Some women love expensive clothes, others prefer to be lavished with jewels… personally, I like carbs. I’ll agree to eat them in moderation, I’ll even eat them sans butter (occasionally), but you can bet your bippy I WILL eat them. Care to join me?
One of the Kitchen Crew’s go-to bread recipes for upping our carb karma is Honey Whole Wheat Bread from Kellie Scheele-Shulver. We love it for its utter simplicity and classic flavor…no bread machine needed! “I had made a bread before this and it fell flat,” explains Kellie. “I decided to change the recipe up and add a little more [to it]. The second time was the charm.” With hints of sweetness from brown sugar and honey, Kellie’s now-perfected bread recipe is a wonderful vehicle for your favorite sandwich fillings, and PERFECT for a late-night toast attack.
Do you have company coming and need an easy way to impress? Try Beth Hart’s 60 Minute Rolls! These delectable darlings are a snap to prepare but look like they require a good bit of effort… always the sign of a good recipe, if you ask me! “This [dough] can be made into bread or rolls, and is really only 60 minutes from the time you start mixing to the time they come out of the oven,” says Beth. We love them best in roll form, and have used them to accompany dinners and also as slider buns for party appetizers. “The only problem with these rolls is that I could eat just them for a meal–forget whatever else I cooked,” laughs Beth. “My husband’s family will not let me make anything but these for holiday get-togethers.” Prepare for a similar reaction when you make these rolls, ‘Pinchers; they are indeed crave-worthy!
Which reminds me… I could really go for a Cheddar-Bacon Buttermilk Scone right about now! We have Sarah Byrne to thank for this new addiction. Made with garlic, buttermilk, fried bacon and of course gooey cheese, these scones are like no other. “This is a great breakfast alternative to a sweet scone, and [it’s] a great grab ‘n go breakfast when running late for school, work, etc.” We have fallen in love with having these in the morning. The buttermilk adds a light richness that scones can sometimes lack. “I love using buttermilk,” says Sarah. In fact, she developed this recipe by substituting yummy buttermilk in place of cream and baking powder! Now that’s one smart cookie. Nice job, Sarah… Our breakfasts will never be the same.
And finally, for those times when your carb craving hits at the same time your sweet tooth starts acting up, I present you fantabulous Orange Cream Cheese Bread! This recipe from Jen Frederick is part bread, part pound cake. A healthy amount of cream cheese adds a decadent richness while orange juice and zest lends a citrusy sweetness. Cream cheese is the answer to a lot of what ails us, but little did I know it could also make bread so incredibly moist. This recipe really is a must-try and, fortunately, a little goes a long way so you’re not quite as tempted to eat it all in one sitting.
So who’s hungry now? I could go on and on about the smell of fresh bread, the nostalgia of baking it, the crunch of slicing into a loaf… but really I just want to raise a toast (cinnamon raisin) to today’s bakers who are keeping their traditions alive and their ovens hot. We salute you!