Bread Recipes

Walnut and Rosemary Loaves

2 cups warm 1% low-fat milk (100° to 110°)
1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages dry yeast (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add yeast, stirring with a whisk; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 cups flour to yeast mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 15 minutes.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour, walnuts, rosemary, and 1 egg, stirring with a whisk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes), adding enough of remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Lightly press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Preheat oven to 400°. Punch dough down; turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half, shaping each portion into a round. Place loaves on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Combine 1 tablespoon milk and 1 egg, stirring with a whisk; brush over loaves. Make 3 diagonal cuts 1/4-inch deep across top of each loaf using a sharp knife.

Place loaves in oven; reduce oven temperature to 375°, and bake 40 minutes or until bottom of each loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let stand 20 minutes before slicing. Makes 2 loaves

Oatmeal Molasses Bread

2 cups fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup regular oats
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist; stir in raisins. Stir with a wooden spoon until dough pulls together in a shaggy mass. Let rest 2 minutes.

Turn half of dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 1 minute with floured hands (dough will feel tacky); shape dough into a 6-inch round loaf. Place on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Repeat procedure with remaining dough. Make 3 diagonal cuts 1/4-inch deep across top of each loaf using a sharp knife.

Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° (do not remove loaves from oven); bake an additional 15 minutes or until bottom of each loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Makes 2 loaves

Note: Because it contains no yeast, this dark quick bread takes only a minute to knead and does not require rising time. The dough will be sticky and wet as you knead it. The loaves brown quickly and may appear done before they really are.

Dried Pear and Cardamom Scones

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 tablespoons butter
10 tablespoon buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup chopped dried pears
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cardamom in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine buttermilk, rind, vanilla, and egg in a medium bowl; stir in dried pears. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust top of the dough with 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, and pat into an 8-inch circle. Cut dough into 8 wedges; arrange wedges 1/2 inch apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush egg white over wedges. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings

Tea Rolls

5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/3 cups warm 1% low-fat milk (100° to 110°)
1 package quick-rise yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, warm milk, and yeast in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand 1 1/2 hours (batter should become very bubbly and almost triple in size).

Add 3 cups flour, sugar, butter, salt, and egg; stir with a wooden spoon 3 minutes or until well combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. (Lightly press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; lightly dust dough with flour and pat into an 10 x 8-inch rectangle. Divide dough by making 3 lengthwise cuts and 4 crosswise cuts to form 20 equal pieces; shape each piece into a ball. Place balls in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Lightly coat the dough with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375°. Brush 3 tablespoons milk lightly over dough; sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until browned. Cool rolls in pan 5 minutes. Serve warm, or cool completely on a wire rack. Makes 20 servings

Bacon Buns

10 bacon strips, diced
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 package (16 ounces) hot roll mix
1 egg, lightly beaten

In a skillet, cook bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is crisp and onion is tender; drain on paper towels.

Prepare hot roll mix according to package directions. Turn the dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Divide dough into 18 pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece into a 5-in. circle. Top each with 1 tablespoon of bacon filling. Fold dough around filling, shaping each piece into a small loaf; pinch edges to seal. Place seam side down on greased baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick cooking spray. Let rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.

Brush egg over buns. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 1-1/2 dozen.

Banana-Nut Corn Bread

2 packages (8-1/2 ounces each) corn bread/muffin mix
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup milk

In a bowl, combine all ingredients just until blended. Spoon into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 2 loaves.

Vanilla-Raisin Bread

2/3 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Soak the raisins in the vanilla for at least one hour. Place water, sour cream, honey, salt, bread flour, active dry yeast and cinnamon in bread machine pan in the order of manufacturer's recommendation. Bake on sweet cycle. Add raisins after kneading beep. Makes 12 servings

Parmesan Cheese Twists

1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 tablespoon dry mustard
2 cups flour
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Beat butter until it is fluffy. Add 1-cup cheese, sour cream, Italian seasoning, and dry mustard. Beat again until fluffy. Gradually add flour and blend with wooden spoon. Dough will be stiff. Set in refrigerator for 40 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured surface. Mix egg yolk with water. Brush over rolled out dough.

Sprinkle remaining 1/4-cup cheese over dough. Cut dough into strips, twist, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Store in a tightly-sealed container once cooled. Makes 12 servings

Coconut Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the egg, milk and extracts. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in coconut. Transfer to a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices).

Sweet Potato Biscuits

2 heaping tablespoons of sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter
2-4 tablespoons milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes)
3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Then add milk a tablespoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut in.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Watch your oven: If the biscuits are browning too fast, lower the temperature.) Makes 15-18 biscuits

Okra Fry Bread

1 16-ounce bag frozen whole okra, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
2 teaspoon salt
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup plain cornmeal
1/2 cup chopped Vidalia Onions or Spring onions
2 1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon clarified butter, plus more as needed

In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour and salt. Whisk in water to make a thin batter. Stir in okra and onions. Over medium heat, add clarified butter to a cast iron skillet. Use a small ladle to pour batter onto skillet. Pan should be hot enough to make batter sizzle. Cook until underside is browned, about 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and brown on the other side. Repeat with additional batter, adding more butter as necessary. Makes 8 servings