Homemade Bread Bowls

I love making these bread bowls with cheese soup.  My kids eat the soup so much better because it is fun and they want to eat the bowl, and the bread tastes really yummy with the cheesy soup.

(Makes 6 bread bowls)
Ingredients:
2 cups + 4 Tablespoons warm water
2 packages of active dry yeast (5 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
Using a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, add warm water and sprinkle in yeast.  Let dissolve for a few minutes until yeast becomes foamy.  Add melted butter, sugar and salt and mix until combined.  Gradually add flour.  Once combined, allow your mixer to knead the dough for about 5 minutes (you could do this by hand if you weren’t using a mixer, but it may get a little tiring!).  Punch dough down and form into 6 equal sized balls.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise until doubled.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool and cut off the top, remove some of the bread from the inside and fill with soup or dip.

Feather-Light Overnight Rolls

This is the easiest roll recipe I have ever used and it has always given me great results.  This is also great for freezing. I usually make the whole recipe and freeze half of it....it makes a lot.

1 cup water
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 cup cold water
2 pkg yeast
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs, beaten
7 1/4 cups flour

Butter for spreading on dough

In a 6 quart pot bring the 1 cup water to a boil.  Add the 1 cup butter, sugar, and salt.  Remove from heat.  Add the 1 cup cold water.  Dissolve yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water.  When first mixture is lukewarm, add yeast mixture and beaten eggs.  Stir briefly.  Add flour and stir together.  Cover pan with lid and refrigerate overnight.  When ready to roll out, divide dough in thirds.  Lightly flour surface.  Roll each third out in a large circle about 1/2 inch thick.  Spread dough lightly with butter.  Cut dough into wedges and roll each up, beginning at the wide end, to form a crescent shape.  Place on 3 greased baking sheets (about 12 rolls per sheet).  Let rise about 4 hours.  Bake at 400 for about 12 minutes.  Makes 3 to 4 dozen rolls.

French Bread

French bread turned out to be really easy to make from scratch, Kenneth was surprised when I told him I made it.

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. yeast

3 Tbsp oil

1 tsp salt + a pinch

5-6 cups of flour

Mix the first three ingredients and set aside for about 10 minutes until yeast mixture is frothy.  Add the next three ingredients --- adding the flour slowly.  You want the dough to still be tacky and just starting to pull away from the sides of the bowl as it's mixing.

Set dough in an oiled bowl and cover.  Let rise for ten minutes then punch the dough down.  Cover again, let rise for another ten minutes then punch dough.  Repeat process one more time (for a total of 3 punching sessions and 30 minutes rise time).  During last rising time preheat oven.

Shape into loaves on lightly greased baking sheet and place in oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes.  Brush with bugger to make a soft crust.

This makes two medium sized french bread loaves.  It can also be formed into a round loaf.

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

We love these for breakfast or snacking.  My kids don't even notice that they are made with whole wheat!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Line or grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

Beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth.  Add the banana, honey and eggs, beating until smooth.  Add the flour and chocolate chips, stirring until smooth.  Divide batter into the muffin cups, they'll be nearly full.  Bake the muffins until a tooth pick comes out clean, 23-28 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool.