Tag: <span>homemade bread</span>

Everything Braided Bread

Everything Braided Bread

The name says it all folks! Everything Braided Bread is…..you guessed it….EVERYTHING!!! Talk about homemade bread goals. If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at bread making, this recipe is the place to start. This impressive loaf is crusty on the outside, soft on the […]

Make Ahead Crescent Rolls

Make Ahead Crescent Rolls

Once you try our Make Ahead Crescent Rolls, that store bought, canned variety will just never be the same. Sorry not sorry! Crescent Rolls, sometimes called Butterhorns are a fairly simple yeast bread. This beautiful bread bakes up pillowy soft with a subtle sweetness in […]

Snowflake Bread

Snowflake Bread

I’m taking a different approach to winter this year. Instead of dreading it, I’m going to celebrate it. And I’ll start by making this gorgeous Snowflake Bread! This spectacular star shaped bread looks tricky but I think you ALL can handle it. It’s basically a pull apart bread but with a major upgrade! Layers of filling are twisted together to create the most stunning and indulgent sweet bread. Snowflake Bread makes a wonderful addition to breakfast or brunch. And it’s also great for gifting too! Who wouldn’t love to receive this masterpiece?!? Plus winter baking helps to keep the house warm. If you need me, I’ll be hanging around the oven…until about March.

Here’s all you’ll need: yeast, warm water, milk, an egg, butter, sugar, salt, flour, jam, and confectioners’ sugar. Snowflake Bread ingredients listFirst dissolve the yeast in warm water until nice and foamy. Slowly sprinkle the yeast across the surface of the water to prevent it from clumping. Set aside.

Yeast dissolving in warm water.

Next in a large bowl, combine the milk, egg, 1/4 cup melted butter, sugar, and salt. Then add in the yeast mixture. Gradually beat in 3 cups of flour (or as much as you can) to form a soft dough. It helps to mix in the flour about a half a cup at a time. Knead in the remaining flour by hand.

Milk, egg, 1/4 cup melted butter, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Gather the dough in a ball and roll it around in the flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Press down and outwards with the heels of your hands until the dough is springy. Fold the dough in half, press down with the heels of your hands to press it flat. Repeat for 6-8 minutes. You’ll know you’re done kneading when the dough is smooth and shiny and holds its shape. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about an hour. The dough will double in size.

Of course if you are lucky enough to have a bread machine on hand, you can add all the ingredients to the pan and mix on the dough cycle to save yourself a couple of steps.

Bread dough after its been kneaded.

Punch the dough down and divide it into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and slightly flatten. Using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a twelve inch circle. Wanna know an easy way to get all of your circles the exact same size? Use a dinner plate as a cutting guide! Sometimes you’ve gotta improvise with what you’ve got.

Dinner plate used as a cutting guide for dough.

Voila! A pizza cutter or a knife works best for cutting dough. Repeat with all four portions.

Bread dough rolled out into 12 inch circle.

Next place one of your circles on a 14-inch pizza pan lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/3 of your jam all over the dough, leaving about 1/2″ around the edges. I got a little crazy with the jam! You might wanna go a little less than the picture.

Or try some of these Snowflake Bread variations. Swap out the jam for cinnamon and sugar or even Nutella! Oh. My. Yum!!! Repeat this process twice. So you want to add another layer of dough, then another layer of jam (two more times) and then finish with your last layer of dough on top.

Bread dough circle placed in the center of pizza pan. Jelly spread over the top with a basting brush.

Place a 2-1/2″ round cookie cutter (or a small round dish) directly in the center of your dough. Do not press down, we’re just going to use it as a cutting guide. Using a sharp knife (or a pizza cutter), cut 16 evenly spaced cuts from the round cutter to the edge of the dough to form a starburst. I find it easiest to start with 4 cuts, top, bottom, left, and right. Then add another cut in the middle of those four cuts (now you’ll have 8 cuts total). And then one last time, cut in between each of those 8 cuts and you end up with 16 evenly spaced cuts. I’ll do the math, you do the cutting.

2-1/2 inch bowl placed in the middle of layered dough circles and used as a cutting guide.

Ok hopefully you didn’t get scared off yet and you’re sticking with us! Cause this next part can be a little…tricky-ish. But you can do this! I promise you it’s literally so simple once you get the hang of it. Grab two strips of dough, one in your right hand and one in your left hand. Twist outwards. Twice! Practice makes perfect so don’t give up on this one.

Or think about it this way. Place your index finger on top of the strip and your thumb on the bottom. Now twist your hands outwards so that your thumb is now on top and your index finger is now on the bottom. Repeat the process to form two complete twists. Pinch together the edges of the two strips to seal. Repeat with the remaining strips. Stop overthinking it and just do it! For real, when I tried to picture it in my head it totally kept messing me up. You really just have to go for it on this one. And remember, just like real snowflakes, every Snowflake Bread is beautiful and unique!

Two strips of the dough twisted outwards to form the star shape.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  You’ll really want to keep an eye on it for those last 5 minutes. Snowflake bread dough on a pizza pan ready to go into the oven.

Remove the bread from the baking pan, brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Snowflake bread dough brushed with melted butter.

YOU DID IT!!! I’m so proud of your culinary creation! If we’re talking Snowflake Bread, then I’ll take a blizzard any day! We’ve got a whole winter wonderland of snowy treats. Try our Snowman Pancakes or Polar Bear Marshmallows next!

Snowflake Bread by Happylifeblogspot.com #snowflakebread #starbread #bread #breadrecipes #sweetbread #breakfast

Snowflake Bread

January 11, 2019
: 16
: Medium

By:

Ingredients
  • 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 3/4 cup warm milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup seedless strawberry jam
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Directions
  • Step 1 Dissolve the yeast in warm water until nice and foamy. Set aside.
  • Step 2 In a large bowl, combine the milk, egg, 1/4 cup melted butter, sugar, and salt. Then add in the yeast mixture. Gradually beat in 3 cups of flour (or as much as you can) to form a soft dough. Knead in the remaining flour by hand.
  • Step 3 Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about an hour. The dough will double in size.
  • Step 4 Punch the dough down and divide it into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and slightly flatten. Using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a twelve inch circle.
  • Step 5 Place one of your circles on a 14-inch pizza pan lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/3 of your jam all over the dough, leaving about 1/2″ around the edges. Repeat this process twice. So you want to add another layer of dough, then another layer of jam (two more times) and then finish with your last layer of dough on top.
  • Step 6 Place a 2-1/2″ round cookie cutter (or a small round dish) directly in the center of your dough. Do not press down. Using a sharp knife (or a pizza cutter), cut 16 evenly spaced cuts from the round cutter to the edge of the dough to form a starburst.
  • Step 7 Grab two strips of dough, one in your right hand and one in your left hand. Twist outwards twice. Pinch together the edges of the two strips to seal. Repeat with the remaining strips.
  • Step 8 Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Step 9 Remove the bread from the baking pan, brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar. Enjoy!

We’d love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below!

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Milk and Honey Bread

Milk and Honey Bread

It’s no secret that Jeff and I love a good wine/beer/whisky/cider tasting……ok let’s just say we love to sample anything with alcohol! We’re a good time, what can I say?!? Niagara-on-the-Lake and The Niagara Wine Trail are among our local favorites because they have SO […]

Everything Dinner Rolls

Everything Dinner Rolls

Our Everything Dinner Rolls go with well…..EVERYTHING!!! Simple enough for a weeknight dinner, yet fancy enough to serve at a holiday meal, like say…Easter for instance. I find myself constantly coming back to this recipe, especially at the holidays. It’s great in a pinch because […]

Cheesy Beer Bread

Cheesy Beer Bread

Cheese and beer may be soulmates! Or are beer and cheese MY soulmates?!? Probably both! Either way this Cheesy Beer Bread will have you all starry eyed! This super tasty, one bowl quick bread, comes together in about an hour. It’s perfectly soft with a buttery crust and no kneading required! And if you’re not drooling yet, let’s refer back to the recipe title….CHEESY……BEER…..BREAD!! Three of the best things ever!!! The beer flavor is solid AND it’s loaded with cheesy goodness. They really are a match made in heaven. This is winter baking at it’s finest people!! Pair with a soup or a stew and you’ve got yourself a nice, warm and comforting meal. It’s SOOO good for dunking!! Cheesy Beer Bread will be your new favorite quick bread recipe to make over and over again!

Here’s all you’ll need: Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese, flour sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper, beer, and butter.

Cheesy Beer Bread ingredients list

First, divide the cheese in half. Cut one half into bitesize 1/4″ cubes and shred the other half with a cheese grater. I love this recipe because it isn’t greasy like a lot of other cheese breads!

Divide the cheese in half. Cut one half into bitesize cubes and shred the other half with a cheese grater.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper. This recipe is basically just simple pantry ingredients plus the addition of beer and cheese. Don’t let the simple ingredients fool you! It’s bursting with flavor!

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper.

Alright here’s the good part! Pour in the beer.  A 12 oz can or bottle will do the trick! We went with Bud Light, our house favorite, and boy was it a good choice!! It pairs perfectly with this recipe. I know it seems like a waste of a perfectly good beer, but trust me, it’s not!!

Pour in 12 oz of your favorite beer.

Lightly stir into the dry ingredients until everything is just moistened. The batter will be very sticky.

Lightly stir into the dry ingredients until everything is just moistened.

Next fold in the cheese! All of it, cubed and shredded. We used Jarlsberg but Swiss will work just as well. Make sure you get it mixed in evenly. We want every bite to have a little bit of cheese flavor!

Fold in the cubed and shredded cheese.

Transfer to a lightly greased 8X4 inch loaf pan. Pour melted butter over the top. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The butter gives us that nice, beautifully, crisp crust.

Transfer to an 8X4 inch loaf pan. Top with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Either way this bread is OMG out of this world addictive!!! Chewy, cheesy, savory, you’re really gonna love it!

Cheesy Beer Bread by happylifeblogspot.com #bread #beerbread #cheesybread #quickbread

Cheesy Beer Bread

March 7, 2018
: 12 servings
: Easy

By:

Ingredients
  • 4 ounces Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
  • Step 1 Divide the cheese in half. Cut one half into 1/4″ cubes and shred the other half.
  • Step 2 In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
  • Step 3 Pour in the beer.Lightly stir into the dry ingredients until everything is just moistened. The batter will be very sticky.
  • Step 4 Fold in the cubed and shredded cheese.
  • Step 5 Transfer to a lightly greased 8X4 inch loaf pan. Pour melted butter over the top. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Step 6 Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. Enjoy!!

We’d love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below!

Seriously Addicting Focaccia Bread

Seriously Addicting Focaccia Bread

My name’s Lisa and I’m a carb-aholic. Or maybe a bread-aholic. Probably both! I have been trying to write this blog post for such a long time now, but every time I pull up these pictures, I want to head straight to the kitchen and […]