Creamy Banana Bread

"I have been using this recipe for a few years now, and it remains my family's favorite for banana bread! The combination of bananas and cream cheese make this a very moist bread."

• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 
  
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4-inch loaf pans.
2. Cream the margarine and cream cheese together. Gradually add the white sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda; mix until batter is just moist.
3. In a small bowl, mix together chopped pecans, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and cinnamon.
4. Divide half the batter between the two prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle pecan mixture over the batter in the pans, and top with remaining batter.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

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Grains bread

ingredients : 

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) Unbleached Bread Flour
1/2 cup (2 ounces) 100% White Whole Wheat Flour, organic preferred
1 tablespoon Whole Grain Bread Improver
1/2 cup (2 5/8 ounces) Harvest Grains Blend
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (1 ounce) Baker's Special dry milk 
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) water
vegetable oil

directions :

Manual : In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients until a rough dough forms, then knead (about 10 minutes by hand, 5 to 7 minutes by machine) until the dough is smooth and satiny. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour. It'll become somewhat puffy, but probably won't double in bulk. 

Bread Machine : Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Check the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle; it should be smooth and supple, not gnarly. Adjust the consistency with additional flour or water as needed. 

Shape the dough into a loaf, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch bread pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap or an acrylic dough cover, and allow the bread to rise till it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan 

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 minutes, or until its interior registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven, take it out of the pan, and allow it to cool on a wire rack

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Lemon bread

ingredients : 

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (2 ounces) fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup (6 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) Unbleached Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup) 
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar

directions :

For the bread: In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar till thoroughly combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the buttermilk or yogurt with the lemon juice and lemon oil, and set aside. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. 

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, and poke it all over with a cake tester, ice pick, or other long, thin tool.

For the glaze: Five minutes before the bread is done, whisk together the glaze ingredients, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and while the cake is hot drizzle it gradually with the glaze, stopping periodically to allow it to soak in. Set the bread aside, and let it cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove it from the pan, and allow it to cool completely before slicing

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Asiago olive bread

ingredients :

• 241g Unbleached Flour
• 142g semolina flour
• 28g buttermilk powder
• 28g Vermont cheese powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 dried rosemary, snipped into small pieces
• 113g sharp cheddar cheese, plus 1 ounce for garnish
• 14g fresh parsley, cilantro
• 156g olives, drained and chopped (black, green, or a combination)
• 340g milk
• 99g olive oil
• 2 large eggs

directions :

1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan, or smaller pans of your choice (see tip at right).

2: Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl until well blended.

3: Toss in the cheese, herbs or onion, and olives.

4: In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, oil, and eggs until foamy.

5: Stir the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture.

6: Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup grated cheese.

7: Bake the bread for 55 to 60 minutes (30 to 35 for mini loaves), until a tester inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Remove it from the oven, and after 10 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

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Garlic bread

I'm sure we're all familiar with the typical white/squishy, butter-soaked type of garlic bread so prevalent in the 60s and 70s. In fact, I myself find it still a very tasty treat. But as the tastefully simple bread recipes, I decided to do here a 90s garlic still simple, but hopefully even more enjoyable

ingredients :

Biga
1 1/2 cups Unbleached Flour
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough
1 teaspoon instant yeast 
1 1/2 cups Unbleached Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon non-instant nonfat milk
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Topping
1 medium head garlic, cloves separated and peeled finely minced
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) olive oil
pinch of salt
4 ounces parmesan cheese, cut in chunks and grated (1 cup grated) parsley

directions :

Mixer Method: In a small bowl, work together the biga ingredients 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast  till they're well-combined, but not or kneaded. Cover the bowl, and allow the biga to rest overnight at room temperature.

Next day, combine the biga with the remaining dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring till the dough becomes cohesive, then kneading or stirring vigorously in the bowl till it becomes smooth. This is a very slack (wet) dough don't try to add enough flour to make it kneadable on a work surface. If you have an electric mixer, knead it with the flat beater attachment for 5 to 8 minutes. If you're mixing by hand, use a bowl scraper and your hands to work it as best you can. It'll become smooth and will hold its shape somewhat, but will be very sticky. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the biga ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. Cancel the machine as soon as the ingredients have formed a rough ball of dough, and all of the flour is incorporated.

Next day, add the remaining dough ingredients, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. Allow the machine to complete its cycle. 

Shaping: Lightly grease a clean work surface, and transfer the dough to the greased work surface. Shape it into a rough 8 x 14-inch oval, and transfer it to a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the top of the dough lightly with olive oil, and cover it; an acrylic dough cover is a great help here. If you use greased plastic wrap, it'll probably stick, so just be gentle pulling it off when the time comes. 

Allow the dough to rise till it's very puffy and bubbly, about 3 hours at room temperature. Halfway through the rising time dimple the surface with your fingertips, assertively enough to leave marks, but not so vigorously that you deflate the dough completely.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spritz the surface of the dough with warm water, and bake it for 15 to 20 minutes, till it's golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool. Wrap it loosely in plastic overnight, or in a paper bag. 

Assembly: Prepare the topping by combining the minced garlic cloves, melted butter, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Just before serving, cut the bread (or the two loaves, if you've made two) in half lengthwise, like you're going to make a giant sandwich. Spread the cut halves with the garlic mixture. Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and the edges of the bread are starting to brown. Remove the bread from the oven, and sprinkle it immediately with the grated Parmesan and parsley, if desired

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Italian bread

Here is one of our favorite single loaf tastefully simple bread recipes for this pan. This light, fine grained loaf makes great garlic bread or delicious grilled cheese sandwiches Try fontina, mozzarella, or a combination of Parmesan and mascarpone cheeses

ingredients :

• 298g Unbleached Flour
• 82g semolina
• 255g water
• 25g olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 18g nonfat dry milk
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

directions :

Manual : In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dough ingredients, mixing till the dough begins to come away from the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough with an electric mixer for 2 minutes allow it to rest for 15 minutes, then continue kneading it for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until it's smooth. Add additional water or flour if needed the dough should be somewhat sticky. If you're kneading by hand, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface; knead it for 3 minutes allow it to rest for 15 minutes, then continue kneading till smooth, an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it aside to rise for 1 hour; it should just about double in bulk.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. About 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, adjust the consistency of the dough with additional flour or water it should be smooth, though still a bit sticky. Allow the machine to complete its cycle.

Lightly grease the bottom part of your covered baker and sprinkle it with cornmeal or semolina. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and form it into a smooth, 13 inch log. Place the dough in the pan, cover the pan with its lid, and let the dough rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check it occasionally to see where it's at; when ready to bake, it should have started to fill the pan side to side, and crowned about 1 over the rim. When it's risen as much as you like, take a very sharp serrated knife and make three diagonal, 1/2 deep cuts in the loaf.

Place the pan in a cold oven, and set the oven temperature to 425°F. Bake the bread for 30 minutes. Remove the lid from the pan, and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and its interior temperature measures 190°F on an instant read thermometer. The bread will bake for a total of about 35 to 40 minutes, starting in a cold oven. However, if your oven preheats slowly, you may find it necessary to allow the bread to bake an additional 10 minutes or so, beyond the suggested 5 to 10 minutes with the lid off.

Remove the bread from the pan, and allow it to cool on a rack. Note: For the crispiest crust, turn the oven off, place the loaf on the middle oven rack, crack the oven door open a couple of inches, and allow the bread to cool in the oven.

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Cheese semolina bread

With grated Parmesan in the dough, and chunks of Asiago and provolone studded throughout, this bread is a cheese lover's dream come true

ingredients :

• 241g Unbleached Flour
• 142g semolina
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon Pizza Dough Flavor, optional
• 25g olive oil
• 227 to 255g lukewarm water
• 113g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 113g diced Provolone cheese, smoked or plain, mild 
• 113g diced or coarsely crumbled Asiago cheese, sharp

directions :

1: Combine everything but the three cheeses, and beat on medium speed of an electric mixer to make a soft, smooth dough. It may or may not clear the sides of the bowl; either way is just fine. Switch to the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes.

2: Add the three cheeses, and mix until well combined.

3: Put the soft dough in a lightly greased bowl or 8 cup measure, cover, and let rise for about 2 hours, till very puffy.

4: Lightly grease a 14 to 15 covered stoneware baker. Or lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment. Sprinkle semolina into the pan, or onto the baking sheet.

5: Gently deflate the dough. For one long loaf, shape it into a 13 log, and place in the stoneware baker. For two loaves, divide the dough in half, and place both halves on the prepared baking sheet.

6: Tent lightly with greased plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour, till noticeably puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

7: Take the plastic off the bread. Spray it with water, and use a sharp knife to make three diagonal slashes in each loaf.

8: If you're using the stoneware pan, leave the cover on. Bake the bread for 30 minutes; remove the cover, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, till the bread is golden brown and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center registers about 190°F to 200°F. If you're baking smaller loaves, check to see if they're done after 30 minutes.

9: Remove the bread from the oven, and take it out of the pan. If you've baked in the stoneware pan, loosen the edges, and carefully turn the bread out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

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Potato breads

ingredients :

• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 Baker's Special Dry Milk OR nonfat dry milk
• 312g Italian-Style Flour
• 170g lukewarm water
• 25g olive oil
• semolina or cornmeal, for dusting

directions  :

1: To make the dough: Combine all the dough ingredients, and mix and knead to make a soft, supple dough. This can be done by hand using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or with a bread machine set to the dough cycle.

2: Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to rest for 15 minutes, or up to an hour.

3: To ready the topping: Soak the potato slices in cold water for 30 minutes.

4: Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Dust a work surface with semolina or cornmeal, and roll the dough pieces into 5 to 6 rounds. Cover them with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

5: Drain, rinse, and pat the potatoes dry, then toss them with the salt, herbs, and olive oil.

6: Place a baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F, and dust a pizza peel with semolina or cornmeal.

7: Working with three crusts at a time, spread half the sour cream over their surface, then evenly distribute half the potato mixture, the onions, and the Parmesan. Use a peel to transfer each flatbread to the hot baking stone.

8: Bake the flatbreads for 10 to 12 minutes, until their edges start to brown. In the meantime. top the remaining three flatbreads with the remaining potato mixture, onions, and Parmesan.

9: Remove baked flatbreads from the oven, and bake the remaining breads. Serve warm.

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Bread sticks

ingredients :

• 340g lukewarm water
• 25g olive oil
• 14g Pizza Dough Flavor
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 7g other dried herbs
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 510g Unbleached Bread Flour

• egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
• 43g artisan bread topping

directions :

1: Lightly grease a half-sheet pan 13 x 18 or other large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil set it aside.

2: Mix and knead the dough ingredients by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle  to form a slightly soft dough. Cover and let rise for 1 hour, until puffy.

3: Spread the dough into the pan, stretching it to the edges. If it shrinks back, let it rest for 10 minutes, and stretch again, repeating if necessary.

4: Use a lightly greased bench knife or pizza wheel to cut the dough into 12 or 13 crosswise strips, 1wide. Then cut the dough in half lengthwise you?ll have 24 to 26 strips, each about 6 1/2 long. Leave them right as they are, in the pan.

5: Cover and let the strips rise at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes, until puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

6: Brush the strips with the egg wash, and sprinkle on the topping.

7: Bake the breadsticks for 30 to 35 minutes, until they re light gold. Remove the pan from the oven.

8: Once the breadsticks are cool enough to handle, remove them from the pan, and cut along their score lines.

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