Cheddar-Onion Bread

When you want something a little fancier and flavorful, here's an easy one to do when you are already making a batch of bread (and of course it will freeze for use on a busy day in the future).

Chop a large onion and cook it slowly in a little butter while making bread dough until golden and sweet.

Make your usual or favorite whole wheat bread dough (here's my recipe) and after the first rising, save out a portion - a large loaf's worth.After shaping any other loaves, take the reserved piece and knead in the onion and about 1 1/2 cups finely grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar (or other favoirte cheese). Let it rest 10-15 minutes.

Divide into three portions and roll each into a long snake, maybe about 14 inches. Braid them together and form into a circle in a greased 10" glass pie plate (or on a baking sheet). Let rise 30 minutes, put in cold oven on a slightly  lowered rack and bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until browned.
You can brush it with water before baking to help it get crusty.

This bread is great with broccoli soup, easy vegetable soup, etc.

Favorite Splurge Lunch

Just thought I'd share, even though it's not particularly cheap -- not too bad on healthy and fast, very chewy, delicious, and satisfying.

Take a ciabatta roll (that's the pricey part) cut in half (these are the big square kind) and cover with chopped real garden tomato. If you are feeding someone not into veg you can stir a crumbled pre-cooked bacon slice in and jump to the cheese. Otherwise, if you have it on hand, cover with ribboned spinach

 and sliced mushrooms, then lay on a deli slice of muenster cheese over each (cheapest at Aldi). Put in the toaster oven at 350 for ten minutes. YUM! Just as good as going out for pizza, in my book. With built-in portion control and no leaving the house in hot weather.

Fast and Easy Sausage Cornbread

Not sure how high in the health department, but this is very easy, especially if you have pre-browned sausage in the freezer. You can easily double without doubling the meat but with an added can of drained and rinsed dark red kidney or pinto beans for a large family,

Easy Sausage Cornbread

about half a pound of good bulk sausage, browned and crumbled (buy on sale, brown and freeze in small amounts)
one cheap cornbread/muffin mix
one can "Mexi-corn" or "southwest style corn"
about a cup of grated cheese optional
egg and milk as directed on cornbread package

micro-wave thaw sausage, stir egg into milk, put everything but half the cheese in a mixing bowl and stir together. Put in a Pam-sprayed baking dish dish bigger than 8x8 (the one that's not quite a 9x13, I think its about 8x11) sprinkle with cheese and bake as instructed for cornbread.

Serve with green vegetable like steamed broccoli and salad and/or fruit.

White to Wheat Bread, for introducing whole wheat or just want a good whole wheat recipe

This is a great fine-textured bread that you can start making with all-purpose flour and gradually add more and more whole wheat (freshly ground hard white wheat will give best results) until your kids (or your insides) are enjoying whole wheat bread. It simply makes a little more bread by volume with white flour. I do knead a minute or two longer with all whole wheat.
I always double it and found I got 7 loaves using all white or up to about half wheat.
Now I make 6 loaves almost all whole wheat - I use the smaller loaf pans (8x4) and use a little high-gluten bread flour kneaded in near the end and thus no need for dough enhancers or added gluten. Put it in the freezer as soon as it cools completely for fresh bread all week :)
If your kids are still not sure about whole wheat bread, time it to come out of the oven when they get home from school hungry or toast it with jam-

White-to-Wheat Bread
originally based on "White Bread Plus" from Joy of Cooking

In your mixing bowl:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 pkg yeast (1 Tbsp)
Start mixer on slow, combine 2 1/2 cups hot water and 1/4 cup canola oil and gradually add to dry ingredients, beat to combine.
Add 1 egg (works fine without it too) and 1 more cup flour, beat three more minutes. Add as much more flour as you can stir in, then knead in rest (up to 3-4 cups additional flour). Knead about 10 minutes. Rise in greased bowl about 1 hour, divide into pieces and shape into balls and rest ten minutes. Shape and put into seasoned or sprayed loaf pans and place in cold (or warmed a little in winter) oven for 30 minutes or until double, turn oven to 325 and bake 35 minutes.

Mysterious Flatbread

as promised, good with lentil soup -
you have to think ahead, but its easy and doesn't require heating up your oven on a hot day 

Mysterious Flatbread from More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
(begin the night before or in the morning)

Stir together
2 T warm water
1 t yeast
2 T yogurt
 Mix in
1/3 cup flour
2 t sugar

leave overnight or all morning, or 3 hours in a warm place

In a bowl combine
2 cups flour
2 t salt
1 T black onion seeds (called Kalaunjii or Kalonji, optional, but good)
Add
yogurt starter
1 cup warm water

Knead on floured board, kneading in additional 3/4 cup flour

Let rise 2 hours or until doubled

Divide dough in half, flatten as for pizza, and cook on heated griddle until brown and speckled on both sides (about 5 minutes) then lower heat and cook 10 minutes more. finished bread will sound hollow when tapped

Bagels - homemade are better - and a Bonus!

We all know that homemade bread hot from the oven is a far different thing than something in a bag from the grocery store - likewise, a warm, fresh bagel is a whole new animal. After a couple of days it will resemble that kind you buy. These aren't all that fast or healthy (well, they are fat-free if you can keep from putting cream cheese on them - and they are cheap!) but I have had two recent requests for this recipe -- and you can experiment with how much whole wheat flour could be used, as well as making your own variations. If you want to use all whole wheat, you may need some vital wheat gluten or other dough enhancer, and I recommend a little longer kneading and rising times. These freeze beautifully, so any you won't eat the first day ought to go in the freezer to maintain that homemade goodness. They make a great travel breakfast with ham and cream cheese, can fix ahead and freeze ready to go.

Bagels

2 Tbs yeast
about 4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs salt

Combine yeast and 1 1/2 cups flour in mixer bowl. Stir sugar and salt into water and add to yeast mixture. Beat at low speed til blended and then on high for 3 minutes, scraping occasionally. Stir in enough flour to make a somewhat stiff dough and knead about 5 minutes.
Cover and let rest 15 minutes (you can rest too).
Cut into 12 to 16 portions and shape into smooth balls, sealing and tucking edges underneath. Punch a hole in the center of each and use two fingers in the hole to gently work your way around stretching and smoothing into a nice doughnut shape.
Cover and let rise 20 minutes
Bring a large pot of water with 1 Tbs sugar (not salt!) to a boil, reduce to simmering. Cook bagels 4 or 5 at a time for a total of 3 minutes, turning once. Place on lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown.

variations!
-use half whole wheat flour and honey instead of sugar for "honey wheat" bagels
-knead in chopped & cooked onion and grated sharp cheddar near end of kneading time for onion cheese bagels
-knead in cinnamon or cinnamon sugar and raisins near the end for cinnamon raisin bagels
you get the idea! make up your own favorite.

Notes:
this recipe came from a magazine about 30 years ago, probably Better Homes and Gardens. It said to make 12 but my little kids who loved them never finished them so I made them smaller, making 20. If you are used to huge bakery bagels you might want to make only 8 (cook longer - probably at least 30 minutes). I have also made little appetizer bagels (about 48 from one batch) and served as open halves with various flavored cream cheeses and toppings, but they are a lot of work to shape and cook.
The original recipe also said to simmer 7 minutes but that made them so chewy they were almost impossible to eat.

I used to have trouble with shriveling, a couple in each batch seemed to want to shrivel and shrink when put on the cookie sheet. Now I always simmer "upside down" first so the nicer looking top is up after turning over, and I warm the cookie sheets in the oven while its heating. I assume it was temperature shock as none shrivel up now.


Bonus:
If you find you really like homemade bagels and cream cheese but just don't have the time, here's a faster recipe that gives you very much the same warm and homey "chew" and is easier for kids to help with:

Pretzels
combine:
1 pkg or Tbs yeast
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 Tb sugar
dissolve 5 minutes, then add
1 tsp salt
4-5 cups flour
knead a few minutes, divide into about 16 pieces and roll into snakes about a foot long (kids can help), shape like pretzels (loop and twist), put on cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with coarse salt.

let rest while oven heats to 425 and bake about 12 minutes.

These are really good if you take a lump of cream cheese and soften it in the microwave and use it like a dip or spread on bites of warm pretzel.

French Bread

I used to think having the best pasta dinner meant a run to the store for crusty French bread - but my daughter Bethany changed that when she discovered how easy it is to make your own. There is very little prep time but long rising time, so you need to pick a day when you are working at home and make enough to freeze for future use. If you can't find long bags just tear it in half and freeze two halves in a regular freezer bag. You can reheat it in a toaster oven or regular oven (375 or 400 degrees) for about 8 minutes after thawing and it will be crusty and delicious. This recipe is based on one from Betty Crocker and makes 4 good-sized loaves.

2 Tbsp yeast
2 1/2 cups hot tap water
2 Tb sugar
2 tsp salt
6-7 cups all-purpose flour (if you want to use whole wheat, more than 1/3 will make it lose its airy, light character)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Dissolve yeast in water in large mixing bowl. With mixer on slow, add in sugar, salt, 4 cups of flour and oil. If its too dry to mix add more water. Beat until smooth.
Stir in enough flour to make it easy to handle then knead on lightly floured surface about 5 minutes.

(OR for super fast food processor method, cut recipe in half and after dissolving yeast by processing yeast and water on and off for a few seconds, add all the rest and process  for about 30 seconds til a ball forms.  That's it!  except it won't come out as light or as big, in my experience.)

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise 2 hours  (can cut to 1 1/2 if you must).

Divide dough in fourths (halves if food processor version) and shape into balls. Grease (spray) two large cookie sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll each ball of dough into a rectangle no longer than your pan and roll up tightly and seal, turning ends under a little if needed or rolling them a bit to taper. Place two on each sheet (seam down). Slash with sharp knife about every 2" and brush with water. Let rise another full hour (- in cold weather or a hurry, put in a slightly warmed oven to speed up)

Bake at 375, one pan at a time, for 25-30 minutes. You can brush with egg white and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds before baking if you want to be classy. This freezes beautifully and is a great accompaniment for all sorts of soups or pasta dishes.