Category Archives: Breads

Pumpkin Bread

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So, I know we just posted banana bread, but nothing says fall is here more than pumpkins! And this pumpkin bread will have your whole house smelling festive, yummy and “fall” like. I am eating a piece as I am typing this…slathered in butter, ( I think Paula Deen and I could be best friends) and it is pure heaven. This is the kind of pumpkin bread that is rich in spice, so the pumpkin flavor really jumps out at you. And for all you followers who are here locally, (Mesa, AZ) I will be selling these at my Open House TOMORROW. My House. 10 am. Come and get some before they are gone! And for those of you that live far, far away, I feel sorry for you…. and here is the recipe.

Pumpkin Bread

  • 2 3/4 c. flour
  • 3 c. sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 tsp. allspice
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 c. pumpkin (fresh or canned)
  • 2 sticks butter, melted
  • 1 c. nuts (optional)
  • 1 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together dry ingredients. In a mixer, blend together wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until well blended. Add nuts or chocolate chips if you like. Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. (I made 6 mini’s in the above picture) Fill about halfway. Bake at 350 for about an hour. (I baked the mini’s for 40 minutes)

Linking up at: Creatlive, Happy Hour Projects, Stuff and Nonsense, Six Sisters’ Stuff, Serenity You, At the Well, Mandy’s Recipe Box, Chef In Training, Beauty and Bedlam

Sweet Cornbread

Posted in Breads, Side Dish by

Cornbread is one of my husband’s all time favorites.  He grew up calling it Johnny Cake, a term I had never heard, but one which now is common in our home, too.  He loves it with soup, or with chili, or with baked beans, or just smothered with butter and honey.  It took a while for me to come up with a recipe that we both loved, because truth be told, I am not the biggest cornbread fan.  It can be gritty and crunchy (why crunchy?) and lack depth and texture… but this recipe is so good.  It’s light and fluffy but dense, sweet but not too sweet, delicious!  A cornbread that my whole family loves!  We go through batch after batch of this… yum!

Sweet Cornbread

  • 2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups milk, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ sticks butter, melted
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 baking pan, or 20 muffin cups.  Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Combine the milk, butter and eggs and gently stir into the cornmeal mixture.

Pour the batter into the baking pan or muffin cups (about 2/3 full).  Bake for approximately 25 minutes for the pan or 20 minutes for the muffins… until the top is lightly browned.

Look for our post tomorrow for the perfect complement to this yummy cornbread and a fantastic fall meal!

Simply, Banana Bread

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My boyfriend in high school had a mom who was a whiz in the kitchen. Simply amazing. She taught me how to make chocolate chip cookies and the art of baking with dark brown sugar. This banana bread is simple, yet delicious. It is moist, and packed with flavor. And it is all thanks to 2 key ingredients in my opinion: dark brown sugar and buttermilk. Though this is not her exact recipe, I think it is close.

Simply Banana Bread

  • 1 c. butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • 1 1/2 c. dark brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 c. flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 4 large bananas (ripened, darkened….brown spots, on their way out!)
  • 1 c. buttermilk

Preheat overn to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together baking soda and flour. In another bowl, mash bananas with fork and add buttermilk. Stir until combined. Alternately add wet and dry ingredients to batter. Mix until combined. (at this point I like to scrape the sides and bottom down and give it one more mix!) Put batter in loaf pans. Yields 2 loaves. Bake for 45-55 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. As always, add your own flare! Nuts, chocolate chips, etc!

Gram’s Butter Rolls

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Making these rolls today brought me right back to Gram’s kitchen. I used to eat at her house on Sundays when I was in college and this is always what her kitchen smelled like. Mmmm! My grandma is a great baker and these rolls were always one of my favorites! Buttery, light, and hot! These also make great mini sandwiches for days to come. This recipe will yield 2 1/2 dozen, so for my family of 4 it is perfect!

Gram’s Butter Rolls

  • 2 packages of dry yeast (4 tsp.)
  • 1 1/2 c. warm water
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 6 c. flour
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1/2 c. melted shortening (about 35 seconds in microwave)
  • half stick of butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add salt, sugar, eggs, and melted shortening. Beat well. (I used my KitchenAid mixer) Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Place dough in a greased bowl (I sprayed with vegetable spray). Cover amd let rise. When it has doubled in size, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, then roll out (about 1/4 inch thick) and cut into squares. Place a small pat of butter in the middle of each square and fold over. Make sure to pinch down, otherwise rolls will open during cooking. Place on cookie sheets and let rise. (1-2 hours)

Bake at 400 for 11-15 min.