Cranberry Graham Bread

Sadly, this is one bread I actually never tried. My husband ate it for breakfast toasted and in his lunch plain. He said it was a good bread but not sweet like he had anticipated.


Cranberry Nut Bread
1 1/3 cups water
2 tsp. rapid-rising or active dry yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups graham flour
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Heat water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast, sugar and dry milk. Let stand 5 minutes. Add butter, salt and graham flour and mix well. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Slowly add bread flour and beat until a smooth dough forms. Knead until dough pulls away from sides and is soft and springy to the touch. Knead in cranberries and seeds. Remove dough hook, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Lightly grease two loaf pans. Punch dough down onto lightly floured surface. Divide into two, and shape into oblong loaves. Place, smooth sides up, into pans. Cover and let rise 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until loaves are golden. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Spinach and Feta Whole Wheat Bread

This bread combines two wonderful flavors in a subtle manner. People who strongly dislike feta cheese will often eat this bread with compliments rather than complaints (as long as you don't let them know the difference).


Spinach and Feta Bread
1 1/3 cups water
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
8 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach, washed and dried well
1 egg, beaten

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl with sugar and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast begins to bubble. Add oil, salt, oregano and 1 cup whole wheat flour. Beat until smooth. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Slowly add bread flour and beat until stiff but soft dough forms. Knead until dough pulls away from sides of bowl but is still smooth and springy to the touch. Toss the Tbsp. whole wheat flour with the feta cheese. Knead the cheese and spinach into the dough. Remove the dough hook, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Lightly grease baking sheets. Punch dough down and shape into two round loaves. Place the loaves, smooth sides up, onto baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Brush the loaves with beaten egg. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until loaves sound hollow. Remove from sheets and cool on wire racks.

Tomato Basil Focaccia

This bread is excellent, and the topping is one of the best parts. I strongly recommend fresh chives and sea salt as the topping mixture.

Tomato Basil Focaccia
2 cups tomato juice
1/4 chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup whole wheat graham flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 chopped fresh basil
2 tsp. salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups bread flour

Topping:
olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped chives
sea salt

Heat tomato juice until scalding, but do not allow to boil. Add sun-dried tomatoes, and let cool to lukewarm. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Stir in yeast and graham flour. Let rest 10 minutes.

Add olive oil, basil and salt. Mix well. Add bread flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough is soft and sticky. Knead on lightly floured surface 5 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic but still sticky.

Place dough in rinsed mixing bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes. Punch down dough and knead one minute. Cover and let rise 45 minutes.

Punch down dough again. Divide into 2 equal portions. Flatten each portion into a round, flat loaf, about 3/4-inch thick. Place on ungreased baking sheets. For topping, brush loaves with olive oil. Let rise, uncovered, about 30 minutes. Dimple the dough with your fingers. Mix chives with enough olive oil to coat and spread onto loaves. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake 20 minutes at 400ºF.

Steak and Mushroom Pie with Cheese Couscous

I bought couscous because it sounded fun to try. Then I happened to find a couscous cookbook at the library, which had several intriguing recipes. This was the first time I made couscous, and this recipe is fantastic!


Steak and Mushroom Pie with Cheese Couscous
2 medium onions, sliced
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. steak, cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 lb. mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 beef bouillon cubes
3/4 cup couscous
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese
parsley to garnish

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and cook until light brown. Meanwhile, combine 2 Tbsp. flour, pepper and meat in a plastic bag. Shake until meat is well coated.

Once onions are lightly browned, add meat and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and 1/2 cup broth. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 cup of broth to a boil. Add the couscous in a stream. Stir once, remove from heat, cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce and bouillon cubes to the meat mixture. Cover and cook about 8 minutes until mushrooms are tender. With a slotted spoon, transfer meat, onions and mushrooms to greased 2-quart baking dish.

Keep the sauce simmering in the skillet. Blend 1/4 cup broth with remaining 1 Tbsp. flour in a small bowl. Add to the sauce. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Combine sauce with meat mixture in the 2-qt. dish.

Preheat oven to 425ºF. In medium bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup broth, egg and cheese. Stir into the couscous. Spread couscous mixture evenly over beef mixture. Cover tightly with foil. Bake about 20 minutes.

Some of the sauce will bubble through the couscous layer. Spread that sauce evenly over the couscous. Garnish with parsley and serve. Serves 4.

Dill, Onion, Rye and Wheat Bread

Although the title of this recipe is not exciting, the flavors definitely are. This is one of the better smelling breads I've created, and the taste matches the aroma. Perhaps my favorite characteristic of this bread is the buttery flavor, which I'm sure is due to the cottage cheese.

Dill, Onion, Rye and Wheat Bread
2/3 cup water
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg
1 cup creamed cottage cheese
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. dill weed
4 tsp. dried onion flakes
3/4 cup dark rye flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups bread flour

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl with yeast and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast begins to bubble. Add the remaining ingredients except bread flour. Beat well, cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Slowly add the bread flour, and beat until a smooth dough forms. Knead the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft and smooth to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover and let rise 1 hour.

Punch dough down on lightly floured surface. Shape into 2 or 3 oblong loaves. Place loaves, smooth sides up, on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 350ºF 35 to 45 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean and dry. Cool loaves on wire racks.