Perfect Homemade Bread - You can make it in your bread machine

Our family may eat primarily low carb and sugar free but I'm a carb lover when it comes to bread and pasta and sometimes, especially on chilly Fall days or cold winter nights I crave homemade breads.  It's that time of year when I start to make more homemade soups and stews, and what goes better than a slice of homemade bread? 

This one is my 'go to' recipe when I don't actually want to do any work to make the bread... I just want to eat it.  I've used this recipe for the 20 years that I've had my bread machine - although you'll see in my notes at the bottom that it's such a great recipe that you can adapt it to make it in your electric mixer bowl with a bread hook or even by hand (with lots of kneading!).  I usually take out about a cup of flour and replace with some whole wheat flour or flax meal, and I often just use my machine to make this dough and then form it into dinner rolls or hamburger buns.  It's very adaptable.

This time it's the 'no work' loaf of homemade bread right from your machine.  Make sure you have a 'large' machine as you need the 2 pound or 'large loaf' setting.  Put in the ingredients, turn it on and a few hours later, you'll have homemade bread ready to serve.


Classic Homemade Bread in Your Bread Machine

12 oz. warm water
1 1/2 t salt
2 T butter
4 c unbleached or bleached bread flour (or use all purpose if that is what you already have on hand*)
2 T dry milk powder
2 T sugar
1 3/4 t yeast, dry

Place the ingredients in your bread machine (in the order your machine requires).  If you've lost your instruction manual or can't find it, almost all bread machines off their manuals online.  Do an internet search and you'll find a copy. In mine, I place the water, butter and salt in first;  followed by the flour, dry milk and sugar.  Then use my knuckle or finger to make a little dip/hallow or indentation in the top and put the yeast there.

Use your setting for a 2 pound loaf or large loaf.  Remove from your machine when finished and let cool on your counter until time for serving.


*This recipe can also be adapted to make dinner rolls, hamburger buns, bread braids, etc. Even pizza crusts.  Just use your dough setting on your machine.  I've also used this particular recipe to make it from scratch by hand (lots of work but it's what our great grandmothers did!) and I typically and usually just use my KitchenAid mixer to mix it up with the bread dough hook attachment.

I've posted this recipe in various forms many times on An American Housewife since 2006. You can find adaptations in my search engine or if you want to see the 'dough' instructions for the mixer and how I made them into buns, one of my posts can be found here:  http://www.housewifebarbie.com/2012/05/homemade-rolls-or-hamburger-buns.html.

*Although this recipe doesn't work using all whole wheat flour, you can replace a portion of the bread or AP flour with whole wheat.  I grind my own whole grain wheat from wheat berries and as you can tell in the photos in this post it has some 'wheat' to it and it's not all white bread.  I replaced about 2/3 cup with whole wheat and tossed in a bit of vital wheat gluten with vitamin C - although neither of these are necessary for this recipe.  It was/is originally an all white bread.  I've also added ground flax seed to this recipe without any issues.  It's pretty adaptable.

Homemade Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

Because we don't indulge in carby potatoes often, I'm THRILLED when we do and they are sooooo good that it's worth every. single. carb.

These are that.

I used my vegetable spiralizer instead of using a food processor or grater to simply slice them.  You absolutely can slice your potatoes thin for traditional au gratin potatoes - but to get the look of the ones in my photos, just use a spiral slicer of whatever brand you like.  

 

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

4-6 large potatoes (I used Klondike Rose potatoes in these photos)
1/4 c green onions, sliced
1/4 c butter (1/2 stick)
1 T flour
1 t salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 c unflavored, unsweetened almond milk or regular milk
2 c grated cheese - cheddar

Spiralize or slice your potatoes thin into a greased or sprayed casserole dish that is safe for the oven.
In a saucepan on the stove, melt the butter, add the green onions and cook briefly to soften them.
Add the flour and whisk and cook for a minute or two.
Add the salt and pepper, and the cream.  Whisk and bring to a simmer.
Add the cheese, continue to stir or whisk to melt the cheese.
Pour over the potatoes.
Bake in a 375 (or 350) oven for about an hour. The potatoes should be tender, and most of the liquid sauce absorbed and thickened with just a bit of liquid left.  Remove the potatoes and let them set 10 minutes before serving to set up.  They will absorb a little more of the sauce and thicken as they cool a bit.

If you don't spiralize them and you simple slice them, you might need to add another 15 minutes for baking.  If they are getting darker than you like, just put foil over them for the last 10-15 minutes.  Don't bake them covered the whole time though or they will be too runny.

Butter and onions with the flour added - whisk and cook for a minute or two

After adding the cream and cheese...

Pour over the potatoes and bake for about an hour for spiralized - about an hour and 20 minutes might be needed for regular sliced potatoes.

Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins - Coffee Cake Style! Two Versions, including sugar free and low carb

Sugar Free and Low Carb Version - literally as I was eating it for breakfast with coffee

If you don't have to worry about carbs or cook sugar free, I love a recipe I posted back in 2007 for a copy cat Entenmann's recipe - make it into a loaf pan or into muffins.  I LOVE that coffee cake but because we more often than not are eating low carb and sugar free by choice, I use the one I posted just after this one.  More on that in a minute.

FIRST:

A regular, full flour and full sugar version I posted in 2007

Entenmann's Style Coffee Cake Loaf

3 3/4 c flour
1 3/4 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt

Mix in a large mixing bowl and then remove 2 cups of the dry mix to reserve for later.

Now to the rest of the flour in the mixing bowl add;

1 stick butter (not margarine)
2 eggs
2/3 milk

The batter will be thick, spread this into a greased and floured pan (I use a little of the reserved flour topping mix to flour the pan). Now, you are wondering what size aren't you? Any size you want. If you use a 9X13 pan, you will have a thin cake, a 14 inch square would be nice, a 9X9" square will be a thick cake. I personally like to use a bread loaf pan. I like mine as a 'pound cake'. Spread the batter into your pan.

To the reserved flour mixture add;

1 stick butter
1/4 c brown sugar
2 t cinnamon
dash of salt

Mix this together with your finger tips until it forms pea sized crumbles. Cover the entire cake with this topping. If you chose to use a loaf pan you will only use half the topping. Freeze the rest in a baggy to use on muffins at a later date!

Bake at 350 degrees - a 9X13" pan approximately 30 minutes or a loaf pan it will have to bake at least 60 minutes. I bake mine about 1 hour and 15 minutes until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

 __________________________________________

Low Carb and Sugar Free Coffee Cake Muffins

2 T real butter
2 oz. cream cheese
4 eggs
1/2 c sweetener of choice (I use a mixture of granulated Ideal and Truvia with a few drops of a liquid sweetener)
2 t vanilla
1/2 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 c almond flour
1/2 c coconut flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Topping:
1 c almond flour
1/4 c coconut flour
1/3 c sweetener of choice (granulated 'sugar' style)
1/2 t molasses
3 T butter
1 t cinnamon

(If you can find a good 'brown sugar' version of a natural sweetener, you can use that in place of the sweetener and molasses.  I have used two brands in the past that I loved but they both stopped making the brown sugar versions - grrr - and the splenda and Truvia versions you see in the stores now have real sugar in them so they are NOT sugar free.  I had an order for Just Like Sugar Brown that was canceled last week for lack of availability so I don't know if they are stopping production as well.  Honestly, over the past two years, I usually just make my own 'brown' sweetener by mixing a dab of molasses into regular white sweeteners.  This gives the flavor that goes so well in cookies and muffins.)

I use the 'large' muffin tins that have 6 spaces, lined with the large muffin liners.  Spray your liners with a Pam style spray.  Mix your muffin batter together either in an electric mixing bowl or your food processor until blended smooth.  Divide into your muffin cups.  Now mix the topping ingredients either by hand or with a fork until it resembles pea like crumbs or just put it into your food processor and pulse it a couple times.

Cover your muffins with the crumb topping.  Bake at 350 about 25-30 minutes for smaller regular sized muffins (12) or about 45 minutes for the large size.  Because I find baking with almond flour always takes longer to get 'done' in the middle, I cover my baked goods with a piece of foil after about 30 minutes to keep them from getting too dark, and then around 40-45 minutes I turn the oven OFF but leave the muffins IN.  I check on them about every 5 minutes by lightly pressing on the top to see if they are set up and firm - not jiggly anymore.  Then let them cool completely out on a cookie rack.  These are best the next day and stay very moist inside.


Crumb Topping:

Pile it on...

Literally took a photo of my breakfast muffin and coffee as I was enjoying it!

Homemade Banana Bread

I have a really yummy banana bread recipe I posted back in 2014 that I made up one night before bed by looking at 3 or 4 old 'grandma' recipes and doing what feel right with those as the basis for my brainstorm.  (http://www.housewifebarbie.com/2014/09/)  This post is really just a "oh yeah" post for anyone who has bananas to use up - just make banana bread!  If you don't want to eat it now, just wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil and toss it into your freeze until you want to defrost and serve it.

Banana Bread

4 ripe bananas
1 c sugar or equivalent sweetener
1/2 c applesauce of choice
2 eggs
1 t baking soda
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
*optional:  chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you mash the bananas in a bowl with a mixer.  Stir in the sugar and let it stand for 15 minutes.  Add the applesauce and eggs.  Beat. Add the rest of the ingredients and pour into a 9X5" greased loaf pan.  Bake 45-55 minutes until the toothpick or sharp knife test into the center comes out clean.  Let it stand for 10 minutes in the pan before you remove and let cool completely.

OPTIONAL:  Nuts.  I love adding chopped walnuts in my banana bread - I have family members who hate nuts in theirs.  I make both.  If you add 1/2 cup or so of chopped nuts, be sure to sprinkle extra on top so you can tell which loaves have nuts and which don't.

Homemade Pudding Pops - Chocolate and Vanilla

I happen to be the very proud owner of vintage Tupperware popcicle molds - the exact ones my Mother owned back in the early 1970's.  But when I was shopping at my local Walmart a few weeks ago I came across these primary colored ice pop molds that were on clearance.  For a quarter (yes, a quarter!) I picked up 4 of them.

I wasn't in the mood for popcicles so I decided to make pudding pops!  

 
Pudding Pops

1 package cook and serve chocolate pudding
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (unflavored or vanilla)
1 cup evaporated milk, half and half or heavy cream
1 teaspoons vanilla (freezing the pops mellows the vanilla flavoring so I like to add a bit extra)
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin with a couple tablespoons of cold water to soften it

Sprinkle the dry unflavored gelatin over a couple tablespoons cold water.  Let it set to soften a couple minutes.  Mix the pudding mix according to directions but use a mixture of almond milk and heavy cream or half and half.  You can also use evaporated milk (this is the the kind without water in it; NOT the same as sweetened condensed milk). Whisk in the gelatin mixture and cook over medium heat according to directions on the pudding package.  Let it cool for 5-10 minutes while you get the molds ready.  Pour into the molds and freeze for 10-12 hours as the pudding mixture is so warm it will take longer to cool then freeze.  If you opt to use instant, it should freeze in 3-4 hours instead.

For the Vanilla versions I simply made homemade vanilla pudding, added the gelatin and repeated the instructions above by pouring and freezing.

1 c half and half or cream
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1/2 c natural granulated sweetener
2 t unflavored gelatin
3 egg yolks
3 T butter - real
4 t vanilla extract

Sprinkle the dry gelatin over a couple tablespoons of water or half and half.  Let it set. Combine the sweetener and milk(s) of choice in a pan on the stove.  Cook over medium heat until the sweetener is dissolved.  Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and slowly drizzle in about a cup of the hot milk(s) mixture in while whisking.  As soon as it's incorporated, pour this back into the pan with the milk/sweeteners.  Whisk in the gelatin and the vanilla.  After a couple minutes of cooking and whisking; Turn off the heat, add the butter.  Let this cool for 5-10 minutes while you get the molds ready.  When it's cooled a bit, pour and deep freeze for 10-12 hours.

Run hot water over the pop-ice molds for a minute to loosen the pudding pop from the mold so it slides out easily.