Blueberry Bread

Robbie made bread!!
Originally uploaded by cncarter108

BREAD:

2 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk
2 cups of fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

CRUMB MIXTURE:

1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Mix together flour and baking powder with a wire wisk and set aside

Beat sugar and shortening in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vinilla until well blended.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, mixing well after each addition. Fold in blueberries and spoon into two loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix together crumb mixture (minus the almonds) until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over bread and then sprinkle with almonds.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Nana's Breakfast Casserole

6 eggs
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
salt and pepper
6 slices of Texas Toast (or any thing cut, crusty white bread)
2 lbs spicy pork sausage, cooked and well drained
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese

Beat together eggs and half and half. Add onions and season with salt and pepper.

Spray a 12x10 baking pan with cooking spray and then line the pan with bread. Cutting and rearranging as needed. Cover the bread with sausage and cheese, then poor the egg mixture over the entire pan. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook covered for 25 to 30 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

Focaccia bread

1 1/3 cup of starter
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups of all purpose flour

Combine above ingredients, kneading in flour 1/2 cup at a time. Set the oven on warm for a couple of minutes and place a metal loaf pan of water in the bottom of oven. Shape dough into a ball and place into a lightly oiled glass bowl. Cover dough with lightly dampened towel. Let dough rise in oven until doubled, about an hour.

Pour olive oil onto an 11x17 inch baking sheet. Place dough onto floured surface and gently stretch dough to fit in pan. Fold dough into fourths gently and then put dough into pan. Using fingertips gently nudge dough into retangle. Cover with towel and place back into oven to rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

Take out dough and water. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make indentations into dough with your finger tips. Brush more olive oil onto bread. Sprinkle on salt, garlic, oregano overe the surface of bread. Bake until crisp on the bottom about 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with dipping oil and enjoy.

Sourdough Starter

4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 1/2 cups of water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Boil potatoes in water until potatoes are tender. Drain liquid and put 1 1/4 of potatoe water into a large glass container (bowl, Mason Jar, or a glass canister. Add flour, sugar, and salt, stir lightly with a plastic spoon only. Some metal utensils can react with the starter and kill off your yeast. Cover container with a cloth such as a cheese cloth or a kitchen towel. Let starter sit in a warm place for 4 days. If you starter is bubbly and spongy looking you have starter. If it is not bubbling yet what another day and check again. Mine took a week.

Feed starter every week with a half cup of water and a half cup of four. Store your starter in a plastic container in the fridge. Sometimes I use pineapple juice instead of water when I am planning to make a sweet bread with my starter. If your starter seems inactive and does not give a good rise when baking you can add a package of yeast when you feed it. Just to give it a little boost.

I always sponge my starter before I cook with it, just to give my starter alittle more strength. To proof pour all of your starter into a glass bowl, add a cup of four and a cup of water. Stir well with plastic spoon and leave in the oven over night. I set my oven on warm for a couple of minutes. Just to give my starter a nice warm, moist womb to proof in. First test the oven, when you place your hand on the side wall and it is too hot to touch then it is too hot for your starter. Let it cool a bit and check again. When your starter is frothy and bubbly and it smells a little sour, it is ready. Get you bake on.