Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls

Forgot to take a picture until we were down to the last one

My Seminary class definitely earned this treat this morning! We had a learning activity last week that they really got into after I promised I would bring cinnamon rolls on Monday if the class earned at least 50 points. Two dozen disappeared almost immediately and the sides were scraped clean. They raved and raved about them - the true test of a good cinnamon roll is how much a teenager likes them, I guess! Really easy to make; I opted for preparing them yesterday and baking them this morning. Wish I'd found the recipe while everyone was here during the holidays.

Copycat Cinnabons

Dough

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup warm milk (not scalding)

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

4 cups flour

Filling

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

Cream cheese icing

6 tablespoons butter, softened

¼ cup cream cheese, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1.    Dissolve yeast in warm milk in small bowl, set aside.

2.    In large mixing bowl blend sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour with dough hook until smooth.

3.    Gradually add yeast mixture, mixing until well incorporated.

4.    Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise in a warm place about an hour or until dough has doubled in size.

5.    Make filling by blending brown sugar, cinnamon and butter.

6.    Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to approximately 12x16-inchs. It should be about ¼-inch thick.

7.    Spread filling mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. I used my fingers to get it as smooth and even as possible. You could also just spread the butter over the dough and then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on top.

8.    Working from the long end, roll the dough into a cylinder, pinching the seam tightly together. It should be about 18 inches long. Cut the roll into 1 1/2 –inch slices using a piece of thread or floss instead of a knife.

9.    Place the cut rolls into a buttered 9x13-iinch pan. (At this point you can cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to raising and baking the next morning. They may raise to double in the fridge; if not, preheat oven to 200 and then turn off. Place in warmed oven until doubled in size. Remove from oven, preheat to 350 and bake as directed.)

10.Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for another 30 minutes or until double in size.

11.Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until light golden brown.

12.While baking, make icing by mixing all ingredients well with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. When rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

Indian food

For my birthday this year, Lisa and Jamie took me on an amazing date: a cooking class featuring Indian food!  We all really enjoy Indian food, and Jamie makes a really good curry dish and Lisa makes really good naan.  I make rice.  And salad.  We were all very excited to learn more.  It was a wonderful experience and the chef was really entertaining and a very good teacher; he spent a lot of time on things that had to do with cooking in general but not specific to what he was being paid to teach us that evening.  Ever since that class, we've been waiting for a Sunday to make it all on our own and this Sunday will be the day!  We're all super excited.  It's soooo good.

Murgh Makhani

(Butter Chicken)

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves 6

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in large chunks

1/2 yellow onion, frenched (it's the way you cut it!)

4 oz. butter

2 tsp. garam masala

2 tsp. sweet paprika

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick

6 cardamom pods, bruised

2 Tbsp. tomato puree

1/4 c. plain yogurt (he used goat yogurt which is a lot runnier but more expensive.  You can use regular stuff, just add milk to make it the consistency of like a heavy cream)

1/2 c. sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

Heat a wok until really hot, add 1 Tbsp. oil

Add half the chicken and stir-fry for about 4 minutes or until chicken is a nice color.  Remove to plate; add extra oil and repeat with remaining chicken. (He actually precooked all the chicken in hot water and then saves the broth for soups and such, but this way works, too.)  Remove from wok.

Add onions and sweat them for a few minutes until fragrant.

Reduce heat and add the butter

When melted add all of the spices and stir-fry until fragrant-about 1 minute.

Return chicken to wok and stir to coat with the spices

Add the tomato and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Making sure it's at a simmer, add yogurt, sour cream and simmer a few more minutes until the sauce thickens a bit (if it is too hot, the oils will separate from the cream; if this happens, add some milk to get it creamier; this happened to us-it doesn't look as pretty but it still tastes really good!).

Season to taste with salt and pepper, take out the cinnamon stick and serve over rice.

Aromatic Yellow Rice

Prep time: 40 minutes (this includes the soak time) 

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 6

2 c. basmati rice

1/4 c. frozen green peas

5 c. water and 2 2/3 c. water

1 1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground turmeric

3-4 cloves

3-4 strands of saffron

1 cinnamon stick

3 bay leaves

3 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into small pats

Rinse the rice then put the rice in a bowl and cover with 5 c. water; let soak for 30 minutes then drain.   Combine drained rice, peas, 2 2/3 c. water, salt turmeric, cloves, saffron, cinnamon and bay leaves in a heavy pot and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 25 minutes (don't stir!!!  That will make the rice mushy.)  Let the rice rest covered for ten minutes.  Removes spices and add the butter and gently mix with a fork.

Mint Chutney

Makes 2 1/2 c.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 2 minutes

1 c. tightly packed mint leaves cleaned from stem

2 1/4 c. raisins (he used red and golden)

1/2 c. cider vinegar

1 pinch cayenne

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until a course paste forms.  Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 1 week.  Bring to room temperature before serving-this is great on braised meats and naan bread. 

Naan Bread

Makes 10-12 loaves

4 c. all-purpose flour

2 c. plain yogurt (he used goat yogurt which is expensive, so you can use regular yogurt, just add milk to get the consistency of a heavy cream)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in a mixer with dough hook or by hand until the dough comes together in a soft ball.  Coat with a light coating of oil, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.

Portion a ball about the size of a golf ball.  Coat with flour and roll out until 1/8" thick.  Preheat a cast iron skillet with no oil on high heat.  (It should be really really hot) Place bread on hot skillet and bake for a minute.  Flip and bake for 30 more seconds or so.  Remove from heat and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt (we like to add cilantro and/or garlic, too).

Baida Vindaloo 

(Pickled Eggs)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves 3-4

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 inch ginger, grated

pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/4. tsp. salt

 1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp plus 1/2 c. white vinegar

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 inch cinnamon stick

1/2 onion, frenched (the way it is cut)

1/2 tsp. garam masala

2/3 c. water

6-8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

Mash the garlic and put through garlic press

Combine garlic, ginger, cayenne, paprika, cumin, salt, brown sugar, and 2 tbsp. vinegar in a small bowl and mix well.

Add oil to saute pan and toasted cinnamon in it for a few minutes.  Add and sweat onion until fragrant.  Add the spice paste as well as the garam masala and cook until mixed and fragrant.  Add the 1/2 c. of vinegar and the water.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  Add the eggs to the pan cut side up, and spoon the liquid over them.  Cook until the sauce has thickened (about 5 minutes); continue to spoon liquid over the eggs.  Serve or refrigerate.

Sweet and rich Mango Lassi

Prep time: 20 minutes

Makes about 2 cups

1 c. plain yogurt

1/2 c. milk

1 c. chopped mango (peeled and stone removed) (he did half mango, half peach...amazing)

4 tsp. sugar, to taste

Dash of ground cardamom (optional)

Put all ingredients into blender and blend for 2 minutes.  If you are making larger amounts you will need to process it in batches.  Allow to chill for at least 30 minutes.  Pour into glasses, garnish with a pinch of cardamom and serve.  Lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Homemade Pizza Dough

You guys are probably already pros at making pizza crust/
bread/yeast-ie dough-ie things, but it has always intimidated me.  Like bad.  But one of my friend's recently taught me how to make homemade bread successfully and it gave me a little bit of confidence to try to make my own pizza dough [because we all know how much we LOVE pizza around here...especially Will].  This was a recipe I found off of Pinterest and it turned out deeee-licious and was super duper easy [and quick!  Whenever I think of yeast I think of hours of rising bread but this only takes 10 minutes].  You can find the website here.

Dough Ingredients:

2 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast [1 packet]

1 cup water

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Pizza Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning [this is clutch!!  it tasted so good]

Mozzarella cheese

Pizza sauce

Toppings

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine water and yeast and stir until the yeast is dissolved.

2. Add in the flour, honey, salt, and olive oil and use a wooden spoon to combine.  Once the ingredients are well enough combined, knead the dough with your hands for a little bit.

3. Form the dough into a ball and let it sit for 10 minutes [I sprayed the bowl with non-stick spray and put the dough back in the bowl].

4. Pre-heat over to 450 degrees and spray your pizza pan [we have a pizza stone, still sprayed it] with non-stick spray

5. Roll the dough out in a 16-inch circle.  Roll the edges of the dough.

6. Combine the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and the Italian seasoning and brush over the entire dough.

7. Cook the dough for 8 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and add sauce and toppings.  Return to the over and cook for 10-12 more minutes.

It was sooooo good and crunchy [I love crunchy crust].

pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

So fall foods are everywhere these days - why not jump on the bandwagon ... even if it is still 95 degrees? At least mornings and evenings are cool and crisp, so we can pretend, right?!?

The original recipe is a gluten free recipe, but I just adapted it to what we had at home. I did try pecans in half the batch and chocolate chips in the other half. The muffin itself is not nearly as sweet as all the other pumpkin stuff out there {which is kind of nice}. But if you are looking for just the right flavor, maybe add more coconut oil? or syrup? or just the chocolate chips will suffice - they were the preferred muffin in our home.

Serves 5 dozen mini muffins or 2 1/2 standard muffins

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pie filing!)

1 c. OJ

1 c. oats (I used quick-cooking, but rolled oats will work also)

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

3 eggs

3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

2 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. chocolate chips

(I made the mini muffins and used the mini chips, which were perfect)

Instructions

1. Whisk together pumpkin puree, OJ, oats, syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. 

2. Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Scoop by heaped tablespoons into greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 for 16-20 mins. or until set.

5. Allow to cool slightly, then remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rake. 

* If using a standard muffin pan, fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bakte at 375 for 20-25 mins. or until set. 

Enjoy! Happy Fall!

recipe found at: http://www.onelovelylife.com/

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

When Brad and I were first married, I met Amber Brady in our married student ward in Logan.  She started her own "food" blog a few years ago [which is amazing, if you haven't already stumbled across it...] and that is where I found this recipe.  She also mentioned some good tips for baking muffins, you should go check it out here.  I made these muffins this morning and already gobbled three up [granted, I shared two of them with Will so don't judge].

Makes about 18 muffins

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons sour cream

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup chocolate chips, divided

Instructions:

1. In a mixer, mix the bananas and sugar until the bananas are mostly smooth.  Add the vanilla, sour cream, eggs, and oil.  Mix until combined.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add to banana mixture until blended.  Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.

3. Spoon muffin batter into prepared paper liners in muffin tins, 2/3 full.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on the tops.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.

Delish!

Spinach Muffins

A friend of mine posted this recipe [found here] on Facebook, so I decided to make it that day.  And they were deeeee-licious!  Will scarfed them down.  Brad scarfed them down.  And I ate a few too.  I'm making the second batch now and can't wait!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup canola oil [I used coconut oil]

3/4 cup milk

1 [6 ounce] bag spinach

1/2 cup mashed banana [the website says about 2 bananas, but it's been closer to just 1 for me]

2 teaspoons vanilla

With this second batch, I added some pecan chips to half of them for the adults :)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with paper liners [the first batch I made, it made18 cupcakes...this second batch I only got 14].

2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. In a blender, combine oil, milk, and spinach and blend on high for about 30 seconds [or until pureed].  Add banana and vanilla and blend on low until mixed in.

4. Pour pureed mixture into dry mixture and fold with a plastic spatula until all blended.

5. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

banana almond muffins

Not the best photo, but some pretty yummy muffins. I had to {slowly} collect the ingredients - since I didn't have them all at home. But we gobbled these up pretty fast over the weekend {I was able to freeze a small bag-full for breakfast options for Avery}. You gotta try these!!!

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup almond butter

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

3 eggs

2 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey 

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1 cup almond meal 

{I found this at Trader Joe's - look in the Gluten Free section of your grocery store}

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, stir bananas, almond butter, coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract. 

Stir in almond meal, baking soda, and salt.

Mix until well combined.

Scoop into a greased or lined mini-muffin pan, fill each cup 3/4 full.

Bake about 20 minutes, or until cooked through. 

Cool and enjoy!

(I did make a few regular size muffins and they took 5-7 minutes longer to cook)

recipe found at: http://www.onelovelylife.com/

Zucchini Bread

I looooove sweet breads.  I have always loved the zucchini bread recipe that I've used, but was astonished at the amount of sugar and oil it used for 2 loaves!  So with newly grated zucchini, I was on the lookout for some good recipes with less sugar, no oil, and still easy to make.  I tried this one today and am hooked.  It's a bit more crumbly, but just as moist and it bakes nicer, I think.

Even Jill was BEGGING for more!

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/3 c. sugar 

2 tsp. vanilla

3 c. grated zucchini

2/3 c. melted unsalted butter (I'd rather use butter than oil any day!)

2 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

3 c. flour

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts (not optional in our family, nor is 1 c. enough)

1 c. dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease two 5x9 loaf pans.  In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Stir in the zucchini and then the melted butter.

Sprinkle baking soda and salt over mixture and stir it in.  Add the flour, a third at a time, stirring after each incorporation.  Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg over the batter and mix.  Fold in the nuts and dried fruit if using.

Divide the batter equally and bake for 55 minutes (mine only took 45, so watch it!).  Cool in pans for 10 minutes.  (I cooled mine a little longer and they popped right out).

And now, I am going to go grab the last piece, because if I'm not quick enough, one of the other kids will get it in the morning!

pumpkin chocolate chip bread

yum, yum, yummy yummy fallness.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 1 pound size coffee cans, or three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill cans 1/2 to 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from cans or pans. 

Pumpkin Bread

I made this last Wed. and we gobbled it up in a day. It is SO good. We used the homemade pumpkin pure from our local pumpkins and added some walnuts to the mix (about 1/2 cup), and the second loaf had chocolate chips (not as good- sitting in the freezer for the time being).
Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
2/3 cup orange juice
2 t baking soda
2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t ginger
3 1/2 cups flour

Beat together oil and sugar, add eggs and beat again. Stir in pumpkin and o.j. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into two well greased loaf pans and let sit for 20 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Found this at: http://barefootandbaking.blogspot.com/2009/10/pumpkin-bread.html

Butternut Squash and Corn Chowder with Herbed Oatmeal Bread

Monica and I made this soup and bread kind of last minute for the boys after a long day of studying. It also happened to be Halloween night and it turned out to be a perfect meal for a cold fall night.

We started with the bread because it takes longer to prepare- and you can work on the soup while the bread is rising:

Herbed Oatmeal Bread

Bread
2 C water
1 C rolled oats
3 Tbsp butter
3 3/4 to 4 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C sugar
2 tsp salt
2 pkg. Active dry yeast
1 egg

Herb Butter
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp garlic powder
6 Tbsp butter, melted

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in rolled oats. Remove from heat; stir in 3 tablespoons butter. Cool to 120 to 130 degrees F.
In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast; mix well. Add rolled oats mixture and egg; blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
By hand, stir in an additional 1 3/4 cups to 1 1/2 cups flour to form stiff dough. Continue to mix the dough until smooth and elastic – about 5 minutes. Cover with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
Grease 13 x 9-inch pan. *Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles. Press into greased pan. Using very sharp knife, cut diagonal lines 1 1/2 inches apart, cutting completely through dough. Repeat in opposite direction creating diamond pattern. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel.

Let rise in warm place (80 to 95 degrees F) until light and doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Uncover dough. Redefine cuts by poking tip of knife into cuts until knife hits bottom of pan; do not pull knife through dough
In small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano and garlic powder; mix well. Set aside. Spoon 4 tablespoon of the butter over cut dough.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Brush remaining 2 tablespoons butter over bread. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese-herb mixture. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cool.
found this recipe at http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/herbed-oatmeal-bread/

Butternut Squash and Corn chowder

2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks (about 5 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped
10 oz frozen corn, thawed
1 1/2 t curry powder
we didn't have curry so we mixed a bunch of other spices to make something similar
coarse salt and pepper
2 cans (14.5 oz each) vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
I added all the cream (about 3/4 c.)...I'm a Jensen, common!

In a large heavy pot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add squash and onion. Cook until onion is soft, about 6 minutes. Add corn and curry powder and cook until curry is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and simmer until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. In a blender, blend half of the soup until smooth. Return to pot and stir in cream. Heat through but do NOT let it boil.

This soup was soooo tasty and hearty- and perfect with the bread.
found this recipe at: http://barefootandbaking.blogspot.com/2009/10/butternut-squash-and-corn-chowder.html

Sweet Potato Spice Loaf

This is a recipe I took from one of Grandma's many magazine's a few weeks ago. I made it the following week because we have been getting so many sweet potatoes at the market. It was delish. It is a perfect fall bread- similar to a zucchini, carrot, or banana- but with sweet potatoes and spices. Serve with some apple cider or hot chocolate- yuummme. I didn't try the clementine peel on top, but I am sure it adds a nice flavor.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
½ c. buttermilk (or 1/2 c. milk with a tsp. vinegar added; let stand for 20 mins).
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¾ c. butter, cut up- softened
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. shredded fresh unpeeled sweet potato (about 10 oz)
1 recipe Clementine peel

Let eggs and buttermilk stand at room temperature for 30 mins.
Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly coat 9x5x3 in. baking pan with non-stick cooking spray; lightly coat with flour.
Set aside.
In bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice, and nutmeg; set aside.
Add sugar to butter; whisk until well combined.
Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla; whisk until well mixed (may look curdled).
Add flour mixture.
Whisk until combined.
Fold in sweet potato.
Spoon into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake 65-70 mins. or until top springs back when lightly touched and split in top appears to be dry.
Cool on wire rack 10 mins.
Remove from pan.
Cool completely , about 2 hours.

Clementine Peel

With vegetable ppeler, remove strips of peel from one Clementine or orange.
In a small bowl, combine peel strips with ¼ c. honey. Cook on high for 30-40 sec or until warm.
Cover.
Let stand while cake cools.

Don't have pictures- but just imagine the smells of your house, and you will want to make your own :)

No-Knead Bread: aka Jerry's amazing Bread

When we visited Susie, Jerry and the kids we enjoyed a late-summer lunch with this delicious bread, some cheese directly from England, and a salad with local veggies. The bread was so simple and tasty, I had to get the recipe from Jerry. He said anyone who makes bread will have heard of this recipes- it comes from the NY Times. He wrote down the recipe, and I double checked it with the google search- it's legit.

I HAD to share this, because it is soooo easy, and perfect for all of us who don't have "time". You don't need a bread machine, or to stand and knead it. It is pretty messy-less, and quite tasteful.

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour (you can use white, whole wheat, 1/2 and 1/2...whatever you want)
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 5/8 cups of water

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and stir until blended; dough will be sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let it rest for at least 12 hours, preferably 18 hours, at warm room temperature (about 70 degrees).

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a surface and place dough on it (I used a plastic cutting board); sprinkle it with a little more flour (or cornmeal, or sesame seeds...get the picture?) and fold it over on itself once or twice, forming into a loose ball. Cover with a cotton towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 2 hours.

At least 30 mins before dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, pyrex, etc.) in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, remove pot from the oven and plop dough into the pot; it may look messy, but that is ok. Shake the pan once or twice if the dough is uneven. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 mins then remove the lid and bake another 15-20 mins until it is browned. Cool on a rack.

We invested in a dutch-oven pot that can withstand 450...some cannot, especially if the lid has a plastic/ceramic handle; I found ours at TJ Max for $40...like I said, an investment.
You can really do no wrong with this recipe. Jerry adds wheat germ and flax seeds. You can coat the dough with sesame seeds or make it with whole wheat flour, whatever you want!
It is best the day you cook it, and good for 2-3 more days. When it starts to get soft, you can toast it. Or you can make a loaf or two and freeze them.


Enjoy :)