 1 hour to double.  Prepare two loaf pans (9" x 5" each), with butter and set aside.

Punch down and remove from mixer bowl.  Knead by hand for about a minute to remove any large air bubbles.  Cut dough in half with a sharp knife (do not tear in half!), and put half back into the mixing bowl.  With a rolling pin, roll your first loaf into a rectangle, trying to roll out as many air bubbles as you can (this helps your bread have a more uniform look to it inside.  If you find your dough is too sticky, add a little olive oil (do not add flour).  Roll, jelly roll style into a rectangle. Pinch the edges and ends together to make it into a loaf.  Fold each end over onto each other, so they are connected on the top, and pinch together to make a smaller loaf.  It should still be rectangular shape.

With seam side down, place into prepared loaf pan, then repeat with the second loaf.  Cover and let rise 20-30 minutes.  While these are rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Uncover, place in oven and bake 25 minutes, or until done.  (The oven I have now takes 36 minutes for them to bake, but my last oven we had only took 26 minutes to bake- Keep an eye on these!)  You will know when it is thoroughly baked, if, when you tap the bottom of your loaves and it sounds hollow.  These are so easy to slice, but make sure the bread is completely cooled before slicing.

Basic Bread Sticks(Hamburger Buns or Hot Dog Buns)

 

These take some time, but are quite easy to make. I made these to go with our soup we had last night.

Bread sticks

1 1/2 cups milk
1/8 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons Oil
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
3 cups flour, plus

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon of the honey. Add milk, the rest of the honey, salt and oil and stir till mixed well. Add 2 1/2 cups flour, and mix well. Add rest of the flour and any extra you need so you can handle the dough with your hands. Remove dough from bowl, and knead on a floured surface, adding flour as needed and knead for about 10 minutes or till dough is springy, smooth and easy to handle. Place dough in a greased(buttered or oiled) bowl, smooth side up, covered and placed in a warm place till doubled in size.

Once dough has doubled, remove from bowl and place on a floured surface. Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Cut dough (with a knife, or scissors) into 25 pieces, as equal as you can get them. Roll each peace with floured hands, into oblong sticks and place on prepared pans. Brush with melted butter, or oil, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, or any other toppings you like. Let rise till double in size and bake at 400 degrees until brown and crisp(about 10-14) minutes. Makes 25 bread sticks.

This dough can me made into hamburger buns or hot dog buns as well.

Danelle's Best Biscuits Ever

Danelle, I agree with you, these are the best ever. :) I've never been a fan of biscuits, but these are worth making and gobbling up. I found the picture at myrecipes.com, just click on the title and it will take you there. The recipe is from Danelle Grossnickle, thanks for letting me post this!

Danelle's Best Biscuits Ever

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup buttermilk

Directions:
In food processor incorporate all dry ingredients with butter. Transfer into a bowl, add buttermilk and mix by hand, gently fold out onto floured surgace. Cut into squares and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Danelle says, "I promise if you don't over mix these they are the BEST Biscuits", and I completely agree.

French Bread

 

I've made tons of bread, and this my friends, in my opinion, is the BEST dough. Personally I think ALL dough should feel this way, it is so smooth. Since this recipe makes three loaves, I would just share with a friend, or adjust the recipe. I make mine earlier in the day, so before dinner is served, slice the loaf length-wise, spread garlic butter, and wrap it in foil. Stick it in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes to warm through. Then stick it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp it up.

French Bread

Yield: 3 loaves


1 T butter
1 T salt
2 T sugar
1 C boiling water
1 C cold water
1/3 C lukewarm water
1 T yeast (active dry)
5 - 6 C white all purpose flour
1 egg


Place the 1 C hot water in the microwave until it boils.

Dissolve the yeast into the warm water in a small bowl.

Mix the salt, butter, and sugar in the bottom of your mixer with a fork, until it resembles crumbs.

Pour the boiling water over the butter mixture, stir till butter is melted.

Pour the cold water over the mixture.

Pour the warm water and yeast into the mixer, and combine.

Add the flour, one cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the side of your mixer, using the dough hook.

Mix dough on high for 8 minutes.

Let dough rise in the mixer for about 20 minutes.

Separate the dough into three parts and place on a large cookie sheet, sprayed with cooking spray or you could use butter. Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes.

Spread the dough out on counter, dusted with flour. Keep spreading or rolling till it resembles large pizza dough.

Roll the dough up like you would when making cinnamon rolls.

Fold the ends over and layer them on top of each other(So fold it in thirds).

Turn the loaf so the seam side is down. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough.

Beat the egg till well beaten, it should look light and bubbly.

Cut three diagonal slits in the top of each loaf with a buttered, sharp, knife. Using a basting brush, baste the egg over each loaf, making sure to get in slits as well.

Place loaves in a warm place and let rise for about 15 minutes.

While loaves are rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and crusty.

Turn the oven down to 350. Bake for another 10 minutes. Enjoy.

Spinach and Feta Bread

The title will take you to thekneadforbread.com, and if you click on the link below the pictures on that blog, you can see a tutorial for making this bread. I had my family try this first, then after I got their opinions, I told them what it was. HUGE hit here, and my kids won't touch feta cheese otherwise. It was the perfect crispy crunch on the outside and so soft on the inside. Will definitely make this again.

Spinach and Feta Bread Recipe:
Ingredients
Night Before:
3/4 cup bread flour
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough:
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup dark rye
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Method
The night before you want to make this bread, combine the "night before" ingredients together and beat till well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 12 -16 hours.

The next morning add a little oil to a sauce pan (about 1 tablespoon). Place on the stove to get warm. Add in chopped spinach and saute till cooked. Be sure to continuously stir. You don't want the spinach to turn brown. Once cooked (about two minutes) pour out the spinach onto paper towels to remove any liquid,than set aside.

In a bowl mix with a wooden spoon the "night before" mixture and water. Add in the rye flour and the whole wheat flour, mix till smooth. Add in salt and instant yeast, stir till well blended. Allow the mixture to sit for ten minutes uncovered.

Now, start to add in the bread flour, about a 1/2 cup at a time. Till the mixture becomes to hard to mix. Pour out the dough onto a floured surface and begin to knead in the rest of the flour. Use just enough flour till the dough in slightly sticky. You may need to add more or use less, it all depends on your dough. Knead the dough for about 8 - 10 minutes. Then allow to rest for 5 minutes. This will help the dough to relax.

Flatten the dough a little and add in the cooked spinach and feta cheese. If your spinach is clumped together don't worry it will break up during the kneading. After the spinach and feta is incorporated, you can add a little oil to a clean large bowl. Place the dough into the bowl and turn over till lightly coated on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 2 hours or till double in bulk.

After dough has risen pour out onto a flat surface. Cut in half. Shape into two round loaves and place onto a cornmeal covered piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little whole wheat flour. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 hour. About 45 minutes before baking, place your baking stone into the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Also place a cast iron skillet on the bottom of the oven, to create steam. If you are using a cookie sheet do not place the cookie sheet into the oven before hand. Score the tops of the loaves. Place the loaves into the oven. Once you place the breads into the oven pour about a cup of boiling water into the hot cast iron skillet and close the door. Reduce the oven to 400F. Bake for 30 -35 minutes or till when tapped on the bottom of the loaf it sounds hollow.

Naan

I found these pictures at the nibble.com, the title will take you there. But the recipe is just a combination of several recipes I looked at. I had Naan for the first time while trying samples at Costco. I immediately bought their Naan and have been looking for a copycat recipe ever since. While there are MANY different recipes out there, I chose this one with basically the same ingredients as the one from Costco. These can go with many meals, used as bread for a sandwich(Naanwich), by itself, with Hummus, Ghee or many other ways. I will be making these again and again in our home.

Naan
Makes 6 Naan

3/4 cups warm buttermilk(take care not to overheat or it will sepparate)
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 Tablespoons Canola oil
pinch of baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
flour for rolling

In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm buttermilk. Add sugar, salt, vinegar, oil, baking soda, and mix well. Mix flour and cornstarch together, then add to the yeast mixture. The dough will be wet and sticky. Sprinkle with some oil, cover and let rest for 3-4 hours.

Preheat your pizza stone to 500 degrees for about 30 minutes, or if you're using a cookie sheet, preheat the oven and when you're ready to bake then put it in the oven with the Naan.

Separate the dough into 6 different pieces, with oil on your hands, and roll each into a ball. With a rolling pin and flour, roll each ball to about 1/4-inch thickness(Not too thin, it will stretch when you move it). Place two at a time on preheated stone for 3 minutes, flip it and bake for 1 minute more. There will be air pockets in it.

Spread Ghee(clear butter), or whatever you want and enjoy.

Flatbread

I found this picture off lifesambrosia, the title will take you there. She's got so many fabulous recipes there with pictures to go along with them. Brandon introduced me to that site. But the recipe for the Flatbread is below. I got it from marthastewart.com. These can be topped and baked with so many different things, or you can eat them plain, or fold them in half to make a Flatbread sandwich. I made the sandwiches one night for dinner, it was fun to do something different.

Flatbread

1 3/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
2 cups warm water
2 Tablspoons extra-vergin olive oil, plus more for bowl
1 Tablspoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for suface

1. Combine yeast and water in a mixer bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add oil, sugar, and salt. Mix with the dough hook on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed to low. With the machine running, add flour, a little at a time, and mix until dough comes together. (You will need more flour in warm weather than in cold.) Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth and supple, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours(or overnight).

2. Remove dough from refrigerator, and bring to room temperature. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet on the floor of the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

3. Divide dough into 4 portions. On a lightly floured surface, gently stretch 2 pieces into 14-by-7-inch rounded rectangles on a parchment-lined peel or inverted rimmed baking sheet. Brush with oil, and top as you like. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully slide parchment with flatbreads off the peel or sheet onto the pizza stone. Bake until flatbreads are golden brown, 10-12 minutes(keep a good eye on it, every oven is different). Repeat with remaining dough.

Breadsticks

I found a PERFECT picture of what these breadsticks look like, so this is a repeated post, only I'm deleting the previous one. I have tried several breadstick recipes over the years. They were ok, but nothing too exciting, until now! This is the pizza dough recipe that I use most of the time. When I make it into pizza, I double this recipe to make one large pizza. I've posted that recipe previously. This is simple and yet very tasty. Brandon helped with the seasonings and I think it's just perfect! It goes great with many main dishes, so it's pretty versitile. The link takes you to where I found the picture, but the recipe is below.

Breadsticks
1 package active dry yeast(or 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast)
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, salt and 2 cup of flour. Mix until smooth. Stir in enough flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (5 minutes). (Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Let dough rest for a few minutes so it will be easier to roll out. Using a cookie sheet with sides, place 1 tablespoon of butter on the sheet, and stick it in the oven till the butter melts. When the butter has melted, take it out and rotate the pan till it has greased the entire pan.

With the pan still warm, roll your dough into a rectangle the size of your cookie sheet, and place over the melted butter.

Melt in the microwave 1 Tablespoon of butter, and baste it on top of the dough. Working quickly, sprinkle with garlic salt(or garlic powder and salt), dried parsley flakes, motzerella cheese and then sprinkle with parmesian cheese. Be pretty generous and get all the way to the edges with these toppings.

Score your breadsticks however you want them to be cut. I score horizontally down the middle and then several vertically.

Bake for about 12 minutes. All done. Eat 'em up.


Let me know how this goes for you!

Farmer's Bread

If you click on the picture it will take you to cookingbread.com, where you can see the step by step tutorial and print the recipe if you'd like. You start the ingredients the day, or night before you actually make it. It's got basic ingredients and it is good. We spread apple butter on our slices here, and it was AWESOME. mmm, BREAD. Need I say more?

Farmer's Bread

Ingredients
Night Before:
1 cup stone ground whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 cup warm water
Day of:
2 3/4 cup bread flour
1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon barley malt or molasses

Method
The night before you want to make this bread add all the "night before" ingredients together and mix till smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the counter overnight for 12 - 16 hours. The next morning place the mixture into a large bowl.

Add water ( 110F. ) to the night before mixture and mix with a wooden spoon.

Add in the instant yeast, salt and malt. Add in a cup of bread flour and mix till smooth. Continue to add more flour till it becomes to hard to mix in the bowl.

Pour the dough out onto a floured surface and continue to add in the rest of the flour.

Knead the dough for 8 - 10 minutes and than place into a clean bowl with a little oil. Turn the dough over in the bowl till all sides of the dough is lightly coated with oil.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or till double in bulk. Pour out onto a flat surface.

Cut dough in half and shape each piece into a tear drop ball. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for for 20 minutes. Afterwards, use a rolling pin and roll out one side of the dough to about the length and diameter of the dough.

Brush the edges of the rolled out part of the dough with oil. Now, pull that rolled out part of the dough over the round part of the dough. Do the same with the other piece of dough.

Place them onto a piece of parchment. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour. Now, dust the top of the dough with a little stone ground flour. Place into a preheated 400 degree oven with a hot baking stone or on a cookie sheet ( do not heat the cookie sheet ahead ). Create some steam by placing a cast iron pan on the bottom of the oven the same time that you turn on the oven. Once you place the breads into the oven pour about a cup of boiling water into the hot pan and close the door. Bake for 30 -35 minutes or till when tapped on the bottom of the loaf it sounds hollow. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Measurements for Bread Recipes

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

My friend Annie suggested that I try this recipe, and I'm so GLAD that I did. I am a huge fan of pumpkin, so I've been wanting some good pumpkin recipes. This is a good one for sure. I used the picture on myrecipes.com, because where the original recipe is from(title), it just doesn't do it justice. Of course, the walnuts on top are optional. :)

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread
1 cup canned pumpkin(or fresh from your own pumpkin)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 egg whites (or 2 T. dryPowdered Egg + 1/4 C. Water)
1/2 cup fat-free milk (1-1/2 T. Dry Powdered Milk + 1/2 C. Water)
1/4 cup canola oil (1/4 cup white or pinto bean puree)
2 cups whole wheat flour(I used whole wheat pastry flour)
2-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Grease a nonstick 9×5-inch loaf pan; set aside. Mix pumpkin, 1 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 3 of the egg whites, milk and oil in large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, pie spice and salt; stir just until moistened.

SPOON the pumpkin batter into prepared pan.

BAKE 1 hour to 1 hour 5 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife or thin spatula around edges of pan to loosen bread; cool in pan on wire rack 10 min. Remove bread from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Zucchini Bread

It has been so long since I've had some Zucchini Bread, that this was a great treat. Personally I don't think it needs the topping, because it tasted GREAT without it(I accidentaly skipped that part). It says it makes two loaves, and yes it does, but they are small loaves, not regular loaf pans like I used. :) MMM, SO GOOD. The title will take you to the picture, but the recipe is below.

Zucchini Bread {makes 2 loaves}
Recipe by Our Best Bites

Print recipe text only

2 1/4 C flour
2 t cinnamon
1/8 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C canola oil
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
zest from one large orange
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
optional: 2/3 C chopped pecans, toasted*

Topping:
2 T white sugar
2 T brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

*I actually really dislike nuts in breads. I hate how they get kind of soggy. I added them in the loaf pictured (just to live on the wild side) but I much preferred the second loaf without nuts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside.

Combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Beat eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla for about 30 seconds. Add sour cream and orange zest and beat to combine. Mix in zucchini.

Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Divide batter between 2 pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Make sure to let your loaf rest on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before you try to remove it from the pan or it will come out in chunks!

This makes great muffins too. I used papers in the muffin tin and cooked them at the same temp. Set your timer for 10-12 minutes and then keep an eye on them (cuz I can't remember exactly how long they took!) I made 12 large muffins, 12 mini muffins, and one small loaf- so you definitely get a bunch!

World's Best Wheat Bread

This is my new favorite Homemade Bread recipe. Beware, this makes 4 loaves, so adjust the recipe if you want to make less. :) I put off trying this because to me it just sounded like extra work that I wasn't willing to put in. Yet, I realize that it's really not. It's EASY and tastes wonderful, and it slices beautifully. Yay! This recipe is from Cami Harris, but the picture I found at www.the-end-time.blogspot.com

World's Best Wheat Bread (makes 4 loaves)

6 cups of warm water from the tap. Heat water in microwave if you need to to reach 120-130 degrees.
3/4 cups honey, if you don't have any use 3/4 cup brown sugar with some molasses for color.
2 Tablespoons salt
*Stir these ingredients together.

*Sprinkle over the above ingredients, evenly.
1 cup oil (I used Canola)
3 Tablespoons Yeast
1 cup whole oats
2 cups wheat flour
1 cup gluten flour
Optional: 1 cup ground flax seed or 1 cup bran
*Let sit for 10 minutes, do NOT stir.

1. After the 10 minutes you should see your yeast bubbling up around the edges of your bowl. Stir mixture while adding more wheat flour until you can't stir by hand anymore. (Around 4-5 cups of flour.)
2. Dump dough onto your floured surface and continue to add more wheat flour and knead until your bread is firm and non sticky. (It should feel like a baby's bottom. Altogether, I use about 9 cups of wheat flour.) This will take you about 10 minutes of kneading. (I use a timer to make sure I've kneaded long enough.)
3. Place dough into a greased LARGE bowl, or divide and place into two bowls, to let rise. Cover with a dry cloth. Let raise for 35-40 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Dump the raised dough onto the counter and punch down.
5. Cut dough into 4 equal sections. Shape sections into rectangles and roll into loaves. Place loaves into greased bread pans and cover with a cloth to rise for another 30 minutes.
6. Bake all four loaves at once in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. *If you are baking your loaves in stoneware, add an extra 5 minutes. (For me, I ended up baking mine for about 50 minutes total-I would check after each additional 5 minutes to see if it was done- It's done when you tape it on the bottom of loaf and it sounds hollow.)

**Whole wheat gluten flour is found in the bulk section of Winco or Fred Meyers. (Bins) Ground flax seed is in the refrigerated section of the Health food section at Fred Meyers or at Bob's Red Mill. (sometimes at Costco)

Homemade Pizza Dough

This recipe is my FAVORITE pizza dough of all time. It's fast, easy and tastes great! Brandon's Aunt Katie and Uncle Paul gave us a great pizza stone when we got married, and inside it came with a Pizza Recipe. I've been using this one for almost 13 years now, and it's still my favorite. It came from Pfaltzgraff brand pizza stone. The sauce, also comes from here. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do here!

Pizza Recipe
The pleasure of pizza is as endless as the topping possibilities you can dream up. BUT first the crust, where all good pizzas begin.

CRUST
2 packages active dry yeast(I use 3 teaspoons because I buy bulk)
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
up to 6-7 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, salt, and 4 cups of flour.
Mix until smooth. Stir in enough flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (5 minutes). (Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Let dough rest for a couple minutes before rolling. It will make it easier to roll. Roll dough to whatever shape pan or stone you will be using(sprinkle your pan with corn meal, or spray with cooking spray)

Spread your sauce and add your toppings. Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes, or till done.
This is the same recipe as the breadsticks I posted, just doubled, but with less yeast.

Pizza Dough

This Pizza dough is really really awesome! I made the six like he said, but next time I want to make it into two large pizzas instead. I don't have a pizza stone, so I just used my pizza pan and it crisped up so great. I'm not giving this crust justice, you need to try this so you can experience what we have! Brandon and I would have loved to have the pesto cheese pizza, but we know the kids wouldn't like it, so we just stuck with our regular pizza sauce and toppings. I can't wait till our next pizza night, it's not getting here fast enough! Oh, I just want to add that this one is a two day process, but it's so worth the wait, and it's very easy to make.

Chocolate Banana Crunch Bread

This is a fun dessert. Watch out, this makes two loaves. I'm sure this would still be great leaving out the chocolate chips and the toffee chips, because this is banana bread, and that is always good. I think the addition of the cocoa is awesome, and of course it's great with the extra crunch and chocolatey goodness.

Hamburger Buns

These were really good! Also great if making a sandwich. Yum Yum! I didn't use the indentations like he did, so they weren't as pretty as his, but they still tasted good. They ended up being really big, so next time I'll make them smaller. They would probably be the perfect size for the burger patties that are pre-shaped, because the patties that I form, always shrink. No matter, these Hamburger Buns are awesome!

Focaccia

Do you like Focaccia bread? Brandon, Kelli and I really do. Haggen has a great one, but why not make it at home? He has you make your own herbed olive oil, which is great so you can make it with whatever herb combination you like! I used about half the oil that he had you use, and next time I will divide the dough in half because ours was quite thick. I think thinner would be better. But the texture and taste was perfect!

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Raisin Bread

I attempted to make a raisin bread with the recipe that I use to make our bread for sandwiches, but it didn't give me the results that I really wanted. This recipe, however, did! This is a real winner and I will be making this many times in the future. The pics are from the site, the title will take you right there, and under the pictures are links to the step-by-step tutorial, and a printable recipe page. I made mine in two loaf pans, and either way you make it, it tastes wonderful.

Baguette

The title is the link, for a pictured tutorial and there is a printable recipe card too. I found the pic off their blog. These Baguettes are REALLY good. They turned out perfectly! I can't wait to make these again. I think the only thing that would make them better, is if they were baked on a stone, instead of my cookie sheet. :) I just use what I have, and it still worked wonderful. This is a two day recipe, but super simple. The night before you add three ingredients(takes less than two minutes), then finish up in the morning(or afternoon in my case).