Breads and Biscuits

Breads and Biscuits

Biscuits

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup milk

Directions

  1. Add all dry ingredients to a bowl. Sift baking powder and soda through a wire mesh.
  2. Add milk and butter to bowl and begin mixing. I like to soften the butter but some chefs use cold, hard butter. Keep mixing until all ingredients are blended.
  3. Use your hands and begin kneeding the dough. Sprinkle flour as necessary. Then sprinkle flour on a table and use a rollling pin to flatten the dough. Fold the dough and roll it flat again. Repeat the folding and rolling at least 10 times. You are creating the flaky layers of the biscuit.
  4. Fold the dough and roll until an inch thick. Use a glass as a cutter to remove the biscuit. Add biscuit to a greased cookie sheet. I fold the leftover dough and roll it until I extract all the possible biscuits from it.
  5. Cook in an oven at 200 Celsius with top and bottom heating elements on until the biscuits are golden brown.
  6. Enjoy.
biscuits

Cinnnamon Oatmeal Raisin  Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 eggs
  • Milk
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnnamon
  • 1 package bread yeast
  • 1 cup raisins

Directions

  1. Add all dry ingredients to bread machine pan except raisins. Place the sugar and yeast but keep yeast and salt on opposite sides of bread pan.
  2. You must be precise in measuring ingredients. Otherwise, your bread loaf can collapse. Place eggs in cup and add milk until you get one cup. Pour in machine and add another 1/4 cup milk.
  3. Turn machine on. The machine should beep when time to add raisins. If you add raisins early, the dough kneading will pulverize the raisins.

Tip: I have lactose intolerant friends. I replace the milk with water and add 3 tablespoons of virgin olive oil. The bread is still excellent.

cinnnamon oatmeal raisin bread

Corn Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow corn meal
  • 1 and 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg

Directions

  1. Mix the dry ingredients first. I pass the baking powder through a wire mesh to break up clumps.
  2. Add the milk, egg, and butter and blend thoroughly.
  3. Grease a square pan, spread batter into pan, and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Pierce cornbread with a toothpick. A dry tooth pick means the cornbread is ready.

Tip: If you use a bread machine, use cake setting and reduce time to one hour or less.

corn bread

Egg White Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 eggs
  • Milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 package bread yeast

Directions

  1. Add all dry ingredients to breadmachine pan. Make sure not to place yeast and salt together. Place the sugar and yeast together.
  2. You must be precise in measuring ingredients. Otherwise, your bread loaf can collapse. Place eggs in a cup and add milk until you get one cup. Pour in machine and add another 1/4 cup milk.
  3. Turn machine on, and enjoy your bread three hours later.

Tip: The milk gives the bread a soft texture.

egg white bread

Milk White Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 package bread yeast

Directions

  1. Add all dry ingredients to breadmachine pan. Then add wet ingredients. Make sure not to place yeast and salt together. Place the sugar and yeast together.
  2. You must be precise in measuring ingredients. Otherwise, your bread can collapse or look deformed.
  3. Turn machine on, and enjoy your bread three hours later.

Tip: The milk gives the bread a soft texture.

Milk White Bread

Garlic Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 French loaf
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • salt

Directions

Stove Top

  1. Melt butter and add diced garlic. Place butter-garlic mix in a bowl.
  2. Slice bread one inch thick, submerge on side into butter-garlic, sprinkle salt on that side, and place that side on a skillet over low heat.
  3. When golden brown, remove bread. Just toast one side. That way, it leaves the other side moist.

Oven 1

  1. Cut loaf down the center and open up. Spread butter-garlic mixture evenly over loaf. Sprinkle with salt.
  2. Place garlic bread on cookie sheet with garlic side facing up. Bake until top is golden brown at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Boost cooking speed by turning on top heating elements for an electric oven.

Oven 2

  1. Cut French loaf into one inch slices. Spread butter and sprinkle garlic and salt. Use a butter knife to even and push garlic in bread.
  2. Place garlic bread on cookie sheet with garlic side facing up. Bake until top is golden brown at 350 degrees Fahrenheit using top broil heating element. Boost cooking speed by turning on top heating elements for an electric oven.

Tip: Some people wrap the bottom part of the garlic bread to keep it moist. One may also sprinkle Parmesan cheese, onion salt, and garlic salt.

garlic bread

Pizza

Ingredients

Dough

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 package bread yeast

Sauce

  • Tomato sauce
  • Sugar
  • Diced garlic
  • Teaspoon Italian seasonings

Toppings

  • Mozarella cheese

Directions

  1. Add all dry ingredients to breadmachine pan. Then add wet ingredients. Make sure not to place yeast and salt together. Place the sugar and yeast together. Turn the machine on to the dough cycle.
  2. After the machine kneads the dough, dust your hands with flour and knead the dough.
  3. If you want a thick dough pizza, grease a deep pan and press dough into pan. Cook the dough in the oven at 350 degrees F until lightly brown. Usually about 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
  4. Add your pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings. A simple sauce is mixing tomatoe paste with a little water, touch of sugar, diced garlic, and Italian seasonings. Cook for another 15 minutes. (You can cook the pizza directly on the rack for a more crunchy pizza).
  5. If you want a pan pizza, just add plenty of oil. Roll out the pizza dough on a table dusted with flour.
  6. If you are making a thin crust pizza, add the sauce, toppings, and cheese and bake in the oven.

Sauce: A sweet tomato sauce serves as a good pizze sauce as well as marinara sauce. I like to add a tablespoon of sugar and minced garlic, and a teaspoon of Italian seasonings to the tomato sauce.

Toppings: What ever your desire. A good vegetarian pizza has onions, green pepper, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and black olives.

Cheese: A combination of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

pizza