Happy Friday everybody! 

I went back to the zesty well from 4 years ago and decided to share a classic “impress yourself recipe”.

Homemade bread made easy.

The smell. The flavor. Melted butter.

Today’s post (like the rest of the week) is dedicated to super easy to prepare food that tastes great.  I was talking to my great friend yesterday and I asked him what I should make and post about for Thursday.  He said “Zesty, why don’t you make a killer loaf of homemade whole wheat bread that is super simple to make”.  I said “JT, that is an awesome idea!”  So here I am, getting ready to share with you a quick and easy version of whole wheat homemade bread.

This is a great and versatile recipe that is open for variations and additives of your favorite flavors.

Ingredients

• 2 Tsp. honey
• 2 2/3 Cup lukewarm water
• 4 Tsp. dry yeast
• 3 Tbsp. Molasses
• 5 Cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 1/4 Cup wheat germ
• 1 Tbsp. Oatmeal (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.
2. Stir 2 teaspoons honey into 2/3 cup lukewarm water.



3. Sprinkle yeast over the mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Combine 3 tablespoons molasses with 2/3 cup warm water and combine with yeast mixture.
5. Stir into flour. Add salt, wheat germ and 1 1/3 cups warm water. Dough will be sticky.



6. Pour dough into a non-stick loaf pan.



7. Smooth top with wet spatula.



8. Sprinkle Oatmeal over top of loaf, if desired.



9. Allow to raise to top of pan.
10. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
11. Cool 10 minutes on a rack, then turn out of pan.
12. Cool before slicing.
13. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When working with Yeast – it is very important that the yeast is still active (therefore not expired) so be sure to check your labels.  Also make sure to dissolve all the yeast in the liquid before adding dry ingredients.

Wow, I must say I really do love homemade bread and it really does not get any easier than this recipe.  As well, look at the ingredients… so healthy and natural - it really is that simple.  Give this loaf a try and let me know how you do.  Would you suggest any ingredient substitutions or additions?

Have yourself a great Friday!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Every now and again you find amazing things on the internet.  The item below I consider to be one of those items.  In surfing around for breakfast ideas for last week’s delivery, I stumbled on to Steph’s site at Plain Chicken and looked repeatedly at this cinnamon pull apart bread.  I knew it was a must try.

Instructions sounded pretty straight forward and it used bought bread ( which was a bonus based on timing) and the combination of honey butter and cinnamon – really?  Do I have to go any further.  All be it is a slight change from yogurt and fruit for breakfast, but every now and again you need to go off the wall and indulge.  It helps your mind stay focused on your goals.

Trust me.

Indulge once a week and you will be happy.

Left: zoom shot of the butter prior to baking Right: Close up of the Glaze... YUM!

Lubed up all over with the honey cinnamon butter ( I could have ate the whole loaf at this stage.

Ingredients

• 1 unsliced round loaf sourdough bread
• 1/2 Cup butter, softened
• 1/4 Cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 Cup honey
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. To make Vanilla Honey Butter: Whip butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until smooth; stir in honey and vanilla.  Set aside. (You can use regular butter if desired)
3. Cut the bread lengthwise into 1/2″ slices, without cutting through the bottom crust. Spread vanilla honey butter in between slices.  Rotate the bread 90 degrees and slice the bread again into 1/2″ pieces, without cutting through the bottom crust. Spread more vanilla honey butter in between new cuts. This doesn’t need to be perfect – just make sure there is lots of butter in between all the cuts.
4. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Generously sprinkle in between all cuts. (You may have extra butter and cinnamon sugar.
5. It will just depend on how large your bread loaf is.)
6. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until bread is warm.  Unwrap cinnamon bread and place on serving platter.  Combine powdered sugar and milk – adding milk until you get the consistency desired.
7. Drizzle icing over bread and serve immediately.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  I would recommend using an electric knife to cut the bread so you don’t push the bread down too much.  The first loaf I made, on the second cu,  it was hard not to push down on the sticks of bread “squashing” them.  The second loaf, I used the electric knife and made all the difference in the world.

After the glaze.... right out of the oven

Have a great weekend… ENJOY the super bowl and I will talk to you on Monday after the game.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

The end of the week is here! This week flew by, hard to believe we are in May already. Guess what I just remembered last night? It is mother’s day on Sunday.  Opps sorry Mrs. Zesty – I will get on it as soon as possible and surprise you for Sunday. I have a couple of ideas in mind so it will just be a matter of execution
on Saturday.

As for this sudden craving I had… banana bread. I had some lonely looking bananas hanging in the freezer that were just aching to be warmed up and cooked. What better way to use up bananas with on of my favorite breads in the whole world. Moist, tender, soft, fluffy banana bread! Give this recipe a try if you have a craving like I did and I am pretty confident you will not be disappointed.

Today, I thought I would share with you my take of a classic bread – Banana Bread! One of my all-time favorite loafs and a great way to use ripened bananas.

Every now and again I feel the need to add some nuts to my Banana Bread recipe for a different texture and flavor combination. With this loaf I chose the “Walnut”.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 Tsp. salt
• 1/2 Cup butter
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 4 Mashed overripe bananas
• 1/4 Cup walnuts

Method

1. Preheat Oven to 350°.
2. Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and white sugar.
   
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
5. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended, then toss in the walnuts.
   
6. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten.
   
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
8. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
9. Let bread cool in pan for a bit, then flip it out onto a wire rack.



10. ENJOY!
    

Zesty Tip: When bananas are on their last leg on your counter, a great place to store them for either smoothies or baking is in the freezer. They freeze very well and it will help prolong their useful life.

I hope you get some time in the near future to try this banana bread. As I mentioned earlier, it is one of my favorite loafs to make and eat. A slight problem is that I tend to eat the whole loaf. I especially love the two end pieces. Do you like the end pieces?

Weekend is upon us… any big plans for you? I hope you have fun with whatever you choose to do and I will see you back here on Monday!

Oh, one last thing, if you haven’t checked out our recipe e-book yet, you can download it here for free.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty