Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

4 ½ c. sugar
1 ½ c. oil
6 eggs, beaten
24 oz. can (3 cups) pumpkin
5 ¼ c. flour
3 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. ground cloves
1 ½ tsp. allspice
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. nutmeg
1 c. water

Mix together the sugar, oil, eggs and pumpkin. Sift together the dry ingredients, and add to the pumpkin mixture. Add the water and mix well. Grease and flour bread pans (makes 8 miniature loaves, or 6 medium loaves, or about 4 large loaves). Pour batter evenly into each pan and bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes. (If you're baking miniature loaves they bake for about 25 minutes. Larger loaves may take longer than the 45 minutes.) Prepare the cream cheese frosting.

Frosting: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 c. butter, softened

1 tsp. lemon extract (optional) 1 tsp. vanilla

2 lb. bag powdered sugar milk (if frosting gets too thick)

Blend cream cheese, butter, lemon extract and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar. If frosting is too thick, add milk a little at a time.

Yummy Hot Buttered Homemade Soft Pretzels

Yields: 24 Pretzels

(I usually cut this recipe in half)

Ingredients

10 Cups Flour
2 tsp. Salt
4 tsp. Sugar, granulated
3 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
4 Cups Water, warm

Topping Ingredients:
2 cups Hot water
6 Tbsp Baking Soda
12 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1/2 cup Kosher Salt, coarse

Procedure:

Combine Flour, salt, sugar and yeast ( I used quick rise yeast because that is all I had and it works just fine) in a mixing bowl and whisk until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Using your dough hook, start the machine and add your warm water (105-110 degrees) in a steady stream to your dry ingredients and mix until dough starts to clear the sides of the bowl. Then mix for 45 seconds. A kitchen aid mixer works best for this. Once your dough has mixed for 45 seconds and is not sticky, remove it from your mixing bowl and place it in a separate floured or greased bowl to let rest for 30 minutes. Once your dough has rested, transfer dough to a lightly floured or greased work surface and divide into 3 ounce pieces. Allow pieces to rest uncovered for 5 minutes. While dough is resting, combine hot water and baking soda (making sure baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. If it isn't your pretzels will be splotchy.

Take a 3 ounce piece of dough and roll with your fingers and ball of your hand to make a long strand of dough. Twirl the dough into a pretzel shape of your choice, dip the top of the pretzel in your baking soda, hot water mixture and lay on your greased pan. Bake @ 350 Degrees for about 11-15 minutes depending on your desired consistency. Once they are finished, brush a little melted butter on top of the pretzels with a pastry brush and sprinkle with salt or cinnamon and sugar or whatever you would like

.

F.Y.I: The baking soda and hot water mixture will give your pretzels a nice shine, it makes them a little crunchier on the outside and helps with browning as well.

Laura’s Amazing Soft Pretzels:

Ingredients:

1 c. water
2 T. yeast
2 t. honey
2 1/2 cups milk
1 stick butter
1/2 cup honey
4 t. salt
8 cups whole wheat flour
butter
salt

(You can make these with white flour and white sugar if you want to have a delicious mound of empty calories…but I have found that using these healthier ingredients does not make us like these pretzels any less!)

Okay, here are the directions for preparing the pretzels that are to die for:

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup very warm water, 2 T. yeast and 2 t. honey. Stir this together and kind of mush the yeast around. Let this sit for a few minutes while you do the next step.

Melt a stick of butter in a large saucepan.

Add 1/2 cup honey, 4 t. salt and 2 1/2 cups of milk. Heat this to 120 degrees.

Pour milk mixture into yeast mixture and stir.

Stir in 8 cups of flour, 2 cups at a time. (add more if you need it)

Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.

Plop it into a bowl, cover it and let it rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Pull it out of the bowl and knead it a few times to get the air out.

Pull a ball of dough, about the size of your fist off and get ready to make your very first pretzel! (such a proud moment)

Roll it into a long snake.

Twist the two ends in a loop twice and then pick up the ends and pull them down to the bottom. And then, it should look like a perfectly professional Pretzel.

After you shape each pretzel, put them on a cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Melt a stick of butter in a saucepan.

Right when you take the pretzels out of the oven, slather them with butter. Lay it on thick. Don’t hold back. Then Sprinkle with Salt.

Rosemary French Bread

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon butter, softened
• 17 tablespoons warm water
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select cycle; press Start.

Focaccia Pizza

This pizza was so good that we gobbled it up so quick I didn't have a chance to take a picture!

Focaccia Crust

1 1/2 C. Bread Flour
1 1/2 C. All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp salt
1 Tbl sugar
1 (.25 oz.) pkg or 1 1/4 Tbl instant yeast
1 1/3 C warm water (110 Degrees F.)
3 Tbl olive oil, divided

In large stoneware bowl, stir together the flours and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Sprinkle the sugar and yeast into that well. Carefully pour the water into the well. Let stand until the yeast begins to act, about 5 minutes. Pour 2 Tbl of the oil into the well. With a wooden spoon stir the mixture in the center of the bowl. Gradually widen the circle of stirring to take in all of the flour at the sides of the well.

Turn out on a floured surface and knead just until smooth. Keep dough soft. Spray non-stick cooking spray in a large bowl. Place dough inside bowl and turn once to coat edges. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

Spread out evenly onto a stoneware pizza dish (depending on desired thickness of crust-- it rises quite a bit in the oven!) and top with favorite sauce and toppings.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

You can use a metal pizza dish and a plastic bowl for mixing. We used a stoneware pizza plate because it adds a little more crispness to the dough.

We originally received this recipe as a Focaccia Bread recipe-- We like to also add Italian Seasoning while we are mixing the bread dough. Let rise 30-45 minutes or until doubled. Punch down, spread out on cookie sheet 1/2 inch thick. Add 2 Tbl fresh chopped rosemary and grated parmesan cheese to top before baking. Use the end of a wooden spoon to dimple the dough at 1 1/2 inch intervals. Place in a cold oven on center shelf with a flat pan of hot water on the shelf below the bread. Let rise until doubled (20-25 min). Turn oven on to 375, bake 20-25 min. or until golden brown.

Pani PoPo

Recipe #1 Pani Popo

Ingredients:

* 1 Bag Frozen Dinner Rolls
* 1 Can Coconut Milk
* 1 Can of Water
* 1 Cup Sugar
* 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch



Follow directions for frozen dinner rolls. Let rolls rise in a 13" X 9" cake pan. In a quart sauce pan, mix coconut milk, water and sugar. In a small bowl, mix corn starch and a few tablespoons of cold water till all clumps are gone. Bring the coconut sauce to a boil then add the cornstarch mixture. Simmer for about 3 minutes (sauce will thicken a little), then remove sauce from heat. Bake rolls. After 10 minutes take out rolls and pour the coconut sauce over the rolls till 1/2 to 3/4 of each bun is covered in sauce. Put the rolls back in the oven and continue baking the rolls with the sauce until the tops of the rolls are golden brown. Remove pan and allow a few minuites to cool. Serve warm.

Left over sauce can be used to smother rolls when served individually or for a second pan of Pani Popo

Substitutes: You can use any dinner roll recipe instead of the bag of frozen rolls. However, if you have never made bread before, you'll find the frozen rolls are very easy in comparison.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 pint fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.
2.In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.
3.Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Yields: 12 servings

Fantastic Pita Bread

1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1. Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine, select Dough setting and start. When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Mango Walnut Bread

Serves: 5 small loaves
2 cups flour 3 eggs beaten
2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt 2 diced mangos
1 cup oil 1/2 cup walnuts
Mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. Mix beaten eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar. Slowly and carefully add diced mango. Fold in chopped walnuts (optional). Pour into pans and let rest 20 minutes. Bake @ 350ْ for roughly 1 hour.

Mom's Perfect Dumplings

Serves: 4
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
Mix water, eggs, salt and baking powder until well combined. Add flour. Mix well and drop spoon full’s into boiling soup (chicken soup etc). Dumplings will float to the top when cooked thoroughly.

Leesha's Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS

Serves: 5 small loves
1 cup banana (about 3-4 really ripe bananas)
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar ( I use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar)

Cream together sugar and softened butter until soft and creamy. Add eggs (one at a time) and continue to cream together. Mix together flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside. Mash ripened bananas and while alternating between bananas and flour mixture, add about 1/4 cup of each at a time until all is mixed well. Take time periodically to scrap the bowl. After flour mixture and bananas are mixed, add sour cream and vanilla. Pour batter into your loaves that have been sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray. Bake @ 350ْ for about 30-35 minutes until tops are golden brown firm. Remove from pans and immediately put into plastic zip lock bags( but do not zip it closed) or cover with plastic wrap to give a moist exterior to bread.

Mango-Walnut Bread

INGREDIENTS Serves: 5 small loaves
2 cups flour
3 eggs beaten
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 diced mangos
1 cup oil
1/2 cup walnuts

Mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. Mix beaten eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar. Slowly and carefully add diced mango. Fold in chopped walnuts (optional). Pour into pans and let rest 20 minutes. Bake @ 350ْ for roughly 1 hour.

Eggnog French Toast

INGREDIENTS
4 (3/4 inch thick) slices French bread
1-1/2 eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
2-3/4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
confectioners' sugar

Arrange the bread slices in two well-greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, cream, sugar, extracts and nutmeg until blended; pour over bread. Turn bread to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 500 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned, turning bread once. Dust with confectioners' sugar