Drop Cookies: Granola Apple Cookies

The apple in these delicious cookies makes them soft and chewy, while the granola gives them just a little bit of a crunch here and there. You can use any granola cereal you fancy, but it's best to keep it simple. A basic granola cereal with, perhaps, almonds is wonderful in this recipe.


This cookie goes very well with milk.


Ingredients


1½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
¼ cup milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 egg
1½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
1 cup grated apples
1 cup granola


Preparation


Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, cream together brown sugar and butter. Add milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg. Mix well. With a wooden spoon, stir in remaining ingredients. Mix until you have a consistent but slightly wet cookie dough. Don't worry about how wet it seems. It's supposed to be that way.


Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheet. Don't flatten the cookies. These cookies will spread a bit, so try to keep the cookies at least a full inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are slightly browned on the edges.


Remove cookies from the cookie sheet immediately and cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Yeast Breads: Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Cinnamon raisin bread is a traditional breakfast food, at least in our house. Toasted with butter or jam, or smothered with peanut butter, it's a great way to start the day. This version uses a little whole wheat flour and some rolled oats.


Ingredients


2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup milk
3 tsp butter or margarine
½ cup rolled oats
½ raisins


Preparation


There no need to dissolve the yeast if you're using bread machine or quick yeast, so place all ingredients except raisins in a large bowl and mix until you have a loose dough. Fold in raisins. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in an oiled bowl and set in a warm location to rise. Let the dough double in size, about 1 hour.


Punch down dough, making sure to remove all air bubbles. Spray a bread pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place dough in prepared pan and cover loosely. Allow to rise until double in size, about 45 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover dough. If desired, you may brush the top of the loaf with an egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. This is unnecessary, however, so if you don't want a sugared top, you can skip this entirely. Bake loaf for 25 to 30 minutes, until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.


Allow bread to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.

Yeast Breads: Basic Pull Apart Loaf

Most of the time, you have to slice loaves of bread to eat them. But if you don't want to slice, and you don't want the trouble of making buns, you can easily make a pull apart loaf. Sometimes called a bubble loaf, these are designed to allow people to pull off one small section at a time. This loaf is just a basic version, but you can get creative with Italian, cinnamon, or even raisin pull part loaves.


Ingredients


1 recipe for Basic White Bread
4 tbsp melted butter (do not use margarine)
1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)


Preparation


Prepare the white bread according to recipe directions until after the first rise. At this point, you should divide the dough into 32 small portions. Roll each portion into a small ball. Spray a bread pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking.


Place 8 or 10 of the balls into the pan, lining the bottom of the pan. Brush with some of the melted butter. Place 8 or 10 more of the balls into the pan, arranging them at random on top of the first layer. Brush with butter. Repeat until you've used all the dough. Brush the top of the loaf with butter. Top with sesame seeds, if desired.


Set the loaf aside in a warm location and allow it to rise until it has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Heat oven to 375°F. Bake loaf for 25 to 30 minutes, until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before pulling off the first bubble.


Serve with butter or jam for a delicious brunch.

Yeast Breads: Basic Bagels

Bagels are delicious. Full stop. I can eat bagels of any kind. New York, Montreal, Chicago, bagels are excellent no matter where you are. They're all a little different, and replicating any one of them can take a lot of experimentation. But if you're looking for just a basic, simple bagel, you can actually do that at home. But let's not pretend you'll end up with a Montreal Bagel using this recipe.


You can use any bread dough to start. Because this is a basic recipe, we'll use a basic dough.


Ingredients


1 recipe for Basic White Bread
4 cups water
3 tbsp honey


Preparation


Prepare the white bread recipe as directed until after the first rise. Now is when we'll start making bagels. Divide the dough into 12 portions so you can make 12 bagels. Take one portion and shape it into a smooth ball. Press your fingers through the center of the ball and stretch to form a bagel. You'll want to make sure the hole is a little larger then you want because the dough will rise and puff.


Heat oven to 350°F. Let the shaped dough sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Bring the water to a roiling boil in a medium pot. Add honey and stir until honey has dissolved in the water. Two at a time, immerse the bagels in the water. Boil for at least 1 minute. The longer you boil them, the chewier the finished bagels will be. Do not boil for longer than 4 minutes.


Remove from water with a slotted spoon and place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bagels. Bake for 20 minutes, until bagels are golden brown. Enjoy hot or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.


Makes 12 bagels.

Yeast Breads: Three Grain Bread

If 're looking for a hearty bread that is great for sandwiches, Three Grain Bread may be for you. If you want to enhance it a little more, try adding some raisins. The raisin version is great when toasted.


Ingredients


2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup dark rye flour
1 tsp salt
1½ tsp bread machine or quick yeast
1 cup milk
¼ cup honey
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tbsp molasses
¼ cup sunflower seeds, shelled
⅛ cup wheat germ
⅛ cup wheat bran


Preparation


You won't need to dissolve yeast with this recipe, so throw all ingredients into a large bowl and blend until you have a loose dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic.


Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm location until doubled in size. Hearty breads can take a little longer to rise, so plan on 90 minutes, though it will probably take a little less. When the dough has doubled, punch it down to remove all air bubbles. Shape into an oblong loaf and place on a prepared baking pan. Cover and allow to rise once more, again until doubled in size. Give the loaf a full hour for this second rise.


Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover dough and use your bread lame or a sharp knife to cut horizontal gashes in the loaf. These gashes shouldn't be deeper than ¼-inch. You can, if you wish, brush the loaf with an egg wash, though this is unnecessary.


Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is well browned and it sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool 20 minutes before slicing.

Pastry: Palmiers

Puff pastry is delicious, especially when you use it to create these delicious swirls of cinnamon and sugar. You can make your own puff pastry, or you can use frozen pastry.


Ingredients


1 recipe for Easy Puff Pastry
½ cup sugar
1½ tsp cinnamon sugar


Preparation


Heat oven to 375°F. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Divide dough in half and wrap one half and refrigerate. Roll out the remaining dough to a 10x14-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface or silicone rolling mat. Square up the corners as well as you are able.


Sprinkle the rectangle with half the sugar mixture. Press the sugar lightly into the dough. Starting from one of the 10-inch sides, roll up the dough, but stop when you get halfway. Roll up the other 10-inch side, stopping when you meet the first roll. Press the rolls lightly together, but you don't need to pinch them. Puff pastry doesn't move too much when baking.


Slice the roll into 20 ½-inch slices. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the palmiers are golden brown. Immediately remove from the baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Repeat with other half of dough.


Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This recipe makes 40 palmiers.

Yeast Breads: Havarti Raisin Loaf

There are a lot of excellent cheeses in the world, and Havarti is among the best. But if you're not fond of Havarti, or you prefer another cheese, this bread is quite adaptable. You can use Swiss cheese, gouda, or even cheddar. The raisins are also optional, so if you don't like raisins, leave them out.


Ingredients


3 cups all purpose flour
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
⅔ cup milk
⅓ cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
½ cup Havarti cheese, shredded
½ cup raisins (optional)


Preparation


Because we're not using traditional yeast, it does not have to be dissolved. So place all ingredients except raisins in a large bowl and blend until you have a soft dough. Fold in raisins. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, until dough develops its elasticity. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover lightly. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.


Punch down dough to remove all air bubbles. Shape into an oblong loaf on a prepared baking sheet. Cover once again and let rise until double in size, this time about 45 minutes. Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover loaf and use a bread lame or sharp knife to score the top of the dough with diagonal slashes. Three or four slashes should be sufficient.


If desired, you may coat the loaf with an egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on the pan for at least 20 minutes before slicing.