There is a special woman in my church who gives the children’s choir directors homemade bread loaves for teacher gifts. That bread always sets a new record for how fast it disappears in our house. Baking homemade bread is a very worthwhile thing to try. It’s inexpensive, healthy and teaches you a lot about how to cook at home. Best of all (for me, anyway), it makes mindblowingly good toast. There are few things better than spreading a bit of butter on homemade toast. I hope you try some of these bread recipes and let me know how you like them.
Submit your recipes here and check us out on Facebook for updates throughout the month.
Mary Tyler Spivey is a graduate of Huntingdon College
where she studied history and French but she also has a
passion for great food.
Contact her at [email protected].
[hr]
Cook of the month:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread
- 4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup warm whole milk
- 2 eggs, room temp.
- 1/3 cup peanut butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2/3 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips Streusel:
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
Freeze chocolate chips for 30 minutes. Mix the yeast and warm liquids in bread mixer until yeast dissolves. Mix in eggs, peanut butter and vanilla. Add chocolate chips and mix. Add flour, salt and sugar. If the dough is not pulling away from the sides, add more flour until it does. Knead until soft, springy and no longer sticky. Coat a bowl with oil. Put the dough in the bowl and roll to evenly coat with oil. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and a damp tea towel. Let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 35 minutes. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray as well as a couple smaller 5×3-inch pans. Gently deflate dough and transfer to a floured surface. Cut the dough, then place in pans. Let rise again in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Mix the flour and sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. When loaves have risen, sprinkle with topping and bake at 350 degrees. The larger loaf takes about 25 minutes; the smaller ones about 10 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from pans.
Calli Pittman, Joe Wheeler EMC
[hr]
Easy Whole Wheat Bread
- 6 to 61/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2-1/2 cups warm water
- 1-1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup oil
- 2-1/2 teaspoons salt
Combine water, yeast and 2 cups of flour in a mixing bowl. Set aside to rise for 15 minutes. Add honey, oil, salt and 4 cups of flour. Mix until dough starts to clean sides of bowl. Change to dough hook (or turn out to knead by hand), and knead 6 to 7 minutes (10 by hand). Add only tablespoons of flour if dough sticks to sides, being careful not to add too much. Form into two loaves and place in greased 9×5-inch pans. Allow to rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes (1-2 inches above pans). Preheat oven to 350 degrees ten minutes before rising time is done. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, if needed. Immediately remove from pans to cool on a rack. Makes 2 loaves.
Lianne Robinson, Tombigbee EC
[hr]
Beer Bread
- 1 beer, room temperature
- Self-rising flour (see recipe)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Cooking-spray
- Melted butter
Pour can or bottle of beer into a mixing bowl. Add and stir in enough self-rising flour, along with a teaspoon of baking powder to form a sticky ball. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet (sprayed non-stick). Spread out to approximately one-inch thick, but not critical. Bake in oven at 350 degrees. When it begins to brown, remove and baste with melted butter. I like to put in some garlic powder in my butter. Bake until golden brown.
John Mercer, Southern Pine EC
[hr]
Penny Rolls
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 package yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 3 to 4 cups flour
Beat all ingredients except flour. Slowly add flour until a soft dough has formed. The softer the dough, the lighter the roll. Form a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise 1 hour in a warm place. Punch down the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Keeps about two weeks in the refrigerator. To use, grease as many openings in a cupcake or muffin pan as the amount of rolls you wish to bake, and pinch off 2-4 small balls for each greased opening for segmented rolls, or 1 larger ball for a non-segmented roll. Cover and let rise one hour in a warm place. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 10-20 minutes.
Angel Lucke, Cullman EC
[hr]
Apple Cider Sourdough Bread
- 6 cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup corn oil
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1-1/2 cups good quality fresh apple cider
- Cinnamon and sugar mixture, reserved for later
- 2 Granny Smith apples, diced in small pieces
Mix and knead dough as usual, excluding last two ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 8-12 hours. Knead dough and separate into 5 equal portions. Flatten dough, sprinkle entire surface with cinnamon and sugar mix and then apple chunks. Roll up/braid loaf and allow to rise in baking pans for anther 8-12 hours. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve toasted with jam and butter or makes wonderful French toast.
Jaymi Ray, Joe Wheeler EMC
[hr]
Banana Bread
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 bananas in pieces
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs. Beat well and then add bananas and mix. Add 1 cup flour, baking soda, salt and mix well. Add 1 cup flour and nuts and mix just until the flour disappears. Don’t over mix at the last mix, as this is key to a light a fluffy loaf. Pour into a greased/floured loaf pan; put into the oven and set timer for 45 minutes. Let cool and remove from pan. Enjoy with a little butter melted on top and a side of pear or apple.
Memory Bush, South AL EC
[hr]
Cheery Cherry Bread
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 6-ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained (reserve liquid for use)
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1-1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups plain flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Cooking spray
Beat eggs in sugar. Add nuts to batter. Alternate dry ingredients with reserved cherry juice, beating after each entry. Pour into baking loaf pan (spray with Pam). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serves 12.
Becky Chappelle
Cullman EC
[hr]
Cheese Biscuits
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 cup milk
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 1/2 stick butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Apply cooking spray to cookie sheet. In a bowl, combine cheese and flour. Add milk and stir well. Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes until brown. While biscuits bake, melt 1/2 stick butter (add two teaspoons garlic powder if desired). When biscuits are done and still hot, use a spoon to drizzle the melted butter over top of each biscuit. Makes about 18-20 biscuits.
Delores Childree, Baldwin EMC
