Candy Corn Bread

Thanks to Pinterest, I came across the idea of bread with images in it when you slice it.
 I love the jack-o-lantern bread from Cake Student, but that seemed a little difficult for my first attempt. I decided to go with the simplest shape I could think of, a candy corn. Well, mine kind of turned out like a reverse candy corn, but you get the idea.

Candy Corn Bread 

Recipe from Cake Student adapted from Allrecipes.com

I didn't change the ingredients, just the directions because I don't have a bread machine, and I had to shape of the dough differently.

1 cup warm water

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 cup bread flour (I used all purpose flour)

2 Tablespoon Dark, unsweetened, cocoa powder (I used Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder)

Food Dye (I used AmeriColor Yellow & Orange*)

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, dissolve the sugar in the warm water, and then stir in yeast.

2. Mix the salt and vegetable oil into the yeast.

3. Mix in the flour one cup at a time. 

4. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, or use the dough hook of your stand mixer. 

5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, and turn the dough to coat it. Cover with damp cloth, and set in a warm place. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

7. Spray a 9"x5" bread pan with cooking spray.

8. Separate dough into 4 balls of increasing size.

9. Leave the smallest ball white. Dye the next size up orange. Dye the second largest ball yellow. Mix the largest ball of dough with cocoa powder, until well combined (I needed to use my stand mixer to accomplish this).

10. Shape your bread. I placed the dough on a floured surface and rolled the white, yellow, and orange into logs 9" in length. Then placed the logs on top of each other in candy corn order. (Yellow-bottom, Orange-middle, White-top)

11. Roll the cocoa dough out, like a pie crust, on a lightly floured surface. 

12. Wrap the candy corn shaped dough in the cocoa dough.

13. Place the dough log in the prepared pan.

14. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

15. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

The top of my loaf popped open, and for some reason the white dough rose more while baking than the others (I assume it is because I didn't have to work dye into it). So my loaf doesn't look like a true candy corn, but my kids knew it looked like a candy corn without me telling them, and that is good enough for me.

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Banana Nutella Bread

Once again I found myself starring at some very sad looking bananas on my kitchen counter. I was extremely tempted to make more banana bread with vanilla brown butter glaze, but I decided to try something new.

This bread to a real treat. It is super moist and has tons of banana and Nutella goodness!!

I used whole wheat flour because that is what I had on hand. Plus, it makes me feel a little better about all the Nutella..LOL.

Banana Nutella Bread

recipe from Chef In Training

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Kosher)

1/4 cup butter, softened (I used unsalted)

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cup mashed banana - about 3 medium bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla (DIY Vanilla Extract)

1/3 cup milk (I used fat free)

3/4 heaping cup of Nutella (I used 1 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare 8x4" loaf pan with non stick spray.

3. In a medium bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt together.

4. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together, with an electric mixer.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

6. Add banana, milk, and vanilla. Mix until blended.

7. Add flour mixture to your banana mixture, and stir until just blended.

8. Place Nutella into a small microwave safe dish. Microwave the Nutella for 15 seconds.

9. Add 1 cup of your prepared batter to the Nutella and mix well.

10. Alternate spooning the Nutella batter and plain batter into the prepared loaf pan.

11. Swirl the batters with a knife.

12. Bake for 50-60 minutes. It will seem a little undercooked, but that is ok.

13. Cool for at least 15 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

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Banana Bread with Vanilla Brown Butter Glaze

The other morning I woke up to some very sad looking bananas sitting on my counter. Thankfully even sad bananas can be yummy.

As usual, my search for a recipe started on Pinterest. I came across this wonderful recipe on averie cooks. I made a few very small changes due to what I had on hand and personal preference. This banana bread was absolutely the best banana bread I have ever eaten.

Banana Bread

adapted ever so slightly from averie cooks

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (DIY vanilla extract)
2/3 cup Greek yogurt (I used fat free, because it is what I had on hand)

2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)

1-3.4oz box vanilla instant pudding

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.

3. In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave for about 1 minute.

4. Add sugars, eggs, vanilla, and yogurt to the butter and whisk to combine. 

5. Mash the bananas.

6. Add the bananas to the mixture and stir to combine. 

7. Add the dry pudding mix and stir to combine.

8. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the banana mixture and stir until just combined.

9. Pour batter into prepared pan.

10. Bake on middle rack for 50 to 58 minutes. Until top is golden and set, and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. At around 30 minutes turn your oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking for the remaining time.

11. Allow bread to cool in the loaf pan for 20-30 minutes before removing from the pan. 

12. Transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

Vanilla Brown Butter Glaze

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (DIY vanilla extract)

1+ tablespoons cream or milk, optional 

1. Brown the butter in a small saucepan on the stovetop, heating over medium heat. Swirl the pan frequently for about 5 to 7 minutes. (Just until the crackling, and foaming have subsided. You want the butter to be a light brown, and have a nutty aroma. Not dark brown and burnt.)

2. Transfer the hot butter to a mixing bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.  

3. Add the confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla to the butter and whisk to combine. 

4. At this point based on desired glaze consistency and taste preference, add the cream/milk a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached. 

5. Drizzle glaze over the top of the bread before slicing and serving. or slice, and glaze each piece individually. 

The unglazed bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. 

The glazed bread can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Although, I am highly doubtful that it will last 5 days.


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Easiest Homemade Bread Ever

This is the quickest and easiest homemade bread I've ever made. 

No kneading. 

No bread machine. 

Just Mix, Rise, Bake, Enjoy!

It only takes 5 minutes to mix up, let it rise and you can keep it in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. This allows you to quickly have bread for any meal.

Recipe from Heart Hands Home

Making The Dough

Ingredients:

6 1/2 cup flour (I use unbleached but regular all purpose will do)

1 1/2 Tablespoons of dry active yeast (about 2 packets)

1 1/2 Tablespoons salt

3 cups warm water

 

1. In a 4Qt. container (the 4Qt. Pyrex bowl works perfect) mix flour, yeast, and salt.

2. Add water and mix until all the flour mixture is moist.

3. Lay lid on container, but do NOT seal it.

4. Set bowl in a warm spot and allow dough to rise at least 2 hours.

5. After the dough has risen you can place it in the refrigerator.

 Baking The Bread

1. Take dough out of the refrigerator.

2. Sprinkle a section of the dough with flour.

3. Pull the section of dough with flour on it out of the bowl. You want a grapefruit sized lump of dough.

4. Use your hands to smooth the dough into a ball. If the dough is sticky sprinkle a little more flour on it.

5. Place dough on parchment paper, and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes. This is really just to let the dough warm up a little, so if you don't get it out of the refrigerator in time just let it set while your oven preheats and bake it a little longer.

6. Place a metal cookie sheet/loaf pan on the bottom shelf of the oven. 

7. Place a pizza stone in your oven and preheat to 450 degrees. I just used my Pampered Chef Rectangular Stone.

8. Sprinkle the top of the bread with flour and slash the top.

9. Place the bread (still on the parchment paper) on the stone in the oven.

10. Add 1 cup of warm water to the pan you placed on the bottom shelf of your oven.

11. Bake for 25 minutes.

12. Remove the parchment paper for the last 10 minutes of baking.

13. Once the bread is done baking, allow it to cool and enjoy!

Notes

1. You can form this into baguettes, pizza dough, rolls, or what ever you choose. You'll just have to watch your baking times. 

2. Heart Hands Home mentions that the longer the dough is in your refrigerator the more it will taste like sourdough. We wouldn't know because it never hangs around that long in this house :)

Update:
I purchased the Kindle version of "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day"* by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (This recipe is from that book). If you enjoy this recipe the book is a must have. It is full of amazing recipes....I may never buy bread or rolls again!!!!

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