Farmgirl Susan's Beyond Easy Dill & Cheddar Beer Bread Recipe

I had a Tastefully Simple party in the beginning of December. I recieved many items due to a successful party order. I made sure I got some Beer Bread mix. It's very good especially with a garlicy-dip. It would be quiet costly to reorder. Last year while dinking around other blogs I came across the wonderful Farmgirl Fare. Below, I am posting her very easy beer bread recipe with variations. Nothing better than yummy homemade bread...mmmmmmmmm...


Makes One Loaf

The optional egg glaze gives the top a beautiful, dark golden color. As always, I encourage you to use locally produced and/or organic ingredients whenever possible.

Basic Beer Bread Mix:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 ounces beer

Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, dill, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan, brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Flavor Variations (also see the comments section at the end of this post for lots more beer bread flavor inspiration):

Garlic & Herb: Add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix. For fresh herbs, use 1 chopped Tablespoon of each.

Dill & Chive: Add 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill) and 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives to the basic mix.

Rosemary & Feta (courtesy of my bread baking pal, Beth): Add 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces) to the basic mix.

Italian: Add 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano (or 1 Tablespoon each chopped fresh basil and oregano), 2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or romano cheese to the basic mix.

Other Additions: Any dried or fresh herbs; 1/2 cup freshly grated asiago (or other hard cheese); 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped scallions; 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or 1/2 cup oats in place of 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. Or practically anything else you can think of--just use your imagination.

A nice afternoon is:

A scone and cup of coffee


Recipe:

2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk (I mixed a cup of milk and a tbs lemon juice, let it sit 10 minutes or more...use only 2/3 cup though)

Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon milk


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Stack two baking sheets together and line the top baking sheet with parchment paper. (This prevents the bottoms of the scones from over browning during baking.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool off a tad. Best served warm with a good jam.

Makes 6 scones.


For coffee, use good filtered water if you have chlorinated water and three nice heaping size scoops of coffee for a 10-12 cup pot. Fresh coffee is best.
Add a litle conversation with hubby or a friend and this makes a nice afternoon. :-)

Some of my Christmas Cookie List

All recipes here unless noted are from The Joy Of Baking (my all-time favorite web site!)

Chocolate Truffles Recipe

You will need a good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate. Once you have decided on your chocolate, you then need to decide on your choice of alcohol to flavor your truffles (optional, but recommended) and also the coating. The choice is yours but there are a few things to consider. For example, if you want a hazelnut flavored truffle it is a good idea to add Frangelico to the chocolate and cream mixture and then coat them in chopped hazelnuts. Or if you would like your truffles to have a coffee flavor stir about one tablespoon of espresso
powder into the hot cream and then add Kahua or Tia Maria to the truffle mixture. (My choice) For fruit flavored truffles use 2 tablespoons of fruit puree or jam (raspberry or blackberry) in place of the alcohol. Orange flavored truffles can be made by adding about 1 tablespoon of orange zest to the hot cream. Let the cream steep for about 10 - 15 minutes and then strain out the zest. Then add Grand Marnier to the truffle mixture. As you can see there are endless variations to the basic truffle so experiment and come up with your own recipes. Truffles store very well. They can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or frozen for several months. Truffles are best when served at room temperature.

For Chocolate Truffles: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the truffle mixture is firm (this will take several hours or overnight).
Place your coatings for the truffles on a plate. Remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator. With your hands, or else a melon baller or small spoon form the chocolate into round or mis-shaped bite-sized balls. Immediately roll the truffle in the coating and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or tray. Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm. Truffles can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or else frozen for a couple of months.
To Toast Nuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and bake nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds) about 8 - 10 minutes or until brown and fragrant. For hazelnuts toast about 15 minutes or until the skins start to blister. Remove from oven and roll in a clean dish towel. Let the nuts 'steam' for about 5 minutes and then remove the skins. Once the nuts have cooled, chop coarsely.
Makes 30 small truffles.


Truffles:
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons alcohol (Cognac, brandy, Grand Marnier, kirsch, rum, bourbon, or Kahlua to name a few) (optional)
Coatings for Truffles:
Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder, sifted (I use)
Confectioners Sugar (Icing or Powdered), sifted
Toasted and Chopped Nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts)
Shaved Chocolate

Nunavut Cakes Recipe (Russian Tea Cakes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Toast Nuts: Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly brown and fragrant. Cool. Once the nuts have cooled completely place them, along with 2 tablespoons (25 grams) of the flour from the recipe, into your food processor, fitted with a metal blade, and process until they are finely ground (but not a paste). Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the remaining flour and salt and beat until combined. Stir in the nuts. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour or until firm.
Form the dough into 1 inch (2.54 cm) balls and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake about 12 - 15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, line another baking pan or tray with parchment or wax paper. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar on the bottom of the pan and then place the slightly cooled cookies on top of the sugar. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a fine strainer or sieve and then sprinkle the tops of the cookies (or you can just roll the cookies in the sugar).

2/3 cup (65 grams) toasted nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts)
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (30 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar
1 teaspoon (2 grams) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping:
1 cup (110 grams) powdered (icing or confectioners) sugar, sifted

Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs

I use some help from Betty Crocker on these and I double this recipe:

1 pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 egg

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:
1 large egg white
1 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups (165 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

~OR~

Confectioners Frosting:
2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted
1/2 cup (57 grams) butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk

I use a painter's palette for some of the icing to mix different food colors in. I like to get elaborite on this step of the cookie. We use a variety of animal cutouts (Moose, Bear, Loon, Squirel) and also trees and stars. Get creative and have fun! The recipe is so good and easy.

Gingerbread Men:

Gingerbread Men:
3 cups (420 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses
Note: To prevent the molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray (like Pam).

Confectioners Frosting:
2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons milk or light cream
Assorted food colors (if desired

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.
Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer.
Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
If desired, you can press raisins, currants, or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm. Otherwise, confectioners frosting can be used to decorate the cookies. You can also use the icing as a glue to attach candies, raisins, and sprinkles.

Confectioners Frosting: In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk if too dry. Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired.
Tint portions of frosting with desired food color (like I mentioned in the sugar cookies section.).
Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of your cookie cutter used.

I'll add more recipes as we bake along. Leave me a comment if you tried any of these, or have variations that you like to use. I'd love other ideas!

A Really Yummy Banana Bread

Stir together:
1&1/2 cups flour
1&1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt
Now stir together in a large bowl:
2 egg whites, slighlty beaten
1 cup mashed banana
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
Add the flour mix to the large bowl of wet ingredients and mix just until moistened. Spray a bread pan with some non-stick spray coating. Pour batter in pan and bake in a 350* oven 45-50 minutes. I always test with a toothpick; insert it in the middle and if it comes out clean, it's done. This is a very good and moist recipe. You will like it if you try it.
125 cal a slice, 2g protein, 22 g carbs, 4 g fat, omg cholesterol, 81 mg sodium, 73 mg potassium
I had a handful of crushed pecans that I threw in so that will add some more calories, fat, and protein to the nutrition info but I am unsure of the numbers as I did not measure.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake by Paula Deen

Ingredients

Cake:

1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Variations: For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

Pumpkin Scones

Taken from the awesome blog, Morning Coffee, Afternoon Tea and Chocolate Inbetween

Pumpkin Scones

2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pumpkin (if canned, be sure there are no spices or sugar added)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and cut into flour. Mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together (don't overmix).

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 3-4 times, and then shape/pat dough into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Slice in half, and then cut each half into 3 equal pie-shaped wedges. Brush with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk), and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar.

Bake on a cookie sheet for @ 375° for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 6 scones.

Optional: Add white chocolate chips and/or chopped pecans.

Pumpkin Spice Butter
1/4 cup (half a stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
Combine all and mix till creamy.

Enjoy!

October 19, 2005 in Recipes Permalink

Scones

From the Joy of Baking...
Here are two ways to pronounce scone; "Skon" and "Skoan". Scones are believed to have originated in Scotland and are closely related to the griddle baked flatbread, known as bannock. They were first made with oats, shaped into a large round, scored into four to six triangles, and cooked on a griddle either over an open fire or on top of the stove.

This small cake is a quick bread, similar to an American biscuit, made of wheat flour (white or wholemeal), sugar, baking powder/baking soda, butter, milk (whole, half and half, light cream, heavy cream, buttermilk, yogurt, etc.), and sometimes eggs. This produces a soft and sticky dough that has the ratio one part liquid to three parts wheat flour. It needs to be baked in a moderate to hot oven so the dough sets quickly thereby producing a light scone with a light to golden brown floury top and bottom with white sides. The texture of the interior of the scone should be light and soft, and white in color.

The correct mixing of the ingredients is crucial in producing an excellent scone. Although you can use an electric mixer I prefer to mix the dough by hand using either a pastry blender, two knives or just your fingertips. Mixing by hand helps to prevent over mixing of the dough. To begin, the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder/baking soda, and salt) are whisked together in a large bowl. Next the butter is cut into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs. It is important that the butter be cold so when it is worked into the flour mixture it becomes small, flour- coated crumbs, not a smooth dough. This method is similar to how a pie dough is made and gives the scone a wonderful delicate and flaky texture. This is the point where any dried or fresh fruit, nuts, zests, and other flavorings you may be using are added. The wet ingredients are then mixed together separately and then added to the flour mixture. Only mix the dough until it comes together. I cannot stress enough that this dough should not be overworked and that a light hand is needed. The test will be in the results. If you end up with a hard and doughy scone, you will know to mix the dough less the next time you make them.

When the dough is mixed, gather it up in your hands and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times to make it a cohesive mass and then roll or pat it into a 7 inch (18 cm) round that is about 1 inch (2.54 cm) high. You can cut the scone dough into 6 to 8 triangles or else use a lightly floured cookie cutter and cut into rounds. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush with an egg wash, if desired. Using an egg wash gives the scone a nice appearance and helps with browning. Scones that are placed close together, that is almost touching, will have soft sides and their crusts will be less crispy. If you place them further apart the scones will be crusty all over. The scones are done when they are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the scone comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. If you want crusty scones, cool them uncovered. If a softer crust is desired, then wrap the hot scones in a clean dish towel. Scones are best served warm.

Plain scones are traditionally served warm, split open, and topped with butter, jam or preserves, clotted cream, and/or lemon curd. However, many of the scone recipes today that are flavored with fruits, spices, nuts, zests are best eaten plain.

Note: Can use light cream, half-and-half or milk instead of heavy whipping cream for a lighter scone.

Note: If you find the bottoms of the scones are browning too much during baking, use two sheets pans (place one pan inside another).

Note: Using buttermilk, instead of heavy cream, makes a lighter, more bread-like scone. They are baked at a higher than normal oven temperature which gives them a darker, crispier crust. Buttermilk has a nice thick creamy texture with a rich tangy buttery taste that makes baked goods tender.
If you do not have any on hand and can't run to the store, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let stand 5 to 10minutes before using.