Category: Bread

Bread, Dairy-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Side, Vegetarian

Fall Take on Cornbread with Pumpkin Cornbread

Annie

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Pumpkin Cornbread may be my new favorite cornbread recipe. Sometimes cornbread can dry out a wee bit as it cools or when served as a leftover. Not this version. The pumpkin blends seamlessly, and you won’t feel overwhelmed by a pumpkin flavor. Paired with extra virgin olive oil, the cornbread isn’t dried out. We enjoyed this with buffalo chicken chili. Plus, both the chili and cornbread use pumpkin purée, so you won’t feel guilty about opening a new can or having any leftover sit in your fridge (or check out more recipes using pumpkin). You’ll find yourself grabbing piece after piece, just like Ted when he ate half the pan!
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Bread, Dairy-Free, Lightened Up, Low Sugar, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Side, Vegetarian

Cast Iron Skillet Honey Cornbread

Annie

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Since it’s been a chilly spring in Boston, we’ve been eating chili and cornbread. My grandparents lived in Belfast, Maine, and this recipe was my grandmother’s, which is why my family recipe is called Belfast Corn Muffins. They’re best served hot and right out of the oven. I made some tweaks by baking them directly in a cast iron skillet and drizzled honey on top, hence why I named these Skillet Honey Cornbread. With the summer upon us, these could be a staple for a barbecue, accompany the grill, or coming up for the Fourth. Honey highlights the natural sweetness and baking in a skillet gives it a crispier edge.

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Bread, Dairy-Free, Lightened Up, One Pot Dish, Side, Vegan, Vegetarian

The Best No Knead Dutch Oven Bread

Annie

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This is just like my no-knead rosemary pumpkin bread; using a wet and sticky dough, there’s no kneading involved. Plus, if you use a Dutch oven, you have the crunchiest bread with such an even crust. I’ve been making this Dutch Oven Bread since last year, and feel like I finally have the proportions, timing, and variations down. Using all white flour, you get a light, airy, and fluffy bread–literally perfect for dunking in extra virgin olive oil with herbs or using for avocado toast. While whole wheat is still good, it’s a bit drier and denser than all white flour. I also enjoy the variation of olives or fresh herbs with minced garlic; the latter makes great bread for a grilled cheese with tomato soup.

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Bread, Breakfast/Brunch, Dessert, Lightened Up, Snack, Vegetarian

Social Distancing with Cinnamon Walnut Quick Bread for Sunday Brunch

Annie

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You’ve been warned. I said I’d end up baking during these crazy pandemic times. After irrationally craving cinnamon rolls–it is a Sunday morning–, I settled on making a version of Joanna Gaines’ cinnamon swirl quick bread from her cookbook, Magnolia Table. As a Christmas present, I’ve looked through this cookbook, but haven’t had a time to tackle any recipes. Given my brunch cravings and the copious time on our hands, I settled on making Cinnamon Walnut Quick Bread, but a lightened up version of this classic. I still think it’s crazy that the original recipe for this bread was supposed to have 2½ c sugar and a third of a cup of oil. Here, we use just under three-fourths cup sugar, less than a tablespoon of oil, and mix coconut and raisins. It’s perfect right out of the oven, but I recommend it cooling longer than we did, since we were a bit too eager to slice it up, thus left with some crumbly pieces. Ted and I enjoyed this warm, served with a cup of coffee and a side of Greek yogurt and strawberries (see first photo after recipe!). It was the perfect stay-at-home Sunday brunch.

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Better Than Takeout, Bread, Breakfast/Brunch, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Low Sugar, Snack, Vegetarian

Sweet Potato Bread for Breakfast

Annie

March has been a weird month. As a nurse practitioner, it’s the year of the nurse. However, with the coronavirus pandemic knocking on our door (or literally at our door), I wasn’t expecting the year of the nurse to be quite like this. I deal with stress by cooking and baking. You should maaaybeee expect some baking recipes to come. I started on this sweet potato bread recipe before the pandemic broke out, and man, this breakfast bread is good. After some tweaks, it’s finally ready to share. Oats and almond flour are the “flour” or grains and applesauce and Greek yogurt act as the butter and oil. Have you had Starbucks’ pumpkin loaf when it debuts each fall? This Sweet Potato Breakfast Bread is that good, but a little healthier for you. It’s spiced, just the right amount of sweet, and pairs oh-so-well with your bitter cup of coffee in the morning or a mug of tea.

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Bread, Breakfast/Brunch, Dairy-Free, Italian, Lightened Up, One Pot Dish, Side, Vegan, Vegetarian

Savory Rosemary Pumpkin Bread (No Knead!)

Annie

This No-Knead Rosemary Pumpkin Bread could be a savory addition to your Thanksgiving table. I love this with dinner as a side or in the morning as toast. I made this recipe last winter at a ski house and a few times at home. It seems complicated because you have to let the dough rise twice, but there’s no kneading involved. Because the dough is so wet and sticky, the theory is that the gluten doesn’t need help forming via kneading; instead the dough comes together on its own. The hardest part of this is planning because you have about 3 hours of time where the dough needs to sit. The original recipe for this calls for a spiced version with walnuts and cranberries, but I prefer the addition of whole wheat flour and fresh rosemary. I’ve baked this as one round loaf, two smaller loaves, and in a Dutch oven. I love all three, and recommend a Dutch oven if you prefer your bread perfectly crisped and crunchy on top with a soft center.

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Bread, Breakfast/Brunch, Dairy-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Snack, Vegetarian

Buzzing for This Honey Walnut Banana Bread

Annie

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Is there anything better than banana bread in the oven? I was debating if I should go the peanut butter and chocolate chip route or honey walnut, and I settled on the latter (which just means I’ll have to save some bananas to bake up a new kind!). I loved the crunch of the walnuts and floral notes that the honey added. Whilst best straight out of the oven, the loaf freezes well to be enjoyed at a later date, like when you’re skiing up in Vermont. Using Soul Bee powered honey, this Honey Walnut Banana Bread is a fun take on your standard loaf.

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Better Than Takeout, Bread, Breakfast/Brunch, Lightened Up, Low Sugar, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Snack, Vegetarian

The Best Bagel Recipe?!

Annie

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If you’ve seen these easy bagels floating around social media, they do not disappoint. In honor of it being FriYAY, here’s a bagel recipe to brighten your day. My nursing friend, Jen, tipped me off to Skinnytaste’s new recipe. I loved that Skinnytaste’s is no boil one (because doesn’t everyone want to skip a step?) and comes together in a matter of minutes. I made the recipe even easier by using self-rising flour and Greek yogurt, just like that 2-ingredient flatbread. The bagels still rise and are fluffy, have that golden edge from the egg wash, but with a bit of a tangy flavor. For how quick and easy these are (and healthier!), I think No Boil Bagels are definitely worth that fresh bagel feeling you can get at home.

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Bread, Breakfast/Brunch, Dairy-Free, Meal Prep, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Holy Cow Homemade English Muffins

Annie

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This was quite fun! I haven’t truly made bread from scratch before, but I’ve made beer bread or ones using a bread machine. I chose to make Whole Wheat English Muffins post finals and as a study break before my next one. Making bread dough from scratch is actually cathartic even if it’s a bit of a waiting game. I got to properly knead dough to add air to it to make it light and fluffy, while also stretching out the gluten strands to give it its texture, and also “punch” it down to remove the extra air after it rises. The key is to stretch out the dough and not to pound it. (Check out The Kitchn‘s guide for exactly how to properly knead dough.) I saw a recipe for homemade English muffins in Real Simple this winter, but I’ve had a big store-bought batch hanging out in my freezer. Even though these are technically dairy-free, they’re still fluffy and just like English muffins are their signature time in the skillet. I also didn’t have cornmeal for the bottom, but never fear! Just be a bit more weary when cooking the bottom since the cornmeal doesn’t act as a buffer.

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Bread, Entrée, Lightened Up, One Pot Dish, Snack, Vegetarian

The Easiest Flatbread Recipe

Annie

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Clearly I need to work on my dough rolling skills, but this was such a fun and easy dinner to make. I saw this idea for a Two Ingredient Flatbread on BuzzFeed‘s Tasty and then the day after on Pinch of Yum‘s Instagram. It was a sign; I needed to make this. That coupled with my pizza cravings, I added fresh basil, mozzarella, red peppers, red onion and zucchini to a flatbread for some homemade ‘za. The flatbread is just self-rising flour mixed with full-fat plain Greek yogurt. Each flatbread packs 10 g protein per serving. Cook two ways: place in a skillet for a naan-like bread or bake as a pizza crust.

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