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

Happy Monday August morning to you!  Only three more sleeps before we hit NYC.  Ummn yeah I am slightly excited.  But before we get ahead of ourselves, do you remember my love for bread?  I pretty much adore bread.  I eat it every single day, usually whole wheat but sometimes I eat Ezekiel, white, french, bagels or whatever is around.  I love it.

Sometimes I get the urge to whip up a batch in the bread maker because it is super easy and the results are usually pretty good.  Now I will be honest, some of the bread maker recipes can be hit or miss.  I find the ingredient list and measurements are exact, so pay close attention.  The other thing I noted is that the order in which you add the ingredients is crucial as you don’t want to activate the yeast to early.

Have fun and try this bread out.  I think you will enjoy it.

Ingredients

• 1 5/8 Cups Water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Cups Bread Flour
• 3 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 Cup Wheat Germ
• 1/4 Cup Milled Flax Seed
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 2 Tsp. Active Dry Yeast

Method

1. Add ingredients to pan in order recommended for your bread machine. Add in order listed being sure to keep yeast away from liquid by forming a well in the flour for the yeast.
2. Set machine for “french” setting and choose your crust color.
3. Sit back and wait for the bread!
4. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Ideally you want to slice into the bread as soon as you pull it out of the oven and get the dough hook pulled out.  I recommend you waiting at least 10-15 minutes so that you can cut it easily without ripping it apart.

Smear some butter and homemade jam on this bread and you will have people running to the kitchen.  Nothing smells better than fresh homemamde bread and in this case, the bread maker does all the work.  Great for the busy lifestyle that some people lead.

I hope you have a great Monday and I will hook up with you on Wednesday – maybe for a sweet treat.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Friday!  I went back to an old post for this morning because I know there are a lot of readers who didn’t see Zesty’s twist on some homemade whole wheat pizza dough.  I can still remember sinking my teeth into this pizza – it was so memorable.  There is nothing like homemade dough in my opinion – whether it is pizza dough, pancakes, biscuits, galettes or cheese puffs.  I just feel it tastes better!  And honestly it is not that difficult to do in your own kitchen.  Have a look at this pizza and tell me what you think.

Ever feel like Pizza but do not want to leave the house or order delivery?  It happens to me the odd time.  There are not a lot of great pizza joints around here other than  – what I call the prefab chain pizza stores that really don’t taste the best.

So lately I have been experimenting with some homemade dough to kick things up a notch.  This dough recipe comes from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart.  I really enjoyed this recipe as it turned out really well.  For me pizza is all about the crust!  Toppings are good but I am a huge fan when it’s light on the toppings and sauce but heavy on the crust.

If you are interested in a new whole wheat pizza dough, I highly recommend this recipe.  It is very simple and produces a great texture.  I opted for a thin crust and left the pizza on the stone for a little crunch.  YUM!

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 1/2 Cups Warm Water
• 2 Packets (1/4 Ounce Each) Active Dry Yeast
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Sugar
• 2 Tsp. Salt
• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

Pizza Toppings

• Pizza Sauce
• Mushrooms
• Bacon
• Mozzarella Cheese

Method

1. Place water in large bowl – sprinkle with yeast.
2. Let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes).
3. Brush another large bowl with Olive Oil.
4. In bowl with yeast, whisk sugar, oil and salt.  Stir in flours until a sticky dough forms.
5. Transfer to oiled bowl (brush top of dough with oil).
6. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until it doubles in size (about an hour).
7. Turn dough onto a well floured surface and knead until smooth.
8. Preheat oven to 400°.
9. Prepare in shape of pizza and begin to assemble pizza dough.
10. Spread sauce and then some cheese.
11. Add toppings from above, top with cheese and bake until golden brown and cheese has melted.
12. Time varies depending on the thickness of your crust (12-20 minutes).
13. Top with cheese and bake.



14. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For ease of use, make the dough in double or triple batches and then freeze the dough in either balls or individual shells.  This will save you a lot of time in the future as you have to let one batch of dough rise … so you might as well have 3 batches rise.

Question of the Day:  What is your favorite type/kind of pizza crust?

I hope you have a great Weekend.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty