I'll bet you can smell this picture! County Fairs and local food festivals were always a favorite destination for my family, and to this day I try to take in at least one or two every summer. I enjoy the livestock and culinary exhibits, photography displays, craft and quilting contests, and of course, seeing who won the blue ribbon for a beautiful loaf of homemade bread! But let's face it---for many of us, county fairs are all about the food on the midway! Here are the recip

Ingredients 1½ cups sourdough discard unfed 1 cup evaporated milk* ¾ cup whole wheat or multigrain flour** 1 cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil 4 large eggs, beaten 2 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking soda *The evaporated milk combines with the water n the starter to make a tender crumb for the waffles. **I keep a multigrain blend in my pantry at all times: 2 parts whole wheat flour, 1 part qu

During the Covid quarantine I produced a multigrain baking mix to use when yeast became scarce in the grocery stores. If you already use baking mixes, you might be surprised to see that this version requires refrigeration, but you might be equally surprised to discover that the package on the commercial versions also recommends that you refrigerate their product after opening. But most baking mixes use shortening and have a number of preservatives and therefore are more “shel

You can use white, wheat, or multigrain doughs for this braid. This is a fairly simple technique but it yields dramatic results, and the loaf looks especially nice on a holiday buffet table. Yields one loaf Ingredients 1 batch of Single Loaf White Dough 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped ham 1 ½ cups sharp Cheddar cheese 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for egg wash (optional) Punch down dough and knead lightly to expel larger air bubbles; divide dough into two portions.

Sometimes you only need a smaller batch, for example to make a shaped loaf like my Ham and Cheese Braid. Here's what I've used in the past. Ingredients 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 ¼ cups warm milk (100° to 110° F) 1 Tbs. sugar 1 Tbs. vegetable oil 1 ½ tsp. salt 1 egg 3 to 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour Directions Put warm milk into a medium size bowl. Add yeast, stir to dissolve. Add sugar, egg, salt and oil. Add 3 cups of flour and beat well. Work in enough of remaining flour

These biscuits are not just for holidays! Biscuits of Victory I’d never had much success with biscuits until I came across a recipe which suggested adding some cream of tartar to the dry ingredients. Sure enough, that did the trick for me—victory at last!—although I’m sure there are plenty of biscuit purists out there who will scoff at the idea. Try it and decide for yourself. Ingredients 3 cups all purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon cream

A basic roll dough for many different shapes Ingredients 2 packages active dry yeast ¼ cup lukewarm water (100 to 110° F.) 2 cups of 2% milk 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 2 tsp. salt 5 to 5 1/2 cups flour 2 eggs, lightly beaten Directions Heat milk in a saucepan, but do not boil. Add butter, sugar and salt to milk; mix well and cool to lukewarm. Pour into a medium size mixing bowl along with proofed yeast and the two beaten eg

Hearty wheat loaves can be made in many sizes and shapes Ingredients 2¼ cups of warm water (100 to 110° F) 2 packages of active dry yeast 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons of salt 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 2 cups whole wheat flour 3½ to 4 cups of bread flour Directions Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, oil, and salt, and mix well. Add wheat flour and mixing well until flour is thoroughly incorporated. Allow batter to rest for five min

Since it is the foundation for literally hundreds of recipes, mastering basic white dough will give you a starting point for your journey of exploration of the world of breads. After you get this down, it’s all about the shaping. Ingredients 2 cups of warm water (100 to 110° F) 2 packages of active dry yeast 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons of salt 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 5½ to 6 cups of all-purpose or bread flour Directions Dissolve yeast in warm water i

You won't believe it's zucchini instead of apples! Zucchini Crisp Ingredients 6 medium zucchini, about 3 pounds, peeled, ¼ cup sugar 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 half teaspoon nutmeg, Topping ¼ cup tightly packed brown sugar, ½ cup old-fashioned oats ¼ cup butter cold ¼ cup flour ½ teaspoon cinnamon Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare an 8” x 8

In a casserole dish or canape mold, bacon dill bread is a winner! ½ cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees) 2 tsp. brown sugar 2 pkg. active dry yeast 1 c. milk 1 c. cottage cheese 2 Tbs. fresh chopped dill (1 Tbs. dried) 1½ tsp. salt 2/3 cup cooked, crumbled bacon, drained (about 14 to 16 strips) 5 ½ to 6 cups of all-purpose flour Proof yeast with water and sugar in a small bowl. Blend milk and cottage cheese in a blender until smooth and warm mixture to 100 to 110 degrees.

Here's a short video that will help you to develop a consistent kneading technique, although it never hurts to have an experienced baker at your side while you are learning! Want to get some one on one instruction? Check out my programs and classes page. https://www.breadmonk.com/events-programs

Here's a quick and easy way to make a lovely braided loaf without having to roll out perfectly even ropes. You can use any kind of bread dough you like: basic white or wheat, multigrain, etc.

You can use this dough for a number of coffeecakes and breakfast treats, including cinnamon rolls and donuts. Ingredients 2 packages active dry yeast ¼ cup warm (110° F) water 1 cup milk (skim, 2%, or whole milk all OK) ¼ cup of butter ¼ cup sugar 1½ teaspoons salt 1 cup mashed potatoes (yes, actual mashed potatoes, not dry flakes) 1 large egg, beaten 4½ to 4¾ cups all-purpose flour Directions Proof the yeast by mixing it in a small bowl with the warm water and allowing it

English Muffin Bread with an open crumb to capture butter and jam! Ingredients 1 pkg. fast-rising yeast 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tbs. brown sugar 1 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. baking soda 1 cup milk ¾ cup water cornmeal In a medium size bowl, combine yeast, flour, sugar, salt, and soda. Combine milk and water and heat to 120 to 130 degrees F. Pour into dry mixture and beat well for about 5 minutes by hand, 2 or 3 by mixer on medium speed---it will make a slightly stiff bat

Double Chocolate...mmmmm! Ingredients 1/3 cup butter, softened 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ tsp. salt 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips 2/3 cup chopped walnuts Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9” x 13” baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium size bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (a stand mixer is even bette

Ingredients 1 batch of Danish Pastry Dough Preserves, pie filling, chutney, etc. Prepare a 9” x 13” baking sheet with parchment or vegetable cooking spray. Divide dough in half. Leave half, wrapped, in the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll portion of dough into a 9” x 9” rectangle. When you roll out the dough it’s almost impossible to get the edges perfectly straight, so roll it out 10” x 10” and trim it as needed. Using a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, divi

AS you can see, you can make this with fruit filling instead of cinnamon sugar--be creative! Ingredients ¾ cup butter 1½ cups of sugar 3 eggs 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 1½ cups sour cream Filling ¾ cup brown sugar ½ cup chopped nuts 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon Cream butter and sugar in mixer on high until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Sift dry ingredients together.

I explored Danish pastry dough for the first time in Season Three of Breaking Bread with Father Dominic ( 20+ years ago!). My original recipe made a HUGE amount of dough, enough for dozens of almond bear claws, so I decided to re-work the recipe into a half batch. This change has the added benefit of making the technique more manageable, so you don't need to roll the dough out two feet wide. I have a commercial kitchen, but never everyone has that kind of counter space! I

2 ¼ cups flour ¾ cup sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp grated nutmeg 2 eggs ¾ cup milk 1 Tbs. vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla extract Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a medium size bowl and stir until well blended. In a separate container, whisk together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Use a donut batter dispenser (see note below) and fry in 2 inches of oil 365° to 375° F., about 2 min