How to Make Italian Bread

“I feast on wine and bread and feasts they are”,
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer.
The Italians were definitely fond of bread, a range that comprises over fifty types of bread speaks for itself. The bread holds an important place in the Italian cuisine, and almost no religious festival or ceremony is complete without a loaf. Although it is the pasta that is most associated with Italian food, bread is an equally important part of the diet. One of the primary reason as to why there are so many types of breads can be attributed to the variation each region added to it. Now that we know a little history about this country’s bread, let’s look into the process of making it.Making Italian Bread from Scratch
Italian bread unlike other breads is a crusty yeast loaf prepared from dough made using water and is usually shorter and/or wider than other loaves, or at times it may be round or oval in shape. Before we try a couple of shapes, let’s get the dough right, for it is integral to the fine art of baking bread.Recipe for DoughIngredients:
Active dry yeast, packet
All-purpose flour, 4 cups
Salt, 1 tsp
Sugar, ½ tsp
Cooking oil, 1 tbsp
Cornmeal, ¼ tsp
Water, 1¼ cup
Dissolve yeast in a quarter cup of water. The water should be lukewarm to ensure proper activation of yeast. Once the yeast begins to bubble, mix it in with the rest of the lukewarm water. In a large bowl, shift flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt together. Add in the yeast dissolved water, mix it thoroughly with the flour, and then pour the oil. Once you add the oil, turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead. Knead dough by stretching, folding it back and forth a couple of times, until the dough feels and looks smooth. Well kneaded dough results in a more aerated bread. In a bowl large enough to accommodate the whole dough, add a few drops of oil, and turn the dough in it a couple of times to coat it well from all sides. Cover the dough with plastic wrapped tight enough to press it up against the dough. Rest the dough in a warm place for two to three hours, until the dough has doubled in size. With this the dough is ready to be rolled out and baked in the shapes and sizes you want.Recipe for Loaves
Use the dough from the above recipe. Knead it once more before using, it, punch it down a couple of times. Roll the dough out into a loaf shape and cut it in half length wise. Take one cut dough piece, and roll it out in an elongated shape, don’t make them too thin or too thick. Lay them all in a plate, careful not to overlap, and cover the whole plate with plastic and allow it to rise for another hour until shaped dough doubles in size. Remove the wrap and with one sharp cut, of about a quarter inch deep make a incision length wise. Bake loaves in batches at 425° F for 10-15 minutes, after which turn down the heat to 400° F and bake until done. The baked bread should sound hollow when thumped upon with a finger.
Experiment with more shapes and different types of flour and some cheese, perhaps, to add that extra flavor to your homemade Italian bread.

How to Make Italian Bread

Homemade Banana Bread

Homemade banana bread is a wholesome bread and the smell of baking it at home is soothing to any soul. In this article, I will give you some basic banana bread recipes. I say basic, as there are myriad things which you can add to the bread. It can be nuts, raisins, etc. First things come first. A lot of people ask about nutrition facts of this bread, hence we will see them first, before we turn towards the recipes. There are 110 to 128 calories per slice with 0.2 g fats and 2.4 g proteins.Making Banana Bread at HomeRecipe # 1
This is the traditional method of making banana bread. This banana bread recipe is not lengthy and can easily be made at home without expertise. I will not say this the healthiest bread, but yes, it is better than the bread we buy at the supermarket or at the bakers. This recipe does not use yeast, which is the highlight of the easy banana bread recipe.IngredientsWhite Sugar 1½ cup
Butter (softened) ½ cup
Ripe Bananas (mashed) 3
Eggs 2
All-Purpose Flour 2 cups
Baking Soda ½ teaspoon
Sour Milk 1/3 cup
Salt ¼ teaspoon
Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
MethodPreheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, while you lightly grease a loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, mashed bananas, eggs, flour, baking soda, milk, salt and vanilla extract and beat well.
The batter should be soft without any lumps in it.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake it for about 60 minutes in the preheated oven.
To know if the bread is well cooked insert a toothpick at the center of the bread, if it comes out clean, understand the bread is ready.
Recipe # 2
This recipe is an almost fat free recipe, which makes use of sugar free sweetener as well as whole wheat flour. I came across this recipe relatively recently, but have taken to it and it has become my favorite banana bread recipe, as it makes whole wheat banana bread.IngredientsWhole Wheat Flour 1½ cups
Sugar Free Sweetener ¾ cup
Baking Powder 1 tablespoon
Salt ¾ teaspoon
Ripe Bananas 3
Skim Milk ½ cup
Eggs 2
Egg White 1
Vanilla 1 teaspoon
MethodSift whole wheat flour, sweetener, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
Mash the ripe bananas.
To the mashed bananas, add milk, eggs, egg white and vanilla and mix all the ingredients well.
Now add all the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, to make a smooth dough.
Grease a loaf pan with non stick spray and pour the batter into the pan.
Place the loaf pan in a preheated oven at 400 degrees and bake for roughly 25 to 30 minutes.
To know whether the bread is cooked right, insert a toothpick at the center of the bread, if it comes out clean, understand that the bread is ready.
A tip about slicing the bread is to slice the loaf only after the bread has cooled down completely. A common question often asked is how long does homemade banana bread last, as it invariably happens that we make much more than the required quantity. This homemade bread can be wrapped in a wax paper or plastic wrap and covered in a foil, and placed in the freezer. Whenever you want to eat it, remove from the freezer, thaw it and it will taste the same. I have done this a number of times and my bread has stayed good. However, this bread is so yummy that the question of storage might not even arise.

Homemade Banana Bread

Eggless Banana Bread

Most of the baking recipes we come across have eggs as an ingredient, which makes these recipes useless for vegetarians or vegans. However, baking eggless banana bread should not prove to be a problem. There are many methods that can be implemented to replace the eggs in the recipe. The different ingredients which you use, can have the ability to alter the taste, texture, etc. It is important to remember simply eliminating the eggs from the recipe is not the best option. Hence, it necessary we understand the use of eggs in baking. Eggs act as binding agent, and give the breads, cakes or muffins a fluffy texture. Hence, the egg substitute you use should provide the similar qualities. We will now see some recipes.Eggless Banana Bread Recipes
The ingredients used to make eggless bread include applesauce with baking powder, soy yogurt with baking powder, fruit purees, vegetable oil, etc. as egg substitutes.Recipe # 1
This is the best recipe to make banana bread without eggs according to me, as it makes very moist and delicious banana bread, which is great to be had for breakfast or in the lunchbox. Here is the recipe to make whole wheat banana bread.IngredientsOver-ripe Bananas 5
Sugar 1 cup
Vanilla 1 teaspoon
Whole Wheat Flour 2 cups
Baking Powder 1 teaspoon
Baking Soda ½ teaspoon
Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
Water ¼ cup
MethodIn a mixing bowl, mash bananas with sugar and vanilla and mix till all the ingredients are well combined and creamy.
Then add water to the mixture and mix well again.
In another bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon together.
Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just mixed. Do not over mix, as the bread can then become very dry.
Now pour the batter into a loaf pan, which is sprayed with cooking spray.
Place the loaf pan in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and let it bake for an hour.
Recipe # 2
This banana bread recipe makes use of yogurt. It is another of my favorite recipes.IngredientsSugar 1 cup
Over- ripe Bananas 3
Melted Unsalted Butter 4 tablespoons
Yogurt 2 tablespoons
All-Purpose Flour 1½ cups
Salt ¼ teaspoon
Baking Soda 1 teaspoon
Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
Milk ¼ cup
Chopped Walnuts ½ cup
MethodPreheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, while you prepare the bread batter.
Mash bananas in a bowl and add sugar and yogurt to the bananas and mix well.
Add butter, salt and flour to the banana mixture and whisk it.
Now is the time to add baking soda, milk and vanilla extract to the mixture.
Once you have mixed everything well, add chopped walnuts to the batter and mix well.
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out dry.
Recipe # 3
This is a different recipe, which is quick to make and does not require elaborate planning.IngredientsSugar 2¼ cups
Oil 1½ cups
Ripe Bananas 3 cups
Lemon Juice 3 tablespoons
Flour 5½ cups
Baking Soda 3 teaspoons
Salt 1½ teaspoons
Mixed Nuts (finely chopped) 1 cup
Cinnamon and Sugar mixture 1 tablespoon
MethodCombine sugar, oil, lemon juice and mashed bananas in a mixing bowl.
Add flour, salt and soda to the banana mixture and mix well.
Add chopped nuts, mix well and pour the batter in greased bread pans.
Place the bread pans in an oven preheated at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an hour.
In the last 10 minutes before the bread is ready, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on loaf top.
We have just seen some of the recipes, however, if you have a question about what are the other additions you can make to the list of ingredients, the answer is dried fruits, diced apples, diced peaches, spice blends of apple or pumpkin pie, sunflower seeds, etc. Happy Baking!

Eggless Banana Bread

Sugar Bread Recipe

Sugar bread is one of the earliest and easiest forms of bread made from wheat. In the earlier days, it was made by the peasants to fulfill their hunger since they had nothing but flour and sometimes sugar. It was considered a special dish for special occasions and kids loved to have it plain and simple. Today, sugar bread is made in every part of the world and is served in hotels with their own versions of the dish. There are many versions of this authentic sugar bread recipe with additions of other spices to make it tastier. These spices add not only a different taste to the bread but also the aroma which is the best aftertaste. Sugar bread can be accompanied with butter, cheese, jams and any other spicy bland dishes you would like to have it with. Since it is slightly sweet in taste, it gives a unique combination with spicy gravy. Given below are a few recipes which are easy to cook and delicious to taste.Recipes to Make Delicious Bread
You can make sweet or sugar bread with any combination of spices or simply with sugar. The following recipes are a mixture of recipes compiled from all over the world and are the best and the easiest to make at home. The ingredients too are readily available and if you feel like adding any spices of your choice, you are free to do so, thus take a look.Frisian Bread
Frisian is a place in Netherlands and is very famous for its “Sukerbolle”, which means sugar bread. It has a slight taste of cinnamon but if you don’t want to add it, it’s your choice.Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
155 ml milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons ginger syrup
6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pearl sugar
Directions
To start with this delicious one of a kind sugar-cinnamon bread, mix all the ingredients except the ground cinnamon and the pearl sugar until it is evenly incorporated. Then knead this dough for about 8 to 10 minutes till it is soft and uniform. Keep this dough at room temperature for about two hours for the yeast to ferment to let the dough rise. After two hours, divide the dough in two halves and rest it for 15 minutes. Then stretch it to a rectangle and keep the pearl sugar and ground cinnamon on top of each part. Then roll these rectangular loaves about 8 inches long. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease the baking dish with melted butter. After rising the dough becomes almost double its original size, thus you will know when to bake it. Now bake it in the oven for 30 minutes and once done, cool it for another 30 minutes. Cut the freshly baked bread in pieces and serve.Moravian Bread
This bread is made specially by the Moravian people and is a very famous recipe. It has a topping to be made with it so you don’t need to eat it plain.Ingredients
1 tablespoon dry yeast
½ cup warm water
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup melted butter
2 eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup mashed potato
Topping
1½ cup light brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Nutmeg
Butter
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Heat the water and the butter separately and gradually mix them with the ingredients added to the bowl. Beat it gently with a beater so that there are no lumps and then add the eggs and the potato. Make it into a soft dough ball and then gently knead it with your hands to bring the softness for about 10 minutes. Place it on the greased baking dish and cover it till it rises for about 2 hours. Till then prepare the topping by mixing all the ingredients together and blending it well. After 2 hours, bake the bread in a preheated oven to about 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. When it rises, let it cool and then top it with the topping and serve in pieces.Sweet Potato Bread
This is a quick recipe with pecans and sweet potato which can be eaten without any dishes just for breakfast or as a snack.Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup chopped raisins
2 large eggs
½ cup applesauce
4 tablespoons milk
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease the baking dish with butter. Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl along with milk and water till they are blended well. Then knead this dough for about 10 minutes till it is tender and soft. Stand it for half and hour and let the dough rise a bit. After half an hour, bake this dough in the oven for 30 minutes and then let it cool. The bread comes out brown with all the tastes blended in and is rich with the applesauce and pecans. Serve it simply in a serving dish and enjoy this yummy experience.
With those lovely recipes, I am sure you’re waiting to start pulling out those ingredients and setting up the oven. You can try some ingredients yourselves and make new sugar bread recipes, so have fun!

Sugar Bread Recipe

Amish Friendship Bread Recipes

So, what is Amish friendship bread? Well, it is a basically an instant bread made from a starter dough. Amish friendship bread starter is used as a substitute for bread yeast. This starter dough can be stored in refrigerator and used whenever required. You can make breads of various flavors from this starter dough. This bread got the name “friendship bread”, because the starter can be passed from one friend to another to prepare the Amish friendship bread. This bread has no connection with Amish people and the origin of the name and the recipe is yet unknown. Scroll down for some easy Amish friendship bread recipes.Recipes for Amish Friendship BreadAmish Friendship Bread StarterIngredients
Active dry yeast – 1 package (.25 ounce)
Warm water – ¼ cup
All-purpose flour – 3 cups
White sugar – 3 cups
Milk – 3 cups
Procedure
This is one of the simple Amish friendship bread starter recipes. Take a small bowl, add water and dissolve yeast in it. Leave the dissolved mixture for 10 minutes. Take a glass container and combine one cup of all-purpose flour and one cup sugar. Mix them properly and then add one cup of milk and dissolved yeast. Then, cover the container loosely and keep it aside. Next day, take a wooden spoon and stir the starter. Continue doing this until day 5. On day 5, add one cup milk, one cup sugar and one cup flour to the starter and combine them properly. Then stir the starter from day 6 to day 9. Then, on day 10 combine one cup milk, one cup sugar and one cup flour. On the 10th day the Amish friendship bread starter is ready. You can use this starter to make your first bread. Store the remaining starter in the refrigerator.Amish Friendship Bread PancakesIngredients
Buttermilk pancake mix – 2 cups
Water – 1½ cups
Amish friendship bread starter – 1 cup
Procedure
Take a large mixing bowl and add the pancake mix to it. Then, add water and Amish friendship bread starter to the bowl and stir the mixture properly. Take a frying pan and grease it with cooking spray or butter. Then place it over medium heat and transfer the pancake batter to it. You will require ¼ cup of batter to make one pancake.Amish Friendship Chocolate BreadIngredients
All-purpose flour – 2 cups
White sugar – 1 cup
Baking powder – 1½ teaspoons
Baking soda – ½ teaspoon
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Instant chocolate pudding mix – 1 (5.9 ounce) package
Amish Friendship Bread Starter – 1 cup
Vegetable oil – 1 cup
Milk – ½ cup
Eggs – 3
Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
Procedure
To prepare this Amish friendship bread recipe, preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Take 9 by 5 inches loaf pans and grease them with cooking spray. Then, take a large bowl and combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, chocolate pudding and baking soda in it. Mix the ingredients properly and make a small well in the middle of the mixture. Add the Amish friendship bread starter, eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil in the well and mix the ingredients. Now, transfer the batter into loaf pan and bake the bread in preheated oven for 60 minutes.
Before passing on the starter dough to your friend, make sure you explain the Amish friendship bread instructions properly. While preparing the Amish friendship bread recipes, never use metal utensils and always go for plastic or wooden utensils. So, make the Amish friendship bread starter and share it with your near and dear ones. Happy Cooking!

Amish Friendship Bread Recipes

Ezekiel Bread Recipe

Ezekiel bread is generally prepared without adding flour as the main ingredient. This bread is also called sprouted grain bread, because a mix of grains, seeds, and beans are sprouted and used as the base of the recipe. You will find that the bread also has rye, barley, lentils, kidney and pinto beans, and other kinds of grains in it. The grains and beans are not cooked while they are added to the recipe. Due to this, it is absolutely essential to let them sprout completely, before using them to make the bread. Plus, sprouted grains can provide additional nutritional contents, as compared to using flour to make the bread. In this article, we have provided some healthy Ezekiel bread recipes that are really easy to make.Simple RecipeIngredients
4 cups white wheat
2 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey
¼ cup kamut
¼ cup spelt
¼ cup pinto, pink and small white beans, mixed
â…› cup lentils
â…› cup millet
Procedure
According to the amount of ingredientsused in this recipe, we will have about 2½ pounds loaves of bread. If you want, you can cut the ingredients in half to make 1 loaf of bread. To begin, take a bowl to mix all the ingredients properly. Make 3 equal parts, where all parts will be poured in individual jars. Fill those jars with water and let the ingredients soak itself for about 24 hours. Place a cheesecloth cover on all the jars and attach a elastic band to secure. After 24 hours, drain the water from each jar and rinse the grains properly with clean water. Again drain the water out completely. Let the beans stay in for another 24 hours with the cheesecloth placed as a cover. The beans will soon start to have tiny shoots coming out. Once you see the shoots, this means the beans are ready to grind. Drain any excess water out of all the jars and place the beans in the blender. Grind the mixture to get a heavy dough, which will be ready to be made into the bread loaf. Preheat the oven at 350ºF. Add honey and salt in the dough and knead it for about 10 minutes. Spread the dough on greased pans and place in the oven to bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. Once the bread is ready, let it cool down a bit and then cut into equal slices.Layered BreadIngredients
10 black olives
8 oz. cream cheese
4 tablespoons chives, chopped
2½ tablespoons margarine
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chervil, chopped
1½ tablespoon butter
1 small onion
1 lb. sprouted-wheat bread
1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup Swiss cheese, grated
â…› teaspoon black pepper
â…› teaspoon curry powder
â…› teaspoon saffron
â…› teaspoon white pepper
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Procedure
Once you have made the bread, following the recipe mentioned above, you can eat it in different manners. In this recipe, what we have done is prepared a delicious mixture which can be used to layer the bread. First, you will take a bowl to mix the butter, margarine, 4 oz. cream cheese, salt, and black pepper together. Add the chervil and 2 tablespoons of chives as well. Mix everything completely and place them in 2 separate parts. Chop the onion and olives. In one bowl, combine the chopped onion, olives, tomato paste, 2 oz. cream cheese and paprika together. In the second bowl, combine Swiss cheese, curry powder and saffron properly. Mash the avocado in a bowl and add lemon juice, white pepper, Tabasco, 2 tablespoons chives and 2 oz. cream cheese in it. Cut the 1 lb. bread into 4 equal slices and place them in front of you. Spread the tomato cheese mix on the bottom slice, place second slice of bread and spread the curry cheese mix on it, place third slice of bread and spread the avocado cheese mix on it and top the fourth slice of bread. Cut the bread diagonally and serve the bread.
Always use fresh ingredients while making the Ezekiel bread as you can easily do so at home. This practice will not only give you the best tasting bread, but also provide all the nutritional benefits of the flourless bread.

Ezekiel Bread Recipe

Ezekiel Bread Ingredients

So, what exactly is “Ezekiel bread”? Ezekiel is a priest mentioned in the Bible, who preached for almost 22 years sometime in the 6th century B.C. And Ezekiel bread, also referred as “Bible bread”, is a typical bread that was consumed by Ezekiel during his wilderness. This bread is mentioned in Ezekiel 4: 9, of the Bible, which goes like this, “Take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it”. It is said that, because of the typical ingredients of this bread, Ezekiel could survive in the wilderness. Wheat, barley, lentils and different types of beans are some of the main ingredients of Ezekiel bread. Before taking a look at the recipe, let us know what are the ingredients used to make this bread.
Sprouted wheat
Filtered water
Sprouted barley
Sprouted millet
Malted barley
Sprouted lentils
Sprouted soybeans
Sprouted spelt
Fresh yeast
Wheat gluten
Sea salt
Ezekiel Bread RecipeIngredients
Active dry yeast – 2 packages (.25 ounce)
Barley – ½ cup
Dry green lentils – ¼ cup
Dry great Northern beans – 2 tablespoons
Dry kidney beans – 2 tablespoons
Dried Pinto beans – 2 tablespoons
Millet – ½ cup
Honey – 1 cup
Olive oil – ½ cup
Warm water – 4 cups
Spelt flour – 1½ cups
Wheat berries – 2½ cups
Salt – 2 tablespoons
Take a large mixing bowl and combine, yeast, water, olive oil and honey, in it. Leave the mixture for about 5 minutes. Then, combine all the beans and grains and mix them together. Grind this mixture with help of a flour mill. Add this freshly ground flour into the mixture of yeast and other ingredients. Mix them together for about 10 minutes to attain a texture of bread batter. Now, take two, 9 x 5 inch, loaf pans and grease them with cooking spray. Pour the dough into these greased pans and keep them in a warm place for about an hour. Then preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and bake the breads for about 50 minutes. Your Ezekiel bread is ready!Nutritional Information
When it comes to Ezekiel bread nutrition facts, this bread is considered as a very healthy bread. It is said that the combination of all the ingredients provides proteins that are present in milk and eggs. It is observed that the proteins obtained from the plant sources contain almost the double amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, than obtained from the protein from meat and other animal products. The calories in one slice of Ezekiel bread are very less and hence this bread can be consumed by weight watchers. Researches state that one slice of Ezekiel bread contains 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of proteins. Since the bread is not made from refined flour, it contains very less amount of carbohydrates. Moreover, it does not contain cholesterol, sugar and saturated fats. It has very low glycemic index and hence, people suffering from diabetes can enjoy eating this bread with worrying about its health risks.
Though there are not many brands that manufacture Ezekiel bread, Ezekiel bread 4:9, is very popular among bread lovers. The reviews of this brand, state that this bread is a very good quality bread and is packed with several health benefits. This was a brief information on Ezekiel bread ingredients and its nutrition. Now, when you know how to make Ezekiel bread, prepare this healthy Bible bread and have it for your meals. Happy Living!

Ezekiel Bread Ingredients