Nana's Easter Bread

We are looking forward to carrying on our Easter Traditions of making Easter Bread and Cherry Cheese Bread for Easter this weekend. You can see in the picture of my husband and our kids below that we have been creating this yummy bread for our family for a long time. Our daughters will be making bread in their homes in La Jolla and Brooklyn and made me realize that while I have spoken about our traditions here on this blog, I have not recorded the recipe for Nana's Easter Bread. So here it is! Happy Spring to everyone~

NANA'S EASTER BREAD

For the Dough

• 4-5 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 package active dry yeast

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• ¾ cup whole milk, warmed

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ cup butter, plus 2 tablespoons melted for top of bread before baking

• 3 eggs, room temperature

• ¼ teaspoon grated orange peel

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• ¼ cup whole milk

•  Sprinkles

Directions

• Mix 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast in bowl of electric mixer. 

• Combine milk and butter in a saucepan until butter is melted and liquids are warm. Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat together at medium speed for 2 minutes. 

• Add 3 eggs, orange rind, nutmeg plus another 1 cup of flour to make a thick batter. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes. Change to dough hook and stir in enough additional flour to make soft dough that is no longer sticky. 

• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turn in the bowl so the top is greased and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

• Punch down dough and divide into two equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 24” rope. Twist two ropes together and loosely form into a ring on a greased baking sheet. Brush with melted butter.

Cherry Cheese Bread

Our family has a tradition of enjoying delicious Cherry Cheese and Easter Bread every Easter. My husband, Jeff, grew up relishing these wonderful treats that his mom, Marie, made every year. He has carried on the tradition by carefully making the dough and baking them like his mom did. And this year, our daughter who lives in Brooklyn, will be carrying on the tradition and sharing it with her boyfriend's family on the East coast!

Cherry Cheese Bread without Sprinkles

Bread Ingredients

• 1/2 c warm water
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1/2 cup scalded milk (meaning hot, just before boiling)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup salted butter (or margarine)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 4 1/2 – 5 cups flour

Filling Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 21-oz can of cherry pie filling
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel

Frosting Ingredients

• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons of milk
• Sprinkles or nuts for on top, if desired

Directions

• Combine yeast and warm water in a small bowl.  Stir minimally but enough to help dissolve the yeast. 
• Scald the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave (really hot but just before boiling) and then add in the butter until it’s completely melted.
• Pour into bowl and then add sugar and salt.  Mix to combine and let the mixture cool a bit.  
• Then add 2 slightly beaten eggs, yeast mixture, and 2 cups of flour, mixing slowly as you add each one.  If using a heavy duty mixer, mix for 3 minutes with a paddle.  (If you’re mixing by hand or using a hand mixer, mix really well until very well blended.) 
• Switch to a dough hook, add 2 more cups of flour, a little at a time and beat your dough another 5-7 minutes.  (If kneading by hand, knead until really well combined……could take up to 10 minutes.)  If the dough is not pulling away from the sides of the bowl, add another 1/2 cup of flour (or if  you’re kneading by hand and it just keeps sticking to your hands). 
• Grease the inside of a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a small towel and let rise in warm spot for 1.5 hours, or until double in size.
• Punch down the dough with your hands and then divide into 2 even balls.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  
• While resting, blend the cream cheese and powdered sugar for filling until smooth. Add orange peel to cherry filling.
• Roll dough into two rectangles 15"x6" and spread 1/2 of the cheese filling into a 3 inch strip down the center of the dough, then top with 1/2 of cherry pie filling.  
• Make 2 inch cuts 1/2 inch apart on long sides. Criss cross strips over filling.  
• Use 2 spatulas to carefully lift the bread onto the back side of greased or parchment covered large cookie sheet. Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. 
• Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes, covering with foil for the last few minutes if it starts to get too brown.
• Combine frosting ingredients and mix until smooth. Drizzle on top of breads and finish with sprinkles (if using). Let frosting set for at least 30 minutes before covering with plastic wrap or it will stick.

Enjoy!

Cherry Cheese Bread with Sprinkles

Super Easy Homemade Bread

Although I have slowed down on my bread making days, I felt I had to include this recipe on Keeping It Real With Joy because it just represents what my blog is all about - easy to make, uncomplicated food that tastes good. My son loves this bread- he enjoys a chunk of it out of the oven slathered with butter and honey and then makes sandwiches with thinner slices after it has cooled. Clearly I may need bigger loaf pans, but they were still delicious!

Easy Homemade Bread

2 ½ cups milk
¼ cup butter
⅓ cup honey
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp salt
5-7 cups all-purpose flour (add 5 cups to start and as you blend, add 1/2 cup more at a time until the dough gets stiff)

Heat the milk, butter and honey in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Stir and heat for another 45 seconds. Make sure liquid has cooled to luke warm before you mix with flour.

Pour the milk mixture into a large bowl or in a heavy duty mixer. Add the yeast, egg, salt and enough flour to stir together to make a moderately stiff dough. Knead for about 6 minutes by hand or in a bread mixer.

Generously grease two bread pans.  Form dough into 2 loaves and place in pans. Cover with a dishtowel. Let dough rise until doubled. 

Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes on the middle rack, until browned on top. Enjoy!

source

Toasted slices of this bread make a tasty sandwich!

Focaccia Art

It's amazing how creative people have been getting with baking during these longs days of staying safe at home due to quarantine requirements. I made plain focaccia in the early days but after I saw focaccia art popping up on Instagram, I knew I eventually wanted to try it out! It was very fun to make a little scene atop the focaccia with fresh veggies and herbs and they actually add additional yummy flavors to the finished bread.

Before Baking

Baked Focaccia Art

Focaccia Art

• 1 recipe focaccia bread- I used the Bon Appetite Recipe for Easy No-Knead Focaccia Bread
• veggies and herbs of choice- I used baby bell peppers, small zucchini, yellow squash, kalamata olives, chives, thyme, oregano leaves, shallots

Before baking the focaccia, place vegetables on top of the bread. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with sliced cheese and meats for an easy appetizer.

Original plain focaccia I made before I learned about making art out of it!

One Bowl Zucchini Muffins

A dear friend of mine just returned from a trip to New Zealand with her family and I wanted to have a tasty snack  waiting for them on their doorstep when they returned. These zucchini muffins are a hit in our house and I thought it would a perfect welcome home treat. They really can be made in one bowl and are moist and delicious!

Ingredients

2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups grated fresh zucchini squash

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Spray muffin tins with nonstick spray. Combine melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Add grated zucchini. Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add chocolate chips if desired. I just sprinkled a few on top. Bake mini- muffins for 20 minutes. Let cool in a pan for a few minutes and then put on baking rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Oven Baked S'mores Bars

My family just celebrated the special 80th birthday of my sweet mom at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. My parents stayed in a beautiful room facing the gorgeous ocean on the edge of the green golf course which had a deck with a wonderful fire pit. After our dinner, we anticipated returning to their room to make s'mores in the fire pit, but after slices of delicious red velvet birthday cake, we were too full of sweets for any s'more (pun intended!)

Since I had all the fixings for s'mores and remember the many times the ingredients have become stale in the cupboard after bringing them home from summers in Lake Tahoe, I was eager to find a way to use them immediately.  I found this recipe with the exact ingredients I had on hand, so made them tonight to my family's delight. They are ooey gooey just out of the oven (ie. scoop into a bowl and eat with a spoon), but cut more cleanly after cooling completely. Enjoy!

Oven-Baked S'Mores Bars

Crust
18 graham crackers
1/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
Topping
7 regular sized Hershey Bars (one more than was in the bag-thankfully I had an extra on hand)
24 Jumbo Marshmallows

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 9x13" baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides.

Make the crust- crush graham crackers until fine in zip lock bag (or food processor if you have one). Put in medium bowl and combine with sugar and salt. Stir in melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Press crumb mixture into prepared pan and press with hands or bottom of measuring cup into even layer.

Bake crust for 8-10 minutes, unto edges are golden. Let crust cool 5-10 minutes.

Arrange chocolate bars evenly on slightly cooled crust, leaving about 1/4" of crust uncovered around edges. Arrange marshmallows on the top of chocolate, leaving some space between each one as they expand slightly.

Bake until chocolate is soft and marshmallows are evenly toasted on top, 10-12 minutes.

Scoop and serve immediately in bowls with a spoon or wait until they cool and slice them into pieces. You can pop them into the microwave for a few seconds after they have cooled if you want them soft again~

~ Happiest 80th Birthday to my dear Mom ~

Quick and Easy Banana Bread

While Kona Inn Banana Bread (find recipe here) is still one of my favorites, this recipe is great if you have fewer ripe bananas and just want to make one loaf. Delicious!

Quick and Easy Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
3/4 - 1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed (or 4 for a really moist loaf, but you may have to cook a few more minutes)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
chocolate chips or walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla.
Combine well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to cream  mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes. Enjoy!

Mini Cornbread Bites

These mini cornbread bites are the perfect accompaniment to chili, as an appetizer alone or as the "bread" for a mini sandwich. The plain cornbread bites are delicious, moist and just a touch sweet.  You can also add some tasty additions to make them a bit more complex. You can toss a few into your kid's lunches or eat them at breakfast with eggs- very versatile!

        Plain                               Jalapeno Cheddar                         Bacon Onion Cheese 

Mini Cornbread Bites
recipe from Martha Stewart

For the batter:
1 cup flour
1 cup medium grind yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Additions:
Jalapeno Cheddar
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno chile
1/4 cup grated white cheddar cheese

Bacon Onion Cheese
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
2 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1/4 cup grated yellow cheddar


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a  24 mini muffin tin with cooking spray.  
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
Combine buttermilk, egg and oil. Stir into flour mixture until combined. Divide batter into 3 batches (1 cup each) and stir a flavor combination into two of the batches.
Fill muffin tim three-quarters full with 1 batch of batter. Bake until tops are gold and toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Put pan in wire rack for 5 minutes and then turn out muffins from tin. Enjoy!

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Toffee Bars

This recipe is another awesome treasure from the UC Davis Coffeehouse cook book (just like these Apricot Bars which were similar to Bozo bars from the UCD Coffeehouse). They are so easy to make and are a perfect quick sweet treat to bring to class events, office celebrations or family gatherings. They would also make a wonderful surprise for your kids when they come home from school or camp, served with a cold glass of milk!

Toffee Bars
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350º Spray a 9x13" pan with baking spray. Combine butter, brown sugar and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour, chocolate chips and nuts (if using). Spread mixture into the pan and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown (don't over bake!) Let cool, then cut into squares. Enjoy!

Easy Coffee Cake

My good friend Abbie recently made the Pioneer Woman's Coffee Cake and shared a piece with me-- and it was awesome! She inspired me to make coffee cake this morning for my daughters and their sleep-over buddies, but when I looked in my fridge, I only had one stick of butter (and Ree's recipe calls for three). 

I found the recipe below some time ago and thought it was the perfect time to try it since I was butter-challenged. This coffee cake recipe turned out to be a keeper- it was very easy to make (no creaming of butter or whipping of egg whites required, so I didn't have to pull out the mixer) and my daughters and their friends said the cake part was just as good as the topping! Try it!

Tyra Bank's Great Grannie's Old-Fashioned Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups packed brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 11/2 t. salt 1 teaspoon nutmeg (I didn't have nutmeg, so I used Pumpkin Pie spice- cinnamon would  work, too) 11/4 cups canola oil 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I did not have buttermilk, so added 1 1/2 T lemon juice to 1 1/2 cups       milk and let it sit for 10 minutes) 2 teaspoons cinnamon for topping

Directions:

1. In large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, packed brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt  and nutmeg until no lumps remain.  2. Whisk in vegetable oil until the oil is incorporated with the dry ingredients.    3. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of this mixture for the topping. Add cinnamon to topping; set aside. 4. To the remaining mixture in the large bowl add baking powder, baking soda, eggs and buttermilk. Mix completely. 5. Spread batter in greased 13" x 9" pan; sprinkle with topping.  6. Bake 45 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Mini Monkey Bread

When our son came home for Thanksgiving break, I wanted to make a special breakfast for our family to celebrate. My kids adore Monkey Bread, but we usually save that for Christmas morning...never-the-less, I made them a version of monkey bread that was just as big a hit. This would be a fun breakfast to serve when the cousins sleep over or on a Sunday morning during winter vacation.

Mini-Monkey Bread

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cans (7.5oz) refigerated biscuits

Spray 12 regular muffin cups. Melt butter and brown sugar in small saucepan until combined. Spoon 1 tablespoon into each muffin cup. Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in large plastic bag. Cut each biscuit into four pieces and place in plastic bag. Shake all the pieces until they are coated. Place 7-8 pieces in each muffin cup. 
Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let sit for 1 minutes, then turn upsided down on platter. Enjoy!

Apricot Jam Bars / Bozo Bars

Recently my dear high school girlfriend, Abbie, and I were talking everything going on in our lives, even what we had served for dinner that night (you know, the best inspiration comes from friends!) and she mentioned she had made Bozo Bars with raspberry jam for dessert, much to her kids' delight. She found the Bozo Bar recipe in her much beloved UC Davis Coffee House Cookbook.

They sounded very similar to Apricot Jam Bars that were one of my husband's favorite treats his mom made when he was growing up. The recipe for these jam bars was included in a very special cookbook my sweet brother-in-law, Chris, created for my husband and me when we got married 24 years ago. Chris designed the cookbook cover, typed up each of the recipes inside and bound them together with binder rings. I have used this treasure of a cookbook often ever since he gave it to us because it includes many recipes that their mom, Marie, made for them growing up and I love that I get to carry on their family traditions with our kids.

Apricot Jam Bars

1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ sticks of butter (a little more than ¾ cup of butter-grate the butter- makes it much easier to incorporate!) 
1 cup apricot jam (10-12 ounces) (or raspberry or strawberry- use your favorite! I often use the whole 13oz jar  of Bonne Maman)

Mix dry ingredients together and then cut in cold butter until crumbly. Press 2/3 of mixture in a buttered 9"x 13"pan*. Spread the jam on top and then sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture and pat lightly. Bake for 30-35 minutes until light brown. Cool completely and then cut into squares. 
* I often make these in a 10½" x 15½"  jelly roll baking sheet, as pictured above, which makes the bars a bit thinner and bake for 25-30 minutes

Hostess Gifts

I love bringing home made treats to family and friends when they host us in their homes. When we visited our family in Portland recently, we brought along some of these homemade goodies. 

Garlic Rosemary Almonds
 see this post for recipe

Maple Granola
see this post for recipe

Shortbread with Lemon Glaze
make Ina's recipe for shortbread but glaze with 1 cup confectioners sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice (instead of chocolate)

Savory Loaf Cake with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pistachios and Chorizo

Have you ever tried a savory loaf kind of like zucchini bread except not at all sweet? The French serve this savory cake (pronounced kek) at buffets or lunch, they bring it along for picnics or even serve it alongside aperitifs.  I was first introduced to this delicious loaf cake while in Provence with my sweet mom last September where we enjoyed it for lunch accompanied with a tossed salad. We recently had friends over for drinks on the deck, and I thought it would be perfect to serve with cocktails.

It is a very versatile "cake" that can be sliced to serve as an appetizer, as a hearty piece of savory bread with soup or salad for lunch, or even as part of a delicious breakfast with sauteed spinach and scrambled eggs. Not only does Clotilde Dusoulier have several recipes for savory cake in her Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook, but I also discovered another cookbook full of great recipes by Sophie Dudemaine called  Sophie's Sweet and Savory Loaves. Sophie says the recipe most people ask for is the Ham and Olive loaf- I am trying that one next time!

Savory Loaf Cake with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pistachios and Chorizo

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons sesame seeds- one for the pan, one for topping

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk, greek style

3 1/2 ounces Spanish air-dried chorizo, chopped 

12 sun dried tomato halves packed in oil, drained and finely diced

3/4 cup shelled pistachios, toasted

3/4 cups loosely packed parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350° Butter a 9-inch  loaf pan and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds, tilting the pan to distribute them.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs and yogurt. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, stirring until barely incorporated. Don’t overmix. Gently fold in the chorizo, tomatoes, pistachios, and parsley. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

 Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cake just feels set in the center. Let cool for 15 minutes, then tilt it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.

Serving and storage: Once cool, cut the cake into thin slices and serve as is. Leftover cake should be wrapped snugly in plastic and will keep up to five days at room temperature.  Or you can freeze half the loaf and save it for unexpected guests!

Recipe from Chocolate and Zuccini by Clotilde Dusoulier

The Best Sugar Cookies

Ok, so I know I'm making a huge assumption by saying these are the Best Sugar Cookies, but to me they are and here's why: I love dense, firm, almost shortbread-like sugar cookies that keep their shape when they cook. I like the edges to stay sharp and similar to the cookie cutter shape, and not spread out and get thin around the outside. This recipe does just that. So if you love softer sugar cookies, these aren't for you, but if you like ones with a bit of a bite that look very pretty and taste delicious, try these!

The Best Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mix thoroughly then add the vanlla. Stir the baking powder and salt into the flour then add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix on low to combine. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill 2 hours. 

Roll out on a floured surface to 3/8-inch thick and cut out desired shapes. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes until just starting to brown around the edges. Let cool on the sheet pan. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Gale Gand

Royal Icing

(Makes about 3 cups)

3 tablespoons meringue powder (you can find it at craft stores or specialty grocery stores)

or you can use 2 egg whites

4 cups confectioner's sugar (about 1 lb)

6 tablespoons warm water

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer). For stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water and for thinned icing, add 1/2 teaspoon more water at a time until you reach consistency you want.  Put the icing in separate bowls and add food coloring to make multiple colors.
Recipe from Wilton