The quickest, best tasting French Bread you will find!

mix until smooth and elastic

cover the dough with a kitchen towel in the same bowl you mixed it in and let rise until doubled

Two different French Loaf Pans - If you don't have one you can just shape and place on a cookie sheet

Punch down and divide in half

shape dough into two long slender loaves and place in oiled loaf pan

cover and let rise until doubled in size 

The go to French bread recipe

This recipe makes 2 loafs, its great served with my home made Bruschetta! The smell that wafts through the house is amazing!!

Also can be modified to make rolls, pizza, bread sticks, and soooo much more!

2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 -5 1/2 cups bread flour

Directions:

I make all of this in my kitchen Aid Mixer with the bread hook attachment

Add yeast and sugar to warm water in the mixing bowl

let the yeast proof for about 10 minutes
add salt, oil, and 3 cups flour; beat for 2 minutes
stir in 2 cups flour to make a stiff dough
mix until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes

touch the dough and if its to sticky add a tad bit more flower until its smooth

(if you feel the need to add something to the dough now is the time. Don't go overboard but you can add things like - Parmesan, Garlic, Olives, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Basil etc)
cover the dough with a kitchen towel in the same bowl you mixed it in and let rise until doubled
Punch down and divide in half
shape dough into two long slender loaves and place in oiled loaf pan (if you don't have a french loaf pan you can put them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet)
cover and let rise until doubled

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until it sounds hollow when you knock on it

Note: If you put a dish full of water on the lower rack when baking it makes the crust really crispy

Fresh Vibrant Summer Bruschetta with Olives and Parmesan

Have your tomato plants done exceptionally well over the growing season? If they have then welcome to the club! My neighbors have not had to purchase a tomato in the last 6 weeks. I have canned salsa and made lots of this wonderful versatile Bruschetta!

4-5 cups diced drained tomatoes

fresh is best but you can use any kind you have on hand, the meatier the better.

Place the tomatoes in a strainer and let sit for about 20 min to get as much moisture out as possible.

3/4 cup diced Kalamata Olives

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1/8 cup olive oil

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

Mix well and serve immediately over a toasted artisan bread! 

We also serve this over steak and chicken. ( I have also been known to eat it out of the fridge with just a spoon when no one is looking :) This lasts about 4 days in the fridge if it lasts that long! 

Zucchini coming out of my ears - Relish

If you are like me and have ZUCCHINI coming out your ears!! This is a tasty way to utilize some of them. I make this in the fall and give it away for Christmas!  

Zucchini-relish > has a fresh bread and butter pickle flavor

this makes about 8-9 16 oz jars of relish

Soak over night:

10 cups zucchini

3 cups onion

4 large bell peppers (I always make sure one is a red pepper to give the relish a confetti look, also I usually use about ½ bell peppers and then a bunch of spicy peppers from the garden that would add up to about the amount the bell peppers would. It gives the relish a little zip)

5 tablespoons salt

Shred the zucchini, onions and dice the bell peppers. Mix in the salt and place in a large plastic or glass bowl over night.

After the zucchini mix sits over night rinse thoroughly in a large strainer and drain well. I push on the mix while its in the strainer to get all the moisture out that I can.

Put the zucchini mix in a large pot (non aluminum) and add the following ingredients:

3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups vinegar (made sure its at least 5% acidity)
1 teaspoon dry mustard (you can substitute plain old Frenches mustard if needed)
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon celery seed

Mix and boil for 30 minutes

Ladle into sterilized jars making sure to leave 1/2” head-space. Wipe mouths clean before placing lids on. Lower into water bath and process in water bath for 10 min. Remove jars from water bath and allow to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Making sure all jars seal (do NOT press on lids to seal yourself!)

This will last till the next growing season! But it NEVER lasts long in our house!!

Finger licking home made pancakes!

1 ½ cups flour 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar (you can also use sugar substitute) 1 ¾ cups milk 1 egg 3 tablespoons melted butter (you can use oil if needed)	This is the basic recipe
You can add for more of a Belgian flavor: 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 additional tablespoon sugar	Belgian Mix
You can add for Banana Pancakes: 1/4 cup water Add one rip banana add ¼ cup crushed walnuts (if you don't want the walnuts in the batter you can add it to the syrup)	Banana Pancakes
You can add for Apple Cinnamon Pancakes: ¼ cup water ½ cup apple sauce ½ teaspoon cinnamon	Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Directions:


In a mixer (I use a kitchen Aid) combine all dry ingredients and mix for about a minute using the whisk. Add all wet ingredients and mix until fluffy about 2 minutes.


Heat a lightly oiled griddle or large frying pan to medium heat. Ladle approximately ¼ cup of the batter for each cake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with butter and syrup!


This is my own recipe that I have been making for years. Its just easier to make pancakes from scratch then buy a pre-mixed batter. Most of the ingredients are items that should already be in your pantry. Any input is welcome!