YUMMY Banana Bread

This recipe comes from a friend of my brother-in-law. It is YUMMY!

Crumb topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp flour

Mix dry ingredients, then cut in the butter.

Cinnamon & Sugar coating (I left this out because it just is messier when you are eating it):

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together. Spray pans with olive oil or pam, then toss mixture to coat bottom and sides.

Banana Bread:

3/4 cup butter, softened

3 cups white sugar

3 eggs

5-6 ripe bananas

1 (16 oz) container sour cream

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp baking soda

4 1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees for convection, 325 for regular.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon. Then mix in salt, baking soda, flour.

Pour into cinnamon & sugar coated pans. Top with crumb mixture. Bake for 1 hour (usually takes longer) or until toothpick comes out clean from center. (For the small loafs I baked at 350 for 35 minutes). Makes 3 large loaves.

Monkey Bread

When we were home for Christmas, Carol made this for us Christmas morning. I bought the ingredients 2 other times while we were there so we could have it again. It is so YUMMY and easy - but not in the least bit healthy, so this will be a "special occasion" recipe for my family!

2 loaves frozen bread dough (or 24 rolls)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 lg (2 sm) pkg vanilla pudding, cook variety

2 TBSP Milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Thaw bread, but do not allow it to raise. Grease 9x13 pan. Tear one loaf into pieces & drop helter skelter into pan. Melt butter in sauce pan, add rest of ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour over the torn up loaf. Tear second loaf and throw on top (trying to place in empty spots). Let raise 2 1/2 -3 hours (or overnight in fridge). Place in 375 oven for 30 minutes. Let cool about 15 minutes, turn out on wax paper.

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

a friend posted this recipe and it looked so good I had to copy it over for a future date!



Per the requests I got after my last cinnamon roll post, here is the recipe for my tried-and-true vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. The vanilla pudding is simply added to the dough to make it extremely soft and pliable - and oh, does it ever. (No surprise, this recipe comes direct from my Aunt Marilyn whose recipes have made a great showing on this blog already.) I made these last week and it confirmed my feelings: I am in love with these cinnamon rolls. The dough is so extremely tender and soft, it will blow your mind, and the cream cheese goodness of the frosting is beyond delicious. The filling is made up of brown sugar and cinnamon and it gives a great richness to the standard cinnamon and white sugar combo. Oh my, these really are so good. I'm glad several of you requested the recipe because it gave me a chance to make them and reaffirm my vow to continue making them - it also gave me a great excuse to eat about 13 of them.

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
from A. Marilyn

Rolls:
½ cup warm water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ ounce package instant vanilla pudding
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
6+ cups flour

Filling:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not overflour the dough! It should be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Then roll out on floured board to 34 X 21 inches in size. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden (don’t overbake). Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting (combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency). Makes about 24 very large rolls.

*Freezable Recipe: After shaping the rolls and placing them on the baking sheet, cover with lightly greased saran wrap and a layer of tin foil. Store in the freezer. The night before you want to serve them take out the rolls and put them in the refrigerator. Let them thaw in the refrigerator. Take them out about 8-9 hours after being in the refrigerator and let them rise until doubled. Bake according to the recipe. (If you have less time, you can take the rolls out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature on the counter - about 4 hours, then let rise until doubled).

All-Purpose dough

I took a basic white dough recipe that I liked, tweaked it just a bit according to what I've learned about bread making and used it in a number of recipes. It works well as bread, rolls, scones, cinnamon rolls, and bread sticks.

1/2 cup luke warm water
1 1/2 T yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 C. hot water
6-7 C. flour
1/4 C. butter, melted
1/4 C. honey
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the yeast and sugar into the warm water, set aside. In mixer, mix hot water and 3 C flour. Add butter, honey, and salt. Mix well. Add remaining flour, just until dough starts to clean the side of the bowl. Let rise until double. Mix and form.

For bread sticks, roll into rectangle the size of the pan you are using (I usually do 11x7 or 9x9). Pour about 2 T. melted butter in the bottom of the pan, to coat. Slice the dough with a pizza cutter and place in the pan, right next to each other. Top with another 2T melted butter and whatever flavor you want. I like to use garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, or cinnamon sugar. Let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 20ish minutes.

For bread, form into loaf and let rise until double in size. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.

For cinnamon rolls, roll dough into rectangle. Butter the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar (raisins and nuts, opt). Roll up from the long side and pinch together. Cut into 2" rolls and place on greased cookie sheet, or make a caramel sauce with butter and brown sugar and place in cake pan with rolls on top. Let raise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls

I always get rave reviews on this one, so I thought I'd share it. The dough also makes awesome dinner rolls, but I figure as long as you've gone to the work of making it, you may as well make a dessert out of it!

1 T. yeast
1 1/2 C. warm water
2/3 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 C. shortening
2 eggs
1 C. warm mashed potatoes (I prepare a cup of instant potatoes and use that)
7-7 1/2 C. flour

3/4 C. margarine (at room temp.)
cinnamon
brown sugar
pecans (optional)
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
4 oz. cream cheese (at room temp.)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Stir in sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, potatoes, and 4 C. of flour. Mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead for about 5 minutes in an electric mixer. Place in greased bowl, turn to coat dough lightly in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise.

When dough is double in size (1-2 hours), punch down and roll out to about size of large cookie sheet. Melt 1/4 C. margarine and brush onto dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans. As far as amounts go, I don't measure so I have no idea. Put it on thick though, then add a little more.

Roll up and slice into 1-2" thick rolls. Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise until edges of rolls are all pressing up against each other. (This usually makes about 18 rolls for me)

Bake at 400 for 15-25 minutes.

After rolls get out, mix 1/2 C. margarine, powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and 1/2 tsp. salt until smooth. Spread on warm (not hot) cinnamon rolls.

"Foolproof" Whole Wheat Bread

I really hate to pay the price that stores charge for bread when we don't eat a full loaf before it goes bad. It just isn't that good or healthy, so I decided that I would make my own. It wasn't that hard and it is much yummier! This recipe comes from "The Magic of Wheat Cookery." It is the cookbook that my parents used when they sold Bosch mixers, and it is wonderful bread!


2 Tbsp dry yeast
1/2 C warm water
5 C Hot tap water
2 Tbsp salt
2/3 C oil
2/3 C honey or raw sugar
12 C whole wheat flour

Sprinkle yeast into the 1/2 cup warm water. Let stand 10-15 minutes (1Tbsp sugar in yeast will help it to work faster.) Combing hot tap water and 7 C flour, mix on low until blended. Add salt, oil, and honey or raw sugar. Continue to mix until well blended. Add 1 C flour to the mixture. Add yeast mixture and blend thoroughly. Add 3-4 C more flour to mixture. Knead for 10 minutes on the low speed - or until the dough begins to clean the sides of bowl and is the consistency of cookie dough. (Flour amount will vary due to protein content of wheat. A stickier dough will cause a more moist bread.) Oil hands. Remove dough from mixer 1/4 at a time. Mold into loaves on oiled counter. Place in oiled pans. Oil top of leaves if soft crust is desired. Cover loaves with damp cloth. Let rise 1/3 in bulk for approximately 35 minutes. Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes. Remove pans. Put on rack to cool. Brush tops with butter or oil. Makes 4 loaves. Serve with butter and honey while still warm.