Breads & Muffins

Two Delicious Cornbread Recipes

Cornbread Recipe 1

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
4 tablespoons of sugar
1 cup yellow cornmeal
Half cup white flour
Half cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt

Mix water yeast and sugar, let it sit for a few minutes until it bubbles.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients, adding water until it is pourable
Bake in a greased 9×9 pan at 350°F for 25 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown

Cornbread Recipe 2

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup mixture of milk and orange juice (can use however much orange juice as you’d like; 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine cornmeal and milk/orange juice, and let stand 10 minutes.
Combine dry ingredients.
Add egg and oil to cornmeal mixture, then add dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Recipe contributed by Tasha Slone.

Banana Bread

Taste The Goodness Of Bananas

There’s sure is nothing that says home like the smell of fresh-baked bread. Except for, possibly, when the baker takes it up a notch and the bread in the oven is banana bread.

Though it is bread, this enjoyable treat is in many ways more like a cake. The leavening agent in banana bread is usually baking soda instead of yeast. What’s more unlike regular bread, banana bread is baked from batter and not dough. And evidently, it includes bananas that’s normally mashed and put into the
batter.

A huge family favorite, this has been around for years! In fact it first came into popularity in the 1930’s, and ever since then a number of varieties have appeared in cookbooks. Banana bread is relatively easy to make, and hence popular among home bakers. In addition it can often be found in the display cases of bakeries and coffee shops.

It is not only tasty but also versatile. Usually a great on-the-go breakfast item, either at home or grabbed at the coffee shop where the busy professional stops for his or her daily dose of java. Also it can be packed in a lunchbox that makes it a great ending to the afternoon meal, but is just as likely to be a warm after-school snack waiting when children hop off the bus. What’s more it can also serve as a last-minute dessert option when guests turn up unexpectedly and you find yourself whipping up a quick meal. If whipped together before dinner and popped into the oven it makes a fantastic accompaniment to a relaxing cup of tea while watching evening television.

This homey treat is so versatile because it is sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. There is an adequate amount of a dessert-like texture and taste for it to serve as a sweet meal-ender. But its dessert like qualities are milder than overwhelming, and banana bread can be just as fulfilling accompanying a meal or as a standalone quick breakfast with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.

It is generally baked in loaf-shaped pans and can be cut into thin slices or larger wedges for serving. There are plenty of variations on banana bread out there. Of which, some banana bread recipes are passed down by a number of families from generation to generation, and each will declare theirs the best. Perhaps the most common varieties are banana nut breads, which are made from standard banana bread recipes but also include walnuts or pecans.

In fact there are many other types of fruit or even vegetable-based breads. Such as cranberry bread,  cranberry banana bread, and zucchini bread are among a few examples. While these are also often-enjoyed treats, banana bread still seems to take the front in terms of popularity.

James L. Paleta provides readers with up-to-date commentaries, articles, and reviews for www.articles-on-food.com, www.food-resource-guide.com as well as other related information

Delicious Homemade Yeast Rolls

Ingredients to make Yeast Rolls:

1 package dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
2 eggs

8 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup shortening, or butter
2 cups water

Preparation Instructions:

Combine the yeast, 1 tsp sugar, salt, 1/2 cup water and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients with a mixer on low speed for 2 minutes and set the bowl aside.

In another bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups of water and  shortening or butter, which ever you prefer. Mix this mixture for 3 minutes on medium speed with a mixer. Once the flour mixture is done, mix the yeast mixture into the bowl and mix for 3 more minutes on medium speed.  

Cover the bowl and place it in a warm area, around 85 degrees for about 3 hours to let the dough rise. The dough will be about double in size when it has properly risen. Punch the dough a few times to release air and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Flour your hands and shape the dough into balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter, or to the size you prefer and place on a greased, floured pan.

Place the pan in a warm area to allow the dough to rise a second time, around 2 hours or until the rolls have doubled in size. Bake the rolls in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

If you’d like to make the dough ahead of time, it can be stored in an air tight container or bag in the refrigerator for as long as 4 days.

Contributed by Connie Corder, Copyright 2009 ChristmasChimney.com