Black Friday: baking instead of shopping!

Why go shop (do it all online ... Amazon is having some amazing deals .. and if you click and order, I get a 15% "referral fee"!) on Black Friday, when you can bake instead (recipes are below appetite-inducing pictures):

Sourdough Sandwich Bread for leftover-Turkey sandwiches

Maggie's Cranberry Bread (a new recipe that is BETTER than any other!)

Applesauce for post-Turkey overload Ham dinner!

Sourdough Sandwich Bread (from the Sourdough Cookbook)

Sponge (make the night before):

• 1 cup sourdough starter (make a few days before so that you'll have it ready for making the sponge -- scroll down thru this past post for the starter recipe)
• 2 cups warm water
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (this fools the kids into thinking this is "bunny bread")

Combine ingredients, cover with a towel and let stand in a warm place overnight

Bread ingredients --

• overnight sponge (above)
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tbls butter
• 3 tbls sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbls active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 7-8 cups flour
• softened butter for tops of loaves

Warm milk to just below boil (1-2minutes in microwave). Stir in butter, sugar and salt and set aside to cool for 10 minutes or so.  Sprinkle yeast over warm water; set aside to soften for 5 minutes or so.  Stir yeast/water and milk mixture into sponge.  Add 3 cups of flour and stir until batter is smooth.  Cover with a cloth and set in a warm place ofr 30-40 minutes (until doulbed in bulk).  Stir down dough and then stir in enough additional flour to make a medium-stiff dough.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead dough until smooth and elastic.  Add more flour if necessary.  Divide dough into two equal portions.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, grease two 9x5 loaf pans.  Shape dough into loaves and place in pans.  Brush softened butter on loaves.  Cover with a cloth and allow to double in bulk -- about an hour or so. 

Preheat over to 375 and bake bread for 45 minutes or so (covering with foil if tops are browning too fast.  Cool top side up on rack.

Maggie's Cranberry Bread (makes 1 large loaf or 6 mini-loaves)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 egg
• 2 c flour
• 1/2 c orange juice
• 1/2 tsp baking soda in 2 tbsp hot water
• 1-1/2 c frozen cranberries, chopped
• 1 c pecans, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 325.  Grease 9x5 or 6 mini-loaf pans.  In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water and set aside.  Beat egg and juice together in a bowl.  Add all other ingredients (except the cranberries and nuts) and combine completely. Add cranberries and nuts.  Put in loaf pan and bake 40 minutes for small loaves, 1-hour-and 15minutes for large loaves.

Applesauce (makes about 4 cups)

This is one of those recipes that I just wing with whatever kind of apples we have on hand.

Wash and core 6 medium apples (a combination of sweet and tangy makes a great sauce).  Chop unpeeled apples into 1-inch pieces and place in heavy pot.  Add cinnamon, allspice and cloves to taste.  Add 1 cup white sugar.  Cover apples with water (barely cover them) and place on stove.  Heat to boiling, turn down to low and simmer for 3 hours or until sauce is the consistency you like.  Allow to cool to at least room temp before serving. 

 

 ENJOY!