Abs Favorite Recipes » Freezable

French Bread

Abbie — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:30:04 +0000

French Bread

"A crisp, crunchy crust and slightly chewy center make this bread as traditional as the breads served in France."

Original Recipe Source: allrecipes.com

Picture Source: absfavoriterecipes

Course: Breads

Prep Time: 25 Min

Cook Time: 40 Min

Total Time: 1 Hr 5 Min

Serves: 30

Ingredients

5 –6 cups all-purpose flour
2 ¹⁄₂ (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

Directions

In a small bowl combine the water, yeast and sugar. Mix to combine and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the yeast can do its magic.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour,and salt. Stir in yeast mixture, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 94
Fat: 0.3g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 119mg
Carbohydrate: 19.5g
Fiber: 0.8g
Protein: 2.9g

View recipe at plantoeat.com

My Review

Nothing like a hot piece of French bread to go with a yummy pasta dish or soup. I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com. I have made this two times now and its going to be a keeper.

What I changed

The one thing I have found to be important when using an allrecipes.com recipe is to read the reviews. One person made the comment that they added a tbsp. of sugar to the water/yeast mix so I did the same. The original recipe also calls for 6 cups of flour but I would start with 5 and only add enough to get the dough just right. I also put a pan of water(2 cups) on the bottom rack while the bread bakes gives you an even better crust!

What I liked

This recipe is pretty simple and even a beginner can make this bread. I love the crunchy crust and soft bread inside. Mmmm!

What I didn’t like

I need to experiment with the salt and yeast amount. The first time it tasted to salty and the 2nd time it tasted a little yeasty.

Overall

This is a keeper! It makes two loafs and we eat one and then I freeze the other. I also added some garlic powder the first time I made it which I liked as well. I still have some tweaking to make this a great recipe but over all a good recipe.

My Rating

Recipe Box Worthy

Notes: 1 pg. of active dry yeast = .25 ounces or 2 and 1/2 teaspoons per packet. To freeze 2nd loaf wrap in tin foil and freeze for up to 3 months( if you can!).

A Cracking Burger

Abbie — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:14:15 +0000

I Won!!

I was very excited to find out last night that I won the first week of Plan to Eat’s cook alone! So what recipe did I cook last week from Jamie Oliver’s Cookbook?

A Cracking Burger

Page 146

Source: Jamie’s Food Revolution

Course: Main Course-Ground Beef

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 Min

Cook Time: 20 Min

Total Time: 40 Min

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1/2 cup bread crumbs Only use what you need to get the ground beef to stick together
4 tsp dry parsley or 4 fresh
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
sea salt
pepper
olive oil
1 romaine lettuce
3 tomatoes
1 red onions
pickles
6 hamburger buns
cheddar cheese

Directions

Finely chop the parsley, including the stalks. Add the parsley, mustard, and ground beef to the bowl. Crack in the egg and add a good pinch of salt and pepper. With clean hands, scrunch and mix everything up well. Smooth out on a clean surface. Slowly add the bread crumbs a little at a time. You want the hamburgers to hold together. Divide into 6 and pat and mold each piece into a roundish shape about 3/4 inch thick. Drizzle the burgers with oil, put on a plate, cover and place in the refrigerator until needed (this helps them to firm up).
To cook your burger
Preheat a large grill pan or frying pan for about 4 minutes on a high heat. Turn the heat down to medium. Place the burgers on the grill pan or in the frying pan and use a turner to lightly press down on them, making sure the burger is in full contact. Cook them to your liking for 3 or 4 minutes on each side — you may need to cook them in two batches.
To serve your burger
Wash and dry a few small lettuce leaves, tearing up the larger ones • Slice the tomatoes • Peel and finely slice the red onion • Slice the pickles lengthways as thinly as you can • Place all this on a platter and put in the middle of the table with plates, cutlery, ketchup, and drinks • Remove your burgers to another plate and carefully wipe your frying pan or grill pan clean with paper towels • Halve your burger buns and lightly toast them on the grill pan or in the frying pan • Also great with a chopped salad
PS I’d still make this quantity even if it was just for 4 people. I’d wrap the extra 2 burgers in plastic wrap and put them into the freezer.

View recipe at plantoeat.com

I also made homemade fries to go alone with this recipe. I found the recipe on his website as well. The fries where originally with his fish and chips recipe.

My over all thoughts on the recipe. The burgers where very good. I made them early in the day.

I then put then in the fridge so I could just pull them out when I was ready to cook them. If you want to freeze them all you need to do is layer them in-between wax paper put them in a freezer bag and pop then in the freezer! In the spring once we start to use our grill I will make quite a few homemade burgers and freeze them for a quick grab.

The one thing I messed up on with this recipe was not flatting out the burgers. They where a little small and did not fill up my homemade buns. I felt like I was eating more bread then burger. This is an easy fix but its something to remember when your making them.

The fries turned out pretty well for homemade. I always have trouble getting them crisp so I don’t make them very often. The one thing that Jamie does different is he parboils the fries before he has you fry them. I do believe this helped but they still where not as crispy as my family likes. But definitely a recipe I might try again.

The above recipe is a bit changed from the original so if you want to see the original check out his cookbook or head over to his website.

My copy of the cookbook came in the mail late last week. I plan to share some of my thoughts on it each week when I share the recipe I cooked for the challenge.

I bought the hardcover version because the paperback has not been released yet. I have not had time to go through this cookbook thoroughly yet but I am looking forward to all the different recipes. What I like about Jamie so far from what I have read is his desire to get people cooking and to spread the word that its not hard to cook a home cooked meal. He has a pledge in his book to share some of his recipes with others.

I think this is just a neat thing to put in a cookbook. So I signed and dated it and am sharing it with you. I hope you will go and buy this cookbook and share it’s recipes with others. I will share a few of his recipes here. The burger and fries I made are on his website as well.

I am excited to try more recipes and follow along with Plan to Eat as they work through all the recipes in the book. Here is the link for this weeks meals that they will be cooking from the above cookbook. Week 2 meals I hope you will join in on this neat idea!

Sandwich Bread

Abbie — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 19:18:57 +0000

Source: Me myself and I

Prep Time: 2 Hr

Cook Time: 30-40 Min

Total Time: 2 Hr 35 Min

Serves: 2 Loaves

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk warm
2/3 cup water warm
4 Tbsp butter melted
4 Tbsp honey
4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Directions

Mix milk(I use dry milk. 1 3/4 cups warm water and 2/3 cup dry milk) with water, melted butter, honey and active dry yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
While the yeast starts to get bubbly place the 4 cups of all-purpose flour and 3 cups of whole wheat flour in your kitchen aid mixer(or a large bowl) alone with the salt. Using the dough hook attachment start mixing the flours and salt together(if your not using a mixture use a wooden spoon to mix the flours and salt together). Slowly pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Once you have added all the liquid let is knead and see if you need more flour(still to wet) or water(to dry). If your not using a mixer use the wooden spoon to mix until the ingredients are starting to mix well together and then begin to knead by hand. Once the dough is still soft but not sticking to the side of the bowl let the dough knead for 20-25 minutes.
Once the dough is done kneading move the dough to a lightly greased(I use olive oil just a little bit maybe 1/4-1/2 tsp) bowl. Turn the dough over so it gets the olive oil on both sides. I then cover the bowl with a towel and set it on a heating pad(set to high) for 50 minutes.
After the first rise remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using a knife cut the dough into 2. Knead each ball of dough for a few minutes get all that frustration out! Then place each ball of dough into a greased bread pan. Push the bread down and all around so it touches the pan on all sides. This also helps to avoid any air bubbles. Once the dough is in the pans return it to the heating pad and cover again with a towel. Let rise for 45 minutes.
10-15 minutes before the last rise is over turn your oven on to 350. Place a rack on the lowest setting and fill a pan with 2-3 cups of water. Place the pan with water on the lowest rack.
When the bread is done rising place on the center rack in your oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. I cook mine for 32 minutes but each oven is different. If you over cook your bread it will be crumbly and will not make as good of sandwiches. So watch is closely.
Once your bread is done remove it from the oven and let it sit in the pans for 5 minutes. Then remove them to a cooling rack. If you don’t have a cooling rack be sure to move the bread a few times as it cools for the bottom does not get mushy.
I know we all LOVE warm bread from the oven but resist if your making sandwich bread and let it cool completely before you slice it.
Storage: Homemade bread does NOT have as long a shelve life so its best to freeze your sliced bread. It can be frozen for 3-4 months. Just remove the slices and pop them in the toaster and they will taste like they are fresh out of the oven!! If you chose to store the bread in open air wrap it good and eat it with in 2-3 days but it will start to dry out pretty fast.
Making bread is really not that hard. Yes its a bit of a learning process but so so good and way better then the store stuff! You can also add other things to your dough like flax seed.
Bread Machine: I attempted to make this bread in my bread machine. I halved the recipe and added the wet then dry ingredients. I believe it will turn out fine in a higher end bread maker but not all. You need at least 2 rise cycles on your machine and a nice long kneading cycle. I have 2 bread machines. One I bought before I got married and one my aunt gave me. Mine the bread turned out okay but it was to airy and no way could be used for sandwiches. The one in my other machine turned out nice because it had a 25 minute knead cycle and 2 rises. But the top of my bread kept falling right before it would bake and I have no idea why. Its a older model so it could just be that I don’t know. It might turn out perfect in your machine you will just have to give it a try.

Note: 2 servings means 2 loafs. I did it that way so it would be easer to half or double the recipe etc.

View recipe at plantoeat.com

Saturday Night Pasta Bake

Abbie — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:27:54 +0000

I admit I love cookbooks. So its always hard for me to pass them up when I find one for sale. My MOMS Club has one and I bought it last year not long after I joined and I am just now starting to try recipes from it. I love using a cookbook that I know the recipes are tried and true! This recipe is fast and tastes great.

Source: Local MOMS Club Cookbook

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes

2lbs ground beef or turkey
1/2 onion or a dash of onion powder
2 cans tomato soup
8 oz plain cream cheese
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
6-8 oz pasta

Cook the pasta while you brown the meat and onion. Drain. Mix all ingredients. Enjoy. Freezes fine and reheats well.

Yields: 4-6 servings

Yeah its that easy and you all know I love easy!!