Apple Bread

It's almost mid-September and even though it's still pretty hot and humid outside, I'm ready for cooler weather and fall meals. I recently came across this Apple Bread recipe and tried it out today. It's very easy to make. I used a scale to weigh the flour and sugar. I grated the apple because I don't like big pieces of apple in breads or muffins. To make this easier in the future, I just bought an apple corer. I also left out the nutmeg and instead added a bit more cinnamon (1 teaspoon instead of 3/4 teaspoon). I baked my bread for 55 minutes and it was definitely done and perhaps a bit over done, so next time I will set the timer for a little less time (I adjusted the time below. The next time I made this bread I baked it for 45 minutes and it was perfect). I also missed the note at the bottom about tenting foil over it, so maybe that would have helped.

This is a quick recipe that tastes delicious and is perfect for fall!

Apple Bread

Recipe courtesy “Preppy Kitchen” Blog

 

Apple Bread is a must-try this apple season! Stir together a simple batter filled with fresh apples and cozy spices, and bake to moist perfection!

 

1 large apple, peeled and cored (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)

1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)

½ cup granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling (100g)

½ cup packed light brown sugar (110g)

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg, optional

2 large eggs, room temperature and beaten

½ cup unsalted butter, melted (113g)

½ cup chopped toasted walnuts or toasted pecans, optional (60g)

 

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8½x4½-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang over the long sides of the pan.

 

Peel and core the apple. You can prepare the apple in one of two ways: Grate it, using the largest holes on a cheese grater. Or, chop the apple into small pieces (about ½-inch cubes). Set aside.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add the beaten eggs and melted butter to the flour mixture, and stir together with a silicone spatula until just a few dry streaks of flour remain. (The batter will be very thick.)

 

Add the grated or chopped apple and nuts (if using) to the batter and stir together until evenly combined and all of the flour has been incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle with additional granulated sugar, if desired.

 

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool for about 30 minutes more. Slice and serve warm. Any leftovers should be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 5 days.

 

Notes:

Tent the loaf with aluminum foil during baking if the top of the bread starts to brown too quickly. Check it after 40 minutes and tent it if needed.

 Add a glaze! For a sweeter finish, whisk together 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or water (adding more or less depending on how thick you want the glaze). Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaf and let it sit for 15 minutes before slicing.

Focaccia

A while ago I tried this Focaccia recipe that I saw on Meghan Markle's Netflix series called With Love, Meghan. I've never paid any attention to her but I like cooking shows and this recipe looked so simple that I decided to try it. The other focaccia recipes I usually make take longer and are much bigger recipes so I end up freezing half of it. This is a better size for my small family and comes together easily for a weeknight meal.

This recipe is super simple to make and doesn't take very long at all. I bake it in my 12" Le Creuset skillet. The first time I made this, I had a very tough time getting it out of the skillet, so now I line the skillet with parchment paper which makes it much easier. I top it with flaky sea salt and bake it for 20 minutes. It is really good and easy! If you've ever wanted to make homemade bread but were intimidated by it, this is a great first recipe to try.

Focaccia

Recipe from With Love, Meghan

2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling/coating the pan as well as the focaccia
1 teaspoon instant yeast or 1¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit)
1-3 sprigs of rosemary leaves
Flaky sea salt, to taste

 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the water, yeast, flour, and olive oil until a shaggy dough forms.

 

Add the salt and mix until the dough comes together. It will be sticky.

 

Coat the top of the dough with a thin layer of olive oil and cover with a tea towel.

 

Place dough in a warm place and let rise for 2 hours.

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Once the dough has risen, turn it out into a well-oiled (or parchment paper lined and oiled) enameled cast-iron braiser, skillet or baking pan.

 

Gently stretch the dough to the edges of what you are baking it in. Be gentle and patient at this step. It may take a few tries to get the dough to that shape.

 

Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and put in a warm place to let rise in the pan for another 30 minutes.

 

Once dough is ready, coat your hands in olive oil and gently dimple the top of the dough to create small wells with your fingers.

 

Drizzle generously with more olive oil, rosemary, and flaky sea salt.

 

Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden.

 

Remove from the oven and carefully from the pan.

 

Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Easy Soft Italian No Knead Bread

One of my favorite recipe websites and Instagram pages to follow is Cucina by Elena. Her recipes all look so good and are authentic Italian. She always posts about this recipe she refers to as "Mom's bread" that she makes all the time, an Italian no knead bread that her mom taught her how to make. There is a video here of her making it.

She has various Instagram reels and posts with links to ingredients and tools she uses, but to simplify I'll link them below. Her mom recommends using a "bread box" to store all the ingredients so it's easy to just pull it out and mix the dough. The amount of the needed ingredients are written right on the containers as well, to make it even easier. Here are her links to:

• The actual box that she uses to store the containers in.
• The set of containers for the ingredients (she writes the amounts of ingredients needed on these).
• A scale to weigh the flour.
• A Mason Cash mixing bowl.
• The Food Nanny/NuQuest dough hook.
• Kamut flour.
• She usually bakes this as a round boule in a dutch oven, but she recently made it in her favorite stone loaf pan.

I don't find it necessary to buy these items, as all of my baking ingredients are in the same general area of my kitchen and I would have nowhere to store a bread box, but I wanted to link them for anyone who might want to do what she does. However, I did buy one of the Mason Cash mixing bowls in the Turquoise color - yes, from Home Depot, of all places. They give a 10% military discount and I had a gift card so it hardly cost me anything. It's big, lightweight, pretty and perfect for many recipes that I make. I also bought a dough hook because it looks perfect for mixing not only bread and focaccia dough, but also pancake, cake and muffin batter. I might try the Kamut flour at some point, but right now I will use what I already have - either King Arthur All-Purpose or Anna 00 flour.

She didn't link the steel cut oats or ground flaxseed that she uses, but I used Bob's Red Mill Organic for both of them. The ground flaxseed meal comes in both golden and regular - she says to use either one (I used golden so the color would blend into the bread more, in the hopes my picky eater would not notice!). I was able to find these at the commissary we shop at, and once I had them, I mixed a batch of dough that same night to bake in the morning.

For my first loaf, I baked it in a small round dutch oven. It was so delicious! My boys said "Mom's bread is the best bread!" after they first tried it. My dough came out pretty wet and did not look like hers does in the videos, so next time I will weigh my flour and see if it comes out more shaggy like it should. Other than that, it was very quick and easy to make and very good.

For my second loaf, I baked it in a new bread loaf baker that I recently bought. This was my first time using it - to avoid sticking, I used lightly floured parchment paper and it worked perfectly. This time around, I weighed my flour instead of measuring it in measuring cups and my dough was a lot easier to work with, so recommend doing that if you have a scale. I also used my new dough hook which made mixing very easy. After making it in both shapes, I definitely prefer the loaf pan. The bread again was very delicious.

If you enjoy homemade bread, give this recipe a try!

Easy Soft Italian No Knead Bread

Recipe from Cucina by Elena

 

The softest and most delicious homemade no-knead bread recipe. This bread has a few unique ingredients that separate it from hundreds of others. This will soon be your tried and true bread recipe! 

 

2¼ cups (500 ml) of warm water (might need a little more)

¼ teaspoon instant yeast or active dry yeast

¼ cup steel cut oats

¼ cup ground golden or regular flaxseed meal

4 cups (500grams) all-purpose flour (such as King Arthur brand), 00 flour, or Kamut flour

2 teaspoons of salt

 

 

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

 

Add the steel-cut oats and the flax meal and mix well (I use a fork to mix). Add flour and salt to the mix and incorporate well. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook for about 2-3 minutes.

 

The dough will be sticky and slightly wet. If it seems dry, you may need to add a little more water.

 

Cover the bowl with saran wrap and let it rise on the kitchen counter for at least 8 hours – up to overnight. The dough will double in size.

 

After the first rise, transfer the sticky dough to a floured surface and shape it into one large boule or two baguette-shaped logs*. Transfer onto floured parchment paper. Sprinkle with additional flour on top. Cover with a kitchen towel. **If using mix-ins, see NOTES.

 

Let rise again for 50-60 min (on the parchment paper covered with a towel).

 

With a sharp knife score the dough with 2 longitudinal cuts for each baguette OR 2 scores on top of the large round boule

 

Preheat oven to 450°. Meanwhile, place a 6-quart Dutch oven (or heavy cooking pot with oven-safe lid) in the oven as it preheats.

 

When the oven is preheated to 450°, take out the Dutch oven and place the baguettes or the large boule inside (with parchment paper). Place back in the oven to bake for 33 minutes with the lid ON. After 33 minutes, check if the top of the bread is golden brown. If you like it darker brown, take the lid off and cook an additional 6-10 minutes.

 

Put the bread on a cooling rack and let cool completely. Or, take a slice when still warm and enjoy.

 

Notes:

* To make in a loaf pan, grease and flour the pan (or use parchment paper). Splash the top with a little bit of water before baking it since it will not get the steam effect like the cast iron with lid. Bake at 400° for 35 minutes. It will make 1 large 9x5” loaf.

 

** Mix-Ins: If using mix ins 1) divide the dough in half 2) roll each dough on a floured surface into a rectangle. Sprinkle desired toppings evenly on the dough 3) fold the dough over on itself about four times 4) this will create two baguettes 4) continue to Step 7 in instructions.

Dough mixed at night

Dough fully risen the next morning

Shaped and put in a dutch oven to finish rising

Dough risen for another hour, scored and ready for the oven

After baking for 33 minutes with the lid on

After baking for an additional 8 minutes with the lid off

It smells amazing!

Delicious!

Easy French Dip Sandwiches

French Dip is one of my favorites that I've ordered from a few restaurants and always loved, but I had never made it myself before. I used my Homemade French Bread to make these French Dip Sandwiches and they were insanely good! I used thinly sliced roast beef from a local deli, which made them super quick and easy to make. My husband loved this as well and could not get enough of it!

Easy French Dip Sandwiches

Recipe from I Heart Naptime

 

A delicious French dip sandwich made with a toasty baguette, flavorful roast beef, and melted Swiss cheese. So easy to make and done in 10 minutes! 

1 baguette (or your favorite rolls)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot (chopped)

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

10 ounces beef consommé (use 2 cans if you like a lot of dipping sauce)

1 teaspoon steak seasoning (I prefer McCormick Montreal)

¾ pound lean roast beef (thinly sliced)

4 slices Swiss cheese (thinly sliced)

 

 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the baguette into 4 and then cut horizontally to make the sandwiches. 

 

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add shallots and sauté for 2 minutes. Add flour and sauté for 1 more minute.

 

Slowly whisk in beef consommé. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer. Add steak seasoning and mix until combined.

 

Separate roast beef and place in the au jus sauce until warm. Using tongs, place an equal portion of beef on each section of baguette or rolls. Top with a slice of cheese. Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

 

Serve with a small bowl of the extra au jus for dipping.

Homemade French Bread

My sister Diana recently sent me this recipe for Homemade French Bread and it was delicious! It's helpful to watch the video to see all the steps before making it, especially how to roll it up. This bread is perfect for sandwich meals - steak and cheese, meatball subs, sausage and peppers, french dip, etc. The recipe makes two and they're big so my family of 4 used them two nights in a row for two dinners. I've made this bread twice so far and both times it was so good!

Homemade French Bread

Recipe from I Heart Naptime

 

The BEST homemade french bread recipe made in just 90 minutes! So easy to make and comes out golden and crispy on the outside, while remaining soft and chewy on the inside. 

2 cups warm water, about 105°F

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

2½ teaspoons granulated sugar

5 cups (650 g) all-purpose flour, more as needed

2½ teaspoons table salt or fine sea salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

Melted salted butter, optional

 

 

In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit 5 minutes, or until it begins to foam.

 

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture on medium-low speed or by hand. Knead in 1/2 cup of the remaining flour in increments until the dough is smooth but not sticky (depending on climate you could use more or less than 5 cups). Add more flour as needed.

 

Rub the olive oil around the dough ball, cover the bowl with a towel and let rest 15 to 30 minutes. If you have more time, let it rise up to 1 hour.

 

Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and divide it in half. Set one half aside. Roll the other half into a rectangle (about 15 inches). Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder.

 

Turn both ends in and pinch the seams closed. Round the edges and place onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the second dough ball. Make three diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf. Cover loaves lightly with a towel. Let rise 30 to 60 minutes (the longer the better, if you have the time).

 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake for 17 to 23 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. When you knock on it, it should sound hollow. If it's browning too fast, lightly cover with foil and lower the temperature to 375°F.

 

Brush the top with melted butter, if desired. Slice and serve while warm.

 

Makes 2 loaves.

 

Notes:

Crispy crust: I prefer a soft crust, but for a crispier/shinier crust, brush 1 egg white (whisked) with a teaspoon of water before baking french bread loaf. You can also add a few ice cubes into the oven to help trap the steam and add a few minutes onto the cooking time.

 

Storing: This bread stores best in a brown paper bag on the counter.

 

Freezer instructions: Allow to cool and then place in a large zip top bag to freeze (preferably before slicing). Remove all the air from the bag and then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the counter. Reheat in the oven at 300°F for 5 minutes.