mmmmm, mondays: whole wheat bread (bread machine)

i love the fall. everything about it makes me happy. one of my favorite things about this time of the year is the good that i get to make each week. i love soups, crockpot dishes, warm comfort foods and just about anything i can dump in my bread maker. chach and some of my other college roommates bought me my bread maker as a wedding gift. that poor machine has been lugged around three countries and still works like a charm. i don't know what i would do without it. 

if you don't have a bread maker, don't despair. first off, christmas is right around the corner and it would make a fantastic gift. secondly, you can make all the great bread machine breads with just a little more work. here's one of my favorite bread machine recipies (and the instructions to make it on your own if you must...christmas lists, ladies...christmas lists).

whole wheat bread

1 5/8 cups warm water

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

4 2/3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

for the bread machine recipe: dump in all the ingredients and select the "wheat bread" setting. wait about four hours. spread with butter...the real stuff. eat.

for the non-bread machine recipe. mix the dry ingredients. add the water and mix until a soft dough forms. turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. turn into a greased bowl. cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size (about 1-2 hours). punch dough and pour into a large loaf pan. cover with greased plastic wrap. allow to rise until dough rises over the pan by about one inch (about 1-2 hours). preheat oven to 350 degrees. bake bread for 35-40 minutes. (you can put a bit of aluminum foil in a tent pattern over the bread while baking to prevent it from getting too brown on the top.) spread with butter...the real stuff. eat.

enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: homemade pizza dough

i'm obsessed with homemade pizza lately. i can't seem to get enough of it and the more recipes i try, the more i'm hooked. if you are going to make your own pizza and don't feel like buying the refrigerated pizza dough fantastically made by pillsbury, here are two dough recipes to try. come back for the next couple of weeks for my favorite pizza treats...

if you have a bread maker, here's my favorite bread machine recipe:

bread machine pizza dough

4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 3/8 cups water

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

add all the ingredients into the bread machine. set to the "dough" setting. once dough is finished, pat the dough into a 12 x 15 inch jelly roll pan. if you like thin crust pizza, this can be divided into two smaller, thinner pizzas. if you want a thin crust pizza, precook your pizza dough for 5 minutes at 400 degrees before adding toppings and baking. if using the dough for one large pizza, top with your favorite toppings and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

if you don't have a bread machine, this recipe is just as good.

easy homemade pizza dough

1 package active dry yeast

5 oz. warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

add yeast to the water. add spices and stir until the yeast is dissolved. add 1 cup of flour. mix. work the rest of the flour into the mixture. spread over a pizza pan or a jelly roll pan. add toppings. let set in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

enjoy!