Potato Wheat Bread

I'm not quite sure why the recipe calls for potatoes, but this is a really good bread. It has a nice soft texture with a slightly crunchy crust. The seeds dispersed throughout the bread add to the texture and flavor.
Potato Wheat Bread
1 cup potato water (from boiling potatoes)
2 tsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup mashed potatoes (cooled to room temperature)
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. corn oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (I substituted pepitas)

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour both into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add sugar, potatoes, lemon juice, oil, salt, wheat flour and half the bread flour. Beat well. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Slowly add remaining bread flour. Mix until dough forms. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Knead in sunflower seeds (or pepitas). Cover and let rise one hour.

Punch down dough, and divide into 2 to 3 loaves. Shape into round loaves, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until loaves are golden and wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Wild Rice and Three-Grain Bread

It took me a while to make this bread because I had to buy wild rice, but it was a good bread. My mom particularly liked this bread. (Of course, my parents don't get to try all my creations.)

Wild Rice and Three-Grain Bread
1 1/3 cups water
2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup rye flour
1 cup wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
1/2 cup cooked wild rice (drain on paper towels)

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour both into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add salt, honey, canola oil, oats, rye flour andwheat flour. Beat well. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Slowly add bread flour. Mix until dough forms. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Knead in wild rice. Cover and let rise one hour.

Punch down dough, and divide into 2 to 3 loaves. Shape into round loaves, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Glaze loaves with egg and water, and sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until loaves are golden and wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Honey Walnut Egg Bread

This was a weekend project, which turned out well. Nuts toast well in the oven and add a lot of character to the overall bread. This isn't an overly sweet bread, despite the indication of honey in its name.Honey Walnut Egg Bread
2 large eggs plus water to equal 1 1/3 cups
2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 cup wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Warm eggs to room temperature and heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour both into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add honey, salt, butter, dry milk, wheat flour and half the bread flour. Beat well. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Slowly add remaining bread flour. Mix until dough forms. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Knead in walnuts. Cover and let rise one hour.

Punch down dough, and divide into 2 to 3 loaves. Shape into round loaves, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Glaze loaves with water and egg mixture. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until loaves are golden and wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Finnish Rye Bread

This is a good basic rye bread. I'm not personally a big fan of caraway seeds, so I prefer this type of rye bread that omits that ingredient.Finnish Rye Bread
1 1/3 cups water
2 tsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. salt
1 cup dark rye flour
3 cups bread flour

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add sugar, oil, salt, rye flour and half the bread flour. Beat well. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Slowly add remaining bread flour. Mix until dough forms. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Cover and let rise one hour.

Punch down dough, and divide into 2 to 3 loaves. Shape into round loaves, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until loaves are golden and wooden skewer comes out clean. Brush loaves with melted butter while still warm. Cool on wire rack.

Light Wheat Brioche

This bread is good, but it's not as spectacular as I would expect given the amount of eggs and butter. The "light" in the title refers to the color, not to the calorie count.
Light Wheat Brioche
4 large eggs plus water to equal 1 1/3 cups
1 1/2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup butter, softened

Warm eggs to room temperature and heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour both into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add salt, sugar, wheat flour and half the bread flour. Beat well. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes.

Slowly add remaining bread flour. Mix until dough forms. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Cut up the butter, and add it to the dough. Process until blended. Cover and let rise one hour until doubled.

Punch down dough, and shape into a brioche shape. Remove one quarter of the dough, and shape the remaining dough into a circular loaf. Place into a greased round pan. Gently form an indent in the center of the loaf. Shape the remaining quarter of the dough into a tear-drop shape. Place the pointy side down into the indentation. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Brush or spray loaf with water. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until loaves are golden and wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Chicken Pot Pie

This sounded like a good way to use some of our 30 pounds of frozen chicken, and it worked well to clean out a couple items from the cupboards and freezer. It turned out really well and is a recipe that goes into my cookbook of Kerry's creations.


Chicken Pot Pie
2-3 cups cubed chicken breast
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 small onion (or substitute 2-3 shallots)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mushroom gravy
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
Double pie crust (homemade or pre-made)

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Bake bottom pie crust 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook chicken with seasonings through onion. Once chicken is thoroughly cooked, add soup, gravy and mixed vegetables. Stir together well.

Pour mixture into pie crust. Top with second pie crust. Pierce crust with a knife several times. Bake at 400ºF 15 to 25 minutes, and then cover with aluminum foil. Cook an additional 20 to 30 minutes until crust is cooked thoroughly and golden brown. Cool at least 5 minutes prior to serving. Serves 8.