bread

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

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From Simply From Scratch

Filling

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 ounces cream cheese — softened
  • 1 egg

Bread

  • 2 2/3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 can pumpkin (16 ounce)
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350F degrees.

In small mixer bowl combine all filling ingredients. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1-2 minutes); set aside. In large mixer bowl combine 2-2/3 cups sugar, oil, water, pumpkin and 4 eggs. Beat at low speed, scraping often, until mixture is smooth (1-2 minutes).

Continue beating at medium speed, gradually adding all remaining bread ingredients and scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1-2 minutes). Place 1/4 (about 2 cups) pumpkin batter into bottom of each of 2 greased and floured 9 X 5 inch loaf pans**. Carefully spread 1/2 of the filling mixture over batter in each pan; top each with half of remaining pumpkin batter.

Pull knife or spatula through batter and filling to create swirl effect. Bake for 65-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely.

** I have had very good luck using 4-5 very small loaf pans instead.  It makes slicing, serving and gift-giving that much easier.  Reduce baking time to 45 minutes or so depending on the size of the loaves.

Whole Wheat Challah

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From Sarah Chisholm

  • 1 package dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 2 eggs (+ yolk for egg wash)
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbs. oil
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 4+ cups flour (I use 1/3 whole wheat flour +the rest unbleached white)
  • ½ cup raisins
  1. Dissolve yeast in warm (approx. 110 degrees) water.  Put in a pinch of sugar to proof the yeast.  Let it sit about 10 min.  If the yeasty water isn’t foamy, pitch it and start over with a fresh/new pack.
  2. Beat eggs with salt, oil and honey, then mix in yeast water.  Set aside.
  3. Put flour in large bowl (kitchenaid mixers work great for this).  Make a well in center and add liquid.  Stir until it’s almost all worked in.  Knead dough for several minutes.  You can use the dough hook on a mixer too.  You may need to add more flour.  Dough should be elastic and not too sticky.  Be careful not to add too much flour.
  4. Add raisins if you’re making for Rosh Hashanah (or if you just like raisins!!)
  5. Place dough in a large, oiled bowl covered with a clean dish cloth.  Let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours.  It should double in size.
  6. Punch dough down (kids LOVE to do this) and knead it some more.
  7. Braiding:
  • Option 1 Fancy Braiding: divide dough in half.  Set one half aside and divide the other half into 2 pieces.  One piece will be about 1/3 of the dough and the other will be about 2/3s.  Take the larger piece and divide it into 3 pieces and make ropes.  Braid the ropes and pinch the ends to seal.  Set the braid on the greased baking sheet.  Take the smaller piece and divide it into 3 pieces and make ropes.  Braid them and pinch the ends.  Place the smaller braid on top of the center of the larger one.  Repeat with second piece.  You will have 2 beautiful large challot.
  • Option 2 Braiding: divide dough into 3 even pieces.  Set 2 aside.  Divide one piece into 3 even pieces and make ropes.  Braid the ropes, pinch ends together and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Repeat with other 2 pieces.  You will have 3 braided challot.
  • Option 3 Rosh Hashanah Challah: Instead of braiding divide dough into 3 even pieces.  Set 2 aside and make a rope about a foot long.  Hold 1 end and wrap the other around it and slightly up to make a spiral round loaf.  Repeat with the other 2 pieces.  You will have 3 loaves for the high holy days.

8.  Let loaves rise in a warm spot, uncovered until doubled in size (1-2 hours).

9.  Brush with egg wash (egg yolk + 1 tsp. of water) to make it shiny and pretty.  You can add poppy or sesame seeds at this point if you like them.

10.  Bake in 375 oven for 20-25 min. depending on size.  They should be a nice golden dark brown on the outside to make sure they are cooked through.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

Note: This really is easier then it looks.  My kids LOVE to help.  They dump in the ingredients, punch down the dough and they are great at making ropes.

Note 2: Dough can rise in fridge over night if you want to start on Thursday.  It will rise MUCH slower in a cold fridge but it will be fine.

Bread Machine Challah

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Adapted from The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook by Tom Lacalamita

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
  • Egg wash:  1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon egg wash

Place ingredients in your bread machine and process on “dough” setting.

At the end of the cycle, turn machine off, and then on again for a few seconds to “punch” the air out of the dough.

Place dough on a floured surface for five minutes to rest.  At this point the dough can be divided in two for smaller loaves.

To make braided challah, divide dough into three equally sized balls.  Roll each into a “snake” shape.  Pinch the ends together and braid, pinching other ends together to finish.

To make a round challah, shape dough into one long “snake”.  Starting at one end, wrap the dough into a snail shape.  Tuck end under and pinch to secure it in place.  At this point, you can place a greased ring from a springform pan around the dough – this will keep it round, but might make it rise up in the middle.

Cover dough loosely with a light cloth and let rise for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350.  Brush on egg wash and bake 25 minutes for one large loaf, 18-20 minutes for two small loaves, until bread looks golden and sounds hollow when thumped with two fingers.

Banana Bran Bread

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  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups bran
  • 3 cups mashed bananas
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 3 cups flour
  • 4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and beat until light.  Stir in bran.  Mix bananas with orange juice.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients alternately with bananas to creamed mixture, beating after each addition.  Fold in raisins.  Pour into greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Makes 2 loaves.