Mozzerella and Tomato Focaccia

I love homemade bread but unfortunately I don't make it very often, like maybe only once or twice a year! Another food blog I follow, see here, makes a lot of homemade bread (she's where I got the yummy Pretzel Bread). Kathleen now sells her homemade creations and every time I see picture of those delightful carbs I cannot stop thinking about them and craving fresh homemade bread!!

I love focaccia bread so this mozzarella and tomato bread was on the top of my list. I think it looks like a pizza but it's so much more hearty and filling! This is perfect for winter time and will go great with some warm winter soup.

Mozzarella and Tomato Focaccia Bread
(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Topping

• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 small-medium tomato
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Dissolve honey in the warm water in a large bowl, then sprinkle yeast over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to foam. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, onions, and 5 cups of flour until the dough comes together. Knead on a well floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 415 degrees F 
3. Place dough onto oiled 9x13in baking pan, and flatten to cover the whole pan evenly. Use the tips of your fingers to make indentations all over the dough spaced about 1 inch apart. Drizzle the focaccia with 3 tablespoons olive oil, then sprinkle rosemary, basil's, Parmesan cheese, tomato, mozzarella cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon of kosher salt over the top. Let rise for 10 minutes
4. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes until golden brown.

Pretzel Day!

Happy National Pretzel Day!!

As a HUGE fan of soft pretzels there is no way I could pass up celebrating this day. So of course I tried my hand at making real soft pretzels....ummmm. It actually wasn't as hard as I thought, however I did still manage to set off our fire alarms (in my defense there VERY sensitive and nothing was even burning or smoking!). I found out our fire alarms still work and the dogs still hate them. At least we know we're safe right?! I made the dough fairly quickly then left it to rest for an hour while I made dinner and was able to finish up making the pretzels after dinner.
Soft Pretzels
Source: Food Network, Bobby Flay

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 3 oz unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil
• 3 quarts water
• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 1 egg, beaten with 1/2 Tbsp cold water
• coarse sea salt

Combine the water, sugar, yeast and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix the dough hook until combined. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.

Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and spray liberally with vegetable spray. Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda, slowly.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8-10 equal pieces, about 4 to 4.5 ounces each.

Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape: take the right side and cross over to the left. Cross right to left again and flip up.

Boil the pretzels in the water solution, 2 at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon. Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider.

Place 4-5 pretzels on each baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a baking rake and let rest 5 minutes before eating.

Can't wait to eat these with some cheese sauce!!!

Another Pumpkin recipe

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Recipe
Source: Allrecipes.com

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.

*Since this recipes make THREE loaf pans I used the entire bag of chocolate chips (plus I love chocolate so really it could only make this recipe better!). No matter how long I waited for each pan to cool for some reason the bottom of each bread loaf stuck to the pan. The first one I took out was a little so I waited on the second. The second even more stuck! And the third hardly any but some still did. So make sure you grease and flour your pans good! Because I obviously didn't, it still tastes good.

Homemade Bagels with Pumpkin Cream Cheese

Bagels are one of my favorite breakfast foods! Unfortunately where we live now there are no bagels places anywhere close, we would have to drive at least 20 minutes just for a bagel! So I decided to try my hand at making homemade bagels. Then I found this recipe for Pumpkin cream cheese that sounds absolutely amazing that I just had to made BOTH as soon as possible. I made the bagels with white whole wheat flour (slightly more healthy) and didn't use the full amount of flour. They are best toasted.

Homemade Bagels

• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packages active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions:

In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.

Don't worry they get bigger once boiled!

Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling.

Dough will sink the bottom once in water, made sure to move them so they don't stick to the pan. They will rise to the top within a few seconds.

Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering. When the bagels are ready, put about 4 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once.

Nice and puffy!

Drain them on a towel. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.

Ready to Eat!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

I made the cream cheese with fresh pumpkin from in a previous post. This pumpkin cream cheese is all that I hoped it for. It was very easy to make and came together in 5 minutes. It is soo delicious I made a double batch!!

My NEW Obsession, Pretzel Bread!

I love soft pretzels. Anytime I go to a baseball game or event that has soft pretzels I have to get one...that and a hot dog. I love them served warm with butter and salt and dipped in cheese!! (I'm getting hungry just thinking about them). So you think I would have heard of Pretzel Bread by now! So when I first saw a recipe for Pretzel Bread from Kathleen's blog a few weeks ago I have been thinking about them ever since. And when I looked to see what ingredients I needed to make it I realized I already have everything so I immediately made it as soon as I got home from work yesterday. I've included the recipe Kathleen uses below but if you want step by step instructions with pictures (which help a lot if your not experience with using yeast and making bread) click on the link to her blog.

Doesn't it look so delicious!?! I decided to make rolls with my dough and of course served mine with butter, salt and cheese. You can also serve yours with butter and a mixture of cinnamon and sugar as well. It is all that it lives up to be. This is the best bread I've had in...I can't even remember! It's AMAZING!!! If you love soft pretzel,s you will absolutely love this recipe. I even had it for breakfast this morning! I make the mistake of only making one batch because I wanted to make sure it was good. I will definitely be doubling or tripling this recipe and freezing half so I can have it anytime I want.

All buttered and salted and ready to eat!

Pretzel Bread Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 cup water (110-120 degrees or bathwater temp)
• 2 Tbsp milk, room temp
• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 2-1/2 to 3 cups bread flour
• 4 quarts water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp melter butter
  

Directions:

1. Add yeast, water, milk, brown sugar and butter into a large bowl, whisking until all ingredients are combined. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes for yeast to activate. Mix in kosher salt. Start by adding two cups of the flour to the bowl, combining it with other ingredients. Add more flour as it’s needed, reserving just a bit for coating the dough mat later.

2. The dough should form a slightly tacky, but firm ball. Oil the bowl, place the dough ball in the bowl, and cover with a damp towel for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, knead the dough by hand or machine for at least 5-10 minutes until the dough is elastic and satiny. Place dough back in the bowl and recover for 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, slowly add the baking soda.

4. Remove the dough from the bowl and gently degas it. Form two separate balls of dough, forming them into the shape you want. Drop one of the smaller balls into the baking soda bath for no longer than 30 seconds, turning it once to guarantee both sides covered. Drain the excess water from the dough and place it on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with second ball of dough.

5. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the bread to your specific tastes, and make sure to use a knife to cut a small incision on the top of the bread so the dough has somewhere to expand.

6. Cook the bread for 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once.

7.Once removed from the oven, immediately brush the melted butter over the loaves to guarantee a soft crust.

Autumn Dinner

I've kind of been in denial of it being Fall already. I'm just not ready for the warm weather to disappear! But I have come to love these cool nights and warm days, even with it getting dark around 7:00pm and soon 6:30pm, then 6:00pm... you get the picture. I decided to kick October off with a nice Fall-like dinner which included a new recipe I've never tried, Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Beer Bread! Beer bread is one of the easiest breads to make because it involves four ingredients which take 5 minutes to combine and then the rest of the time it's in the oven. I've only made beer bread a few times and I don't think it's ever been the same recipe. The last time I used the Tastefully Simple mixes but that's not homemade and I'm all about the made from scratch lately. I found this beer bread recipe on My Baking Addiction.

Beer Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 12 oz beer
• 2 Tbsp melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8x4 inch loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, and beer. Mix well. The mixture will be sticky. Pour into the loaf pan and back for 55 minutes. At the last three minutes of baking, remove from oven and brush the top of the loaf with the melted butter and return to oven for the final three minutes of baking.

When pouring in the beer, the reaction will cause it to become foamy

Sticky dough.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens NEW Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 large baking potatoes, about 8 oz each (I actually used 3)

• 6 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions, about 3

• 3 Tbsp butter

• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp fresh dill or chives or 1/4 tsp dried dill

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 4 cups milk

• 1-1/4 cups shredded American cheese

• 4 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
  

Directions:

Scrub potatoes, pat dry. Prick potatoes with a fork. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 40-60 minutes or until tender. Or if your impatient you could be like and just microwave your potatoes. Cool. Cut each potato lengthwise, scoop out white portion of each potato. Break up any large pieces of potato; set aside. Discard the skins.

In a large saucepan cook 3 Tbsp of the green onions in hot butter over medium heat until tender. Stir in flour, dill, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir for 12-15 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Add the potato and i cup of the cheese, stir until cheese melts. Top each serving with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, remaining 3 Tbsp green onion, and bacon. And ENJOY!

It was delicious! I like the combo together. The beer bread is a nice thick bread to dip into the hearty soup, it holds its own.

Focaccia Bread

I've been wanting to make bread for some time now and came across this recipe which sounded delicious. I also had all the ingredients so that helped also! It had a ton reviews which is one reason I picked it and I love focaccia bread, especially with herbs and cheese!!

All the dry ingredients


The dough

It looks like a pizza but I swear it's just bread!

Doesn't it look yummy!

Focaccia Bread
Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella
  

Directions In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Lemon Bread

Lemon Bread Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsps baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cooking oil, or 1/4 cup butter melted
• 2 tsps finely shredded lemon peel
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)
• 2 Tbsps lemon juice (optional)
• 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
  

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, the 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make well in center of flour mixture; set mixture aside. In another medium bowl combine the egg, milk, oil, lemon peel, and the 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. If desired, in a small bowel stir together the 2 Tbsps lemon juice and the 1 Tbsp sugar. While bread is still in the pan, brush lemon-sugar mixture over the top of the loaf. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before serving.

1 Loaf Makes 16 servings, 126 calories per slice