Archive for May, 2009

The Best Bread Recipes? You Make the Decision

Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Hendrika Van Aardt asked:


There is nothing like fresh homemade bread and these two will fill your home with all those lovely baking flavors so typical of bread baking.

Moist Potato Tea Bread

What You Need:

* 1 C of flour

* 1/2 t baking soda

* 1/4 t salt

* 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice

* 1 C cold sweet potatoes, mashed

* 1/2 C sugar

* 3 T canola oil

* 2 T of buttermilk

* 1 t vanilla extract

* 1 large egg

How to Make It:

1. Place the oven temperature on 350 degrees and allow the oven to preheat.

2. Lightly spray a loaf pan with a non stick cooking spray.

3. Dust the loaf pan lightly with flour and tap out any excess.

4. Place the flour into a mixing bowl.

5. Add the baking soda, salt and pumpkin spice.

6. Whisk together until the ingredients are blended well.

7. Place the mashed sweet potatoes into a separate mixing bowl.

8. Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the potatoes.

9. Pour the oil, buttermilk and the vanilla into the mixture.

10. Break the egg into the mixture then whisk until blended together well.

11. Transfer the sweet potato mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture.

12. Stir just enough to moisten the dry ingredients through.

13. Place the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

14. Bake 28 minutes or until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

15. Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 12 minutes.

16. Invert the pan over a wire rack and allow the loaf to cool 1 hour before serving.

Serves: 1 loaf

Sweet potatoes make breads very moist so there’s no need for the extra butter or oil. Sweet potatoes are also a great source of beta carotene along other nutrients making them a healthy choice any time of year. Pumpkin can be used in place the sweet potatoes if you prefer.

The vegetables in this best bread recipe make it a very healthy bread to treat your family with.

Farmer’s Country Loaf

What You Need:

* 1 C warm water (110 degrees)

* 2 1/2 t active dry yeast

* 1 1/2 t salt

* 1 1/2 C + 2 T bread flour

How to Make It:

1. Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl.

2. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water.

3. Allow the mixture to stand 5 minutes or until it begins to bubble.

4. Once the mixture begins to bubble, stir in the salt and the flour until well blended.

5. Use a flexible rubber spatula and knead the dough by folding it over and pushing it into the bottom of the bowl.

6. Knead the dough 4 times.

7. Sprinkle the remaining flour over the dough and continue to knead the dough as directed above for 5 minutes or until the dough is spongy.

8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and push the dough into a ball shape.

9. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, place in a warm area and allow the dough to rise 1 hour.

10. Use the rubber spatula and stir the dough. Cover again and allow the dough to rise for another hour.

11. Sprinkle a flat surface lightly with flour.

12. Place the dough onto the floured surface and form a loaf.

13. Use additional flour on the board if the dough becomes too sticky.

14. Sprinkle a baking sheet with flour in an area about double the size of the loaf.

15. Place the loaf on the floured area, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise 1 hour or until it is double in size.

16. Set the oven temperature to 375 and allow the oven to preheat.

17. Remove the plastic wrap from the loaf.

18. Fill a spray bottle with water and spray the inside of the oven with the water.

19. Bake the bread 5 minutes then spray the oven again being careful not to spray the bread.

20. Bake the bread 12 minutes then spray the oven again.

21. Continue baking the bread 12 more minutes or until the bread is browned and crusty on top.

22. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack 1 hour before slicing.

Serves: 1 loaf

This is a wonderful bread to serve with that Easter dinner. Be sure to have plenty of butter or better yet apple butter to smother each slice with.

This is truly one of our best bread recipes. Do not be afraid of the yeast. It is easier than you think. If you wish you can add one teaspoon of sugar to your dough, with your yeast, it will make the raising process faster; I often do it when I’m in a hurry. I also place the bread in any warm place I can find. I have a friend who places it in her bed, under the duvet, with the electric blanket switched on!! Can you believe it?

Okay, so now you have two of our best bread recipes, what do you think of them?



John

Top 10 Delicious Sugar-Free Desserts

Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Jennifer Bailey asked:


When you are looking for sugar free desserts, chances are good that you still want something that tastes sweet, satisfies you, and is easy to make. There are ten great sugar free desserts that you can make quickly and easily for a great end to a meal!

Sugar Free Butterscotch and Pumpkin Pudding

The ingredients you need for this include:

1 pack of sugar free butterscotch pudding mix

1 cup canned or fresh cooked pumpkin

1 1/2 cup low fat milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

And Cool Whip, or Dream Whip

Add all of the ingredients together and pour them into individual pudding containers to set. Then, you can top them with the cool whip and the vanilla.

Sugar-Free Pecan Pie

For this dessert, you will need to have:

1/3 cup of water

2/3 cup of granular fructose

2 packages of sugar free vanilla pudding – don’t use the instant variety

¾ cup evaporated skim milk

2 big eggs

1 pie shell, 9 inch

¼ cup of chopped pecans

½ cup of grape nuts cereal

First, you should preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, combine the water and fructose, and simmer them over low heat for 5 minutes. Let them cool.

Mix the dry pudding with the fructose mixture. You can add skim milk and eggs, and blend. Pour the mixture into the pie shell, and sprinkle the top with the Grape Nuts and the pecans. Bake it for 30 minutes.

Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake

For this dessert, you will need the following:

1 cup of flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

½ cup reduced calorie margarine

¼ cup molasses

½ cup egg substitute

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Splenda

1.2 cup unsweetened applesauce

You want to have your oven set at 350 degrees. Then, in a bowl, mix together the cinnamon, baking soda, and ginger with the flour. In another bowl, mix the margarine and molasses with an electric mixer. Add the egg substitute, and the vanilla, and blend on high. Add the rest of the mixture to the bowl, and mix it all together. Then, spread into a pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Sugar Free Key Lime Pie

You can also make a sugar free key lime pie by using Sugar Free Key Lime Pie mixture, mixed with lime juice and water, as well as packets of equal. You can put the mixture into a regular pie crust, and then set the mixture in the refrigerator for several minutes.

Cherry Joy Salad

Cherry Joy Salad is made with cherry gelatin, which is already sugar free. You mix the gelatin and water with cherry pie filling, and pineapple juice. Then, you leave the mixture to set in the refrigerator, and when it is just right, you can top it with cool whip or another type of frosting to your specifications.

Sugar Free Strawberry Pie

A sugar free strawberry pie is very easy for you to make. You make it with sugar free strawberry flavor gelatin, and add strawberries to it. However, the trick is to make the gelatin with Diet Sprite or 7-up instead of water. With a little bit of cornstarch in the mixture, it is also thicker. You can set the mixture in the fridge, and then put it into a regular pie crust, one that you have made yourself or one that you have purchase already made. This type of dessert needs no baking, which makes it even easier to create.

Light Pistachio Dessert

With the following ingredients, you can make light pistachio dessert. It is created in layers, and you’ll want to lay the ingredients in the layers as stated.

First layer

1 8 oz. package fat free cream cheese, softened

1 cup of nonfat sour cream

1 carton (8 oz.) Light cool whip

Second layer:

3 Cups 1% milk

1 package sugar free instant pistachio pudding mix (4 serving size)

You can then top the layers with cool whip or nuts if you would like to.

Light Oatmeal Cookies

It is also easy to turn regular desserts into sugar free desserts. With your favorite Oatmeal cookie recipe, you will be able to make a sugar free dessert. Simply use fructose or another type of sugar substitute, and make sure that you use things like unsalted butter, which will also help to make the cookies just as sweet as they should be.

Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie

You can also make a sugar free pumpkin pie, which is going to be just as tasty as the regular sugared pumpkin pies might be. Again, be sure that you replace the sugar in the pie recipe with high fructose or with another type of sugar substitute.

Sugar Free Pineapple Preserve

If you have plain gelatin, you can add unsweetened pineapple juice as well as a can of crushed pineapple. If you want to add sugar or a sugar substitute you can. Once you’ve made the gelatin and pineapple, you can store it in the fridge to use at a later date.



Dan