German Bread Recipes

In Germany, bread is an integral part of special cuisines. For many Germans, bread and butter are favorite breakfast and evening snacks. The Germans use different ingredients and follow a specific method of baking to prepare a bread. Unlike the usual bread made from wheat flour and yeast, German bread is based on the use of rye. A traditional way of baking German rye bread is to allow the rye dough to settle for about a week. The dough then turns slightly sour in taste due to the bacterial action. Besides this, there are many other varieties of German bread, which can be prepared by adding different flavors of your choice. Following are some easy-to-cook German bread recipes.German Rye BreadIngredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups water
â…“ cup molasses
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt as per taste
Cooking oil
3½ cups rye flourProcedure
First of all, combine together all-purpose flour, cocoa powder and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Warm 2 cups water in a saucepan and add molasses, butter, sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons oil. Gently add this mixture to the dry mixture and beat in an electric mixer for about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture, add rye flour and knead well to make a smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to stand for about 25-30 minutes.
You can divide the dough into two parts and make round loaves. Transfer the loaves on greased baking sheets and brush lightly with cooking oil. Then cover and leave for about an hour. Finally, bake them at 400º F for about 25-30 minutes. Remove the baked bread loaves from the oven, cool down and serve.German Beer BreadIngredients
3 cups self rising flour
12 ounces beer
½ cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons cheese
1 pinch saltProcedure
In a mixing bowl, combine the following ingredients – flour, beer, sugar, cheese and salt. Pour the mixture into the electric mixer and beat for about 5 minutes. Transfer it into a greased medium-sized loaf pan and bake at 375º F for about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, add butter to the top and bake for another 10 minutes. You can remove it when the bread turns brown. Serve it warm.German Potato BreadIngredients
400 gram potato (peeled and grated finely)
400 gram all-purpose flour
1 packet dry, active yeast
1 egg
1 teaspoon saltProcedure
In a saucepan, boil the grated potato. Combine together flour with yeast powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Once potato is soften, add it to the flour mixture. Stir in the egg and knead the mixture thoroughly. Cover the bowl and keep for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250º F. Prepare a round loaf of potato flour dough with a uniform thickness. Transfer it on the baking sheet. Brush the loaf lightly with cooking oil for better cooking. Then bake the potato loaf for about 25-30 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 200º F and bake the dough for another 30 minutes. Check whether the bread is baked well or not. Remove the potato bread from the oven and serve warm.
So enjoy these recipes to the hilt and try out your own versions by experimenting with the ingredients!

German Bread Recipes

All-purpose Flour Vs. Bread Flour

Flour refers to any powder form, produced by grinding cereal grains or roots. We have been using flour since time immemorial. In fact, it is used as a staple food in many regions of the world. Nutrition wise, flour is enriched with high amounts of natural starches and gluten (wheat protein). Food items made from flour include bread, pastries, cakes and other bakery products. Depending upon the source, there are various types of flour such as wheat flour (atta flour), amaranth flour, buckwheat flour, brown rice flour and corn flour.
Wheat flour is the most versatile flour type, which is used in a wide range of products. The bakery products of European and American countries are primarily based on wheat flour. According to the variety of wheat or part of the grain used for producing flour, there are several subtypes like all-purpose flour, bread flour and cake flour. Let’s take a look at the distinctions and benefits of an all-purpose flour vs. bread flour.Difference Between All-purpose Flour and Bread Flour
Both, all-purpose flour and bread flour are sub-types of wheat flour. The difference lies in the source material, production and nutritional value. Accordingly, the usage of both types of flour varies. The following showcases a brief information for better understanding of the difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour.Production
All-purpose flour is a blended product, made by grinding a combination of low and high gluten wheat varieties. On the other hand, bread flour is produced from hard wheat type, which is basically the hard spring crop. At times, other grains like rye and barley are added in producing bread flour.Nutritional Value
Also known as plain flour, all-purpose flour is a low protein flour, whereas bread flour contains high amounts of gluten. One of the all-purpose flour nutrition facts is that the gluten content is not more than 12 percent. Some brands of all-purpose flour contain only 9 percent gluten, while in case of bread flour, the gluten content can be more 13 percent.Versatility
All-purpose flour is used in household baking recipes like crusty breads, rolls and pizza dough, whereas bread flour is the ideal choice for all yeast bread baking and pizza crust recipes. After baking, recipes prepared by using bread flour retains the desired shape and texture, which is not so in case of all-purpose flour. Price
As stated earlier, the gluten content in all-purpose flour is low (9-12 percent) in comparison to that of bread flour (13-14 percent). So, it is obvious that all-purpose flour is less expensive than bread flour.
This was all about all-purpose flour vs. bread flour. Based on the purpose of using, each of these flour types is equally valuable in baking bakery products. In some cake recipes, using bread flour will produce a tough and dissatisfying product. Or else, substitute bread flour with all-purpose flour and you may not get a good result. Thus, apply your culinary skill and use these types of flour correctly in different recipes to get spectacular and delicious products.

All-purpose Flour Vs. Bread Flour

Bread Ingredients

Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins…..
This is a line form Our Lord’s Prayer that we all are familiar with. It is a prayer that has been passed down to us by our forefathers. But when was this prayer written, and by whom? No one can tell us that but what we know for sure is that it is being recited since times immemorial. It is believed that bread is the oldest food that man developed. Probably they just crushed wheat grains with stones, mixed it water and baked it in fire to make the first types of bread. However, over time, bread ingredients increased from just flour, yeast, water and salt to dried fruits, jams and spices. Today the ingredients list includes a lot more other stuff that are added to modify the flavor, nutrition or texture.Basic Ingredients in Bread
Here are the four basic ingredients that a baker uses to make bread:Flour: Flour is the primary ingredient of any bread recipe. It is the bread that we see! Flour contains gluten, a protein that provides for the elasticity and the basic structure of bread. As the mixture (containing all the basic bread ingredients) is heated, the starch in bread sets and adds to the structure. Wheat flour can be made from whole wheat or it can be made only from the endosperm, without the bran and germ. Although this allows the bread to rise higher, keep longer and give it a lighter texture, bread made from flour that does not have the germ or bran has lesser nutrients and fiber. (Fiber is present in the bran). Although wheat flour is the most commonly used flour for making bread, non wheat flour like millet and rye can also be used. However, since the latter types do not have gluten, they must be mixed with large amounts of wheat flour.Yeast: In presence of water, yeast makes use of the sugar present in the flour and releases carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide being a gas rises within the dough. The gluten present in flour makes the dough elastic. So, as the carbon dioxide bubbles are formed in the dough, instead of making holes and escaping, the gas bubbles make the dough rise. Although yeast is a naturally occurring leavening agent, there are many individuals who follow a yeast free diet. For them, chemical leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder can be used instead of yeast in yeast free bread recipes.Salt: Salt allows the baker a control over the rising of bread. This it does by strengthening gluten in flour. As it slows down the rising process of bread, salt allows the dough to develop flavor.Water: Water helps to combine all the ingredients together. It also aids in activating yeast that releases carbon dioxide.Optional Ingredients in Bread
Besides all the basic ingredients of bread, there are some optional ingredients that are added for flavor or nutrition. Some of the optional ingredients are:Bread Sweeteners: If included in bread recipe, the major role of sugar is to provide food for yeast. However, this does not necessitate addition of sugar to the dough as flour itself has enough sugar for the yeast to produce carbon dioxide. Hence sugar is primarily used to add a sweet flavor to the bread. It also contributes to browning of the bread. Other bread sweeteners include honey, maple syrup, maple sugar, jams and dried fresh fruits.Egg: When lots of eggs are used, they add a distinct flavor to bread. Other than that they also act as a leavening agent. Fat in the yolk increases the tenderness and light texture of bread. It also gives a smooth texture to the finished product.Emulsifiers: Emulsifiers prevent bread from tasting stale and dry. This they do by combining with starch and helping them to spread evenly throughout the dough. This prevents the starch from recrystallizing which makes the bread dry and stale. Common emulsifiers used in baked products are lecithin, glycerol monostearate, diglycerides, etc.Dough Conditioners: Dough conditioners like calcium dioxide, potassium iodate, ascorbic acid, etc. are used by bakers for greater control over the baking process.
With the great variety of breads available, ingredients today include a vast array of products. Keeping the basic ingredients same, the list of ingredients of bread is seeing a lot modifications to suit not only the flavor but also the dietary requirements of specific groups of people.

Bread Ingredients

Best Bread for French Toast

For most of us, who do not like to tease our brains, the best bread for French toast would be the one that is lightly sweet and the wonderful flavor just lingers on. This article is a compilation of recipes made with bread which are supposedly considered, the best bread. Ingredients2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup whole milk
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
DirectionsMix all the ingredients in a shallow bowl and whip them up together by using a blender or an egg beater.
Immerse the bread into the egg mixture. Make sure both the sides of the bread are covered.
Melt one and a half tablespoon of butter in a frying pan.
Add the soaked bread and cook until it is golden brown.
Use a spatula to flip the side of the bread.
Serve it hot after sprinkling powdered sugar or maple syrup.
Italian BreadIngredients1/3 cup orange juice
4 eggs
One day old Italian bread, 6-8 pcs (thickly sliced)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Crushed plain cornflakes
Powdered sugar
3 tablespoons honey
DirectionsSpread the bread as a single layer on a baking dish.
Whip together eggs, honey and vanilla.
Pour this mixture over the bread. The bread should be thoroughly coat, leaving the excess mixture to be absorbed.
Cover the baking dish and refrigerate it overnight.
The next day, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Melt butter and pre-heat the glass baking dish, in the oven.
Spread the cornflakes on the plate and dip both sides of bread into the flakes.
Place in the hot baking dish.
Cooking time depends on the size of the bread.
Check to see if the bottom of the bread has turned dark golden brown. That is an indication that the toast is cooked.
Dress up the plate with fresh melon and drizzle with honey or powdered sugar.
Banana BreadIngredients3 eggs
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 loaf banana bread
confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DirectionsWhip together the eggs, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla with a fork, in a shallow bowl. Keep this aside.
Take a large skillet and melt butter over medium heat.
Cut banana bread into 4 thick slices.
Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture.
Place it in the hot pan.
Cook till both the sides of the bread are golden brown.
Before serving, dust it with confectioners’ sugar.
Hawaiian BreadIngredients3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon rum-flavored extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (8 ounce) crushed pineapple, with juice
1 (1 pound) thickly sliced loaf Hawaiian sweet bread
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons honey
1 (3 ounce) can mandarin orange segments, drained
DirectionsWhisk together egg yolks, egg white, vanilla, rum extract, orange zest, water and 1 tablespoon honey, in a shallow bowl.
Coat bread slices in egg mixture and then keep it aside.
In a small saucepan, add crushed pineapple, mandarin oranges, honey and maple syrup. Slightly heat it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes.
Heat a frying pan over medium high heat.
Fry bread slices until golden brown on both sides and serve hot with fruit sauce.
Wheat BreadIngredients8 pieces whole wheat bread
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups soy milk
2 eggs
DirectionsIn a shallow baking pan, whip together milk, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon.
Place pieces of bread in this mixture.
Heat a fry pan over medium heat.
Place the soaked bread on the pan and cook until both the sides are golden brown.
Serve with maple syrup or favorite fruit jam spread.
French Toast Bread PuddingIngredients1 loaf of challah or brioche, crust removed, cut into large cubes
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk (or buttermilk is good too)
3 tablespoons sugar, honey or sweetener of your choice
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
DirectionsTake a large casserole and butter it. Then fill with the bread.
Whip together milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and sugar into the eggs.
Pour the custard mixture over the bread and toss it lightly.
Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Toss the bread to give that extra “fluff”.
Bake until lightly golden brown. Insert a toothpick to see if it comes out dry.
The cooking time is approximately 45 minutes.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar or maple syrup and serve.
Once you try out these recipes, rest assured, you will be greatly pleased and satiated with the taste of French life.

Best Bread for French Toast

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

It is really tiring for the people who are on a weight loss diet, to constantly look out for recipes that are not only healthy and low on carbohydrates, but delicious too. A low carb diet offers a healthy combination of simple and complex carbohydrates. Whole grains and fruits provide lots of fiber which is required for overall health. Wheat bread is highly nutritious and banana is an easily available common fruit. Banana contains 467 mg of potassium and only 1 mg of sodium. It is a good source of potassium and it helps lower blood pressure. This fiber rich healthy banana bread is good for children as well as elders. Here are some easy banana bread recipes.Whole Wheat Banana Bread RecipeIngredients
Whole wheat flour 2 cups
Ripe bananas 3 medium size
Unsalted butter ½ cup
Eggs 2
Baking soda ½ teaspoon
Baking powder 1 teaspoon
Sugar 1 cup
Salt ½ teaspoon
Sour cream ½ cup
Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
Procedure
Sieve the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, one at a time, and gradually add cream, butter and sugar. Mix well with an electric mixer.
Peel the bananas and cut them into pieces. Mash the bananas.
Take 1 cup of mashed bananas and add sour cream and stir well until it is perfectly blended.
Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
Gradually add the dry flour and the banana mix to the butter mix, stirring well after each addition.
Pour the whole wheat bread batter into the greased loaf pan.
Bake in a preheated oven to 325 degrees F.
If a bread knife inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, then be sure that the delicious whole wheat banana bread is ready.
With ApplesauceIngredients
â…“ cup apple sauce ( If you add oil instead of apple sauce, the bread will be more moist. But the apple sauce makes it low fat and the flavor is good.)
1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup honey
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped walnuts
Procedure
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Beat honey and apple sauce together in a big bowl.
Beat the eggs and mix them in honey and sauce.
Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla.
Add wheat flour and salt gradually and mix well.
Add baking soda to hot water. Mix well and then add to the batter.
Add finely chopped nuts, blend in.
Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. You may cool on wire rack for ½ hour before slicing.
This honey-sweetened whole wheat banana bread with some nuts and a splash of vanilla to heighten the rich fruitiness, is really yummy.Muffins
Once you know how to make banana bread, it is very easy to make muffins. You can put the above batter in a 12 muffin pan and it would make great muffins. Here is another recipe for you.Ingredients
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 cup whole wheat flour
3 mashed ripe bananas
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup frozen sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup packed brown sugar
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Grease 12 large muffin cups or you can also line them with paper liners.
Beat the eggs.
Add apple sauce, oil, brown sugar, vanilla and bananas to the eggs in the big bowl gradually. Whisk together.
Mix the flour and baking soda and cinnamon powder well. Stir into the already prepared banana mixture.
Add the strawberries and mix them evenly in the batter.
Slowly pour or spoon the batter into muffin cups until completely filled.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. When ready, the tops of the muffins spring back when pressed lightly. The color should be golden brown.
Leave the muffins for cooling before removing from the muffin tins.
I am sure, this weekend, the aroma from your kitchen is going to drive your family crazy. I hope you love the above bread recipes.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

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