Breakfast Cake

I love breakfast foods and feel bad when my kids eat cold cereal, but my usual rotation of warm yumminess was seeming old to me. So I made a zucchini bread and a pumpkin bread a little healthier (whole wheat flour and less sugar) and baked them in 13x9 pans for breakfast cake. Easier than doing muffins, I figure, though you do have to get up early enough to get it in the oven so it can come out nice and warm at the right time. This isn't health food by any stretch of the imagination (there is still plenty of sugar and oil) but it can't be much different than syrup on pancakes and waffles.


Zucchini Breakfast Cake
We grated the zucchini from our garden and froze it in 3 cup portions for this recipe, and then used 5 cup containers to make individual mixes of the dry ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9 glass pan.

3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (or half wheat/half white)
1 1/3 cups sugar (lately I've been doing only 1 cup sugar)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 TB ground cinnamon
1 TB vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup oil (or half oil, half applesauce)
3 cups grated zucchini

Mix well, combining dry ingredients together first. Put in greased pan. Bake for 45-50 min. (until knife inserted comes out clean).



Pumpkin Breakfast Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 13x9 glass pan.

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour  (or half wheat/half white)
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves
4 eggs
1 cup oil (or half oil, half applesauce)
2 cups pumpkin

Mix well, combining dry ingredients together first. Put in greased pan. Bake for 45-50 min. (until knife inserted comes out clean).

Whole Wheat No-fuss Bread

I discovered the Pullman/Pain-de-mie pan size about a year ago and have enjoyed using it for making this all-around basic whole wheat bread (there's also an awesome white bread recipe here). I have 2 Pullman pans and 2 bread containers so I don't have to use bags after baking. I highly suggest both of these purchases. Pullman pans are the size of a store-bought sandwich loaf, and they have a lid that keeps the bread in a nice square shape (the lid is also nice for rising time).

And these Lock & Lock bread containers keep the bread fresh for days:

This bread recipe is easy and good for sandwiches, toast, French toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc.



2 Pullman Pan Loaves of Whole Wheat Bread
Combine and let sit until frothy:
3 3/8 cup warm water
2 TB yeast
1/2 cup sugar

Add the following except all the flour; mix, and start kneading. Add flour until the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the mixer anymore. Knead for about 5-6 minutes:
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1/4 cup oil
4 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup gluten (optional; can also add dough enhancer--about 2 TB)
about 9 cups whole white wheat flour

Let dough rise in mixer (about double). Divide into two sections and form loaves and put in pans (no need to even grease the Pullman pans I have) with the lids on. Let rise again until dough is almost touching the lid. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes with the lids on. Remove lids and bake for 5-10 minutes more.

***


My mom uses this recipe for her bread machine bread. For a loaf in the bread machine use these portions:
1 cup + 2 TB water
1 1/2 TB oil
3 TB sugar
1 1/2 TB dry milk powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups whole wheat flour (1/4 cup of it can be gluten)
2 tsp yeast

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

We sampled some of Dad's Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie last night that he'd made for Thanksgiving. Mmmmmm.

Maree's Rolls

This is from Cox's Hon*yland recipes. The yummiest rolls always seem to have potato flakes and scalded milk in them. Since I've been afraid of scalding milk, I've never tried to make them--but after watching Maree do it at Thanksgiving I'm ready to make these melt-in-your-mouth rolls for special occasions.

2 TB yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp sugar

2 cups milk, scalded
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 heaping tsp salt
1/4 cup potato flakes
1/2 cup honey
5-6 cups flour
3 eggs

Dissolve yeast in warm water and sugar. To scalded milk add butter, salt, potato flakes, honey and 4 cups flour. Add eggs one at a time and then add remaining flour to dough until it holds together in bowl but not stiff. If you put in too much flour you will have a tough roll. Let rise until double. Punch down and roll out (oil counter for rolling out). For dinner rolls, cut with circle cutter, dip in melted butter, fold in half, put in pan and let rise. Bake at 350 for 15 min or until light brown.

B*squick Mix for Pancakes, Waffles and Biscuits

I have another recipe for biscuits on here, but when I'm going all for flavor, this one is really yummy (this one's from Maree).

B*squick Mix
4 cups flour
2 TB baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Cut in shortening with pastry cutter.

Pancakes: 2 cups mix with 1 cup milk and 2 eggs.

Waffles: 2 cups mix with 1 1/3 cup milk, 1 egg and 2 TB oil.

Biscuits: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir 2 1/4 cups mix with 2/3 cup milk. Turn out on surface sprinkled with extra mix. Knead 10 times. Roll out 1/2 inch thick. Cut with 2 1/2 inch cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, close together so they have to expand upward. Bake 8-10 min or until golden brown. Makes 9 biscuits.
(Maree has a cool trick for biscuits. Roll it out thinner than it states and then fold the dough in half. Roll it out slightly, and then cut with biscuit cutter. There will be a perfect crease in the center of your biscuit for adding butter, honey or whatever after baking!)

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

(modified from C**king Light Magazine)

This can be eaten casserole-style after baking in a 350 degree oven or just right off the stove.

 

1 cauliflower head, chopped into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups florets)

Add cauliflower to boiling salted water for 4 minutes or until tender. Remove cauliflower with slotted spoon to a big bowl.
 
Add to water:
8 ounces small seashell pasta
Cook until al dente (about 7 minutes); drain and add to cauliflower.

Make a roux over medium heat—stir constantly until thickened (about 8 minutes):

1 tsp. butter
¼ cup flour
3 cups milk
¾ tsp dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, crushed, or garlic powder to taste

Take off heat and stir in:

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. salt

Pour the sauce over the cauliflower/pasta and mix well. If baking, add a breadcrumb/butter mixture on top if desired. Bake in 13x9 pan until desired crispness.

Yeast

Difference between active dry and instant yeast: active dry yeast needs to be proofed in warm water. Instant yeast does not.

In a recipe that calls for active dry, you can use 20% less instant yeast instead, still adding the liquid that it calls for for proofing the yeast.

In a recipe that calls for instant yeast, you need 20% more active dry yeast--proof it before adding it to the other ingredients. Also, you should reduce the amount of liquid you add later in the recipe by the amount of water you proof the yeast in.

(correct me if I'm wrong, but this is how I understand it)