bread

The Best Zucchini Bread

3a72f0a8-4351-47eb-88ff-7cda214d9220

Once again, the year is flying by! I can’t believe it’s almost August and summer is coming to an end! So we need to live up the next few weeks. The weather in Chicago has been amazing lately so plants, flowers and gardens are looking great. A friend of mine gave me some zucchini from her garden so of course I made a zucchini bread 🙂 This recipe is so easy and delicious, one that will please everyone.

So let’s go start those oven and bake!

Note: Grate the zucchini on the large side of a box grater.

What you will need:

Loaf pan, greased

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (do not drain liquid!)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the zucchini, both sugars, applesauce, oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store covered in the refrigerator. This bread is best served chilled. Enjoy!

Super Quick and Easy Cinnamon Bread

img_0449

I have made this bread so many times I lost count! It really is super quick and easy and when I have last minute guests coming over, this is what I make. I (usually) already have all 7 ingredients so I don’t need to make a trip to the store and it’s so delicious and can be served literally anytime. No kneading, just 1 bowl and 1 spatula. Have it for breakfast, after school snack, dessert, whenever! So, go start those oven and let’s bake some cinnamon bread…

What you will need:

1 loaf pan, greased

For the batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk

For the cinnamon sprinkle:
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Whisk together flour and baking soda and set aside. In another large bowl, stir together butter and sugar until well mixed. Stir in egg until combined. Gradually stir in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk until everything is combined.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan and then evenly sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour the rest of the batter on top and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool a bit before inverting and cooling completely. Slice and enjoy!

Lemon Zucchini Bread

img_9770

It’s been a minute since I made a post! I’m so sorry! We have just been enjoying summer to the fullest. The last 4 days have literally been pool, beach, pool, beach and tomorrow we have plans to go back to the beach! Trust me, I know how lucky I am to be able to do that. Living close to the lake in Chicago is the best and I would not have it any other way 🙂 Until it’s January and I’ll be looking at real estate in California…

Anyway, here I am with an absolutely delicious bread or cake, whatever you want to call it. The perfect summer snack for you and your loved ones to enjoy after a fun filled sun filled day! So turn on your ovens and let’s get baking….

What you will need:

1 loaf pan greased and lined with parchment paper hanging over the sides

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tespoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini, drained and dried
1 tablespoons lemon zest

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.  In another bowl, beat together the sugar and oil until blended. Add in eggs and milk and beat until incorporated. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Slowly beat in flour mixture until just blended. Fold in the zucchini and lemon zest.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before lifting it out with the parchment paper. Cool completely.

To make the glaze, stir ingredients together. Start with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and go up from there depending on consistency. Drizzle over bread. Slice and enjoy!

Beer Bread

img_8914

A super easy, quick beer bread recipe! What more can you ask for? I’ve been wanting to bake something not so sweet and had some Coronas in the fridge… why not?! Seriously, I’ve been eating way too much sugar lately. But now that spring is right around the corner (I hope), I’ve been watching what I eat. Also, the Boyd trio is going to Cabo San Lucas for spring break so I want to feel healthy! Plus, Corona just sets the mood 😉

(Seriously, though who am I kidding? I like to eat and bread? Not a great substitute for cake and cookies 🙂 )

You can use any beer you have, preferably a lighter one. Not Guinness, although who knows! Maybe that would taste amazing! So if you are searching for a side to serve with dinner this week, look no further! Sure to please all family members, this beer bread is delicious and best of all, no kneading required!

What you will need:

9 x 5 loaf pan, greased

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (12 oz.) beer
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the beer with a wooden spoon until just combined. Pour half the melted butter in prepared pan. Pour in batter and then pour the rest of the melted butter on top. Use all the butter! It may seem like a lot but the bread will bake up nicely.

Bake for 40-50 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting to cool completely. Slice and serve and as always, enjoy!

Best if consumed immediately, however if you have self control, store covered at room temperature.

Hello! Get in my belly NOW!

Chocolate Banana Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

img_5280

I know, I know! ANOTHER banana bread/cake recipe. Ugh. I have like 20 now up on this site. But they are all so good and I always have the ingredients on hand so banana bread or cake is what I make! This one is so easy and with the buttercream frosting it can be used as a birthday cake. So delicious, so moist, my stomach hurts because I literally just ate 3 pieces. And my pieces are huge.

For the buttercream, I actually don’t even measure out my ingredients anymore. I’ve made SO MANY freaking cakes within the past 2 years that I can honestly say I’ve become a pro at buttercream. However, I did list the ingredients and about how much you need for this cake. But you will see or come to realize that every buttercream is different depending on the person and what you want for each cake. If you have any questions, send me a comment!

So, without anymore typing/reading, go start your ovens and let’s bake a cake!

What you will need:

9 x 13 inch glass bake pan sprayed with nonstick spray

2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate buttercream: 

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 cups powdered sugar

For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, water, milk, oil and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir or whisk until combined. The mixture is quite wet.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 33-40 minutes. Mine was done right at 33 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting with the buttercream.

To make the buttercream: Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add cocoa powder and milk and beat until combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency. Note: You cannot beat buttercream too much! Keep beating until you get what you want!

Frost the cake when it has cooled completely. Store covered at room temperature. Enjoy!

Coconut Cake


I got this recipe from a friend of mine who got it from her neighbor. She said it was the most moist, delicious cake she’s ever had! So of course I wanted to make it. And to make it festive for the 4th of July, I added a glaze and fresh fruit. This is the perfect cake or bread to serve at breakfast, lunch, dinner, as a snack, a dessert or at afternoon tea. If you’re having guests stay with you this weekend for the holiday, go ahead and make this! You won’t be disappointed 🙂 So let’s go….

What you will need:

9 x 5 loaf pan greased

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk

For the glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
Fresh blueberries and strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine coconut and water and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and beat until combined. Add flour mixture alternating with the milk until just combined. Stir in coconut. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack before inverting to cool completely.

To make the glaze, stir together powdered sugar and milk until you reach desired consistency. Pour over cooled cake. Cut up fruit and place however you like. Slice and Enjoy!

Have a fun and safe Fourth of July!

Mini Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Yes! I feel like I have not been blogging as much as I’d like but this recipe makes me feel ok about it 🙂 Seriously, these little breads are so freaking good and beautiful. I mean… Holy moly. Me and my 3 year old just ate a whole one in about 3 minutes. I have no shame.

Ok, so there are 2 things I need to mention about this recipe. First, I made 4 mini loaves. If you want to make one big one you can, you will just have to bake it longer. Second, I used frozen bananas. I mashed them up as much as I could but they were still so cold when I mixed all the ingredients together. SO… the butter was very clumpy when I poured the batter into the pans and there was nothing I could do about it. However, I think it worked  in my favor because of how delicious these turned out. Obviously use whatever bananas you have, but know that frozen worked great!

Alright, I think that’s it. Let’s go bake…

What you will need:

4 mini loaf pans (or one 9 x 5)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Spray the pans with a nonstick spray and then line them with parchment paper. Leave some parchment paper sticking out for easy removal:

img_4336-1

I was able to pull the breads right out! In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. In another bowl, beat together the mashed banana and eggs. Add both sugars and vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in butter and oil. Add in flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Evenly distribute batter into each pan. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top if desired. Bake for about 25 minutes for mini pans. Double the time for 1 big one. Allow to cool on wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan. Slice, serve and ENJOY!

Store covered for a few days (if they last that long!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Homemade Bread

Seriously, this bread is so easy to make! And it’s quick, only 1 hour to rise. You will never want store bought bread again. I ate two huge slices smothered with butter as soon as it came out of the oven. It was pure heaven if I do say so myself 🙂 So put on your aprons and lets get to baking!

What you will need:

9×5 inch loaf pan

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 packet of Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups warm water
Non-stick spray or oil for pan

In a large bowl or bowl of your electric mixer, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. In a small cup or bowl, stir together the yeast, sugar and half a cup of the warm water. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture along with another cup of the warm water. Stir with a large wooden spoon or knead with the hook attachment until a nice dough is formed, slowly adding more water as needed. Once the dough is formed, place the bowl in your oven to rise for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, take the dough out and preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Grease the loaf pan. Stir the dough (I just used my hands) and transfer it to the pan. Let rise again while the oven preheats. Then bake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 32 minutes). Allow to cool on a wire rack and then slice and enjoy!

So pretty and delicious! The picture below is directly out of the pan.

Honey Rolls

Yum! Who doesn’t love bread??!! I mean, if you don’t, we can’t be friends. Bread and cake. My two favorite foods. Of. All. Time. Homemade bread is quite difficult to make, especially if you do not have a stand mixer to knead the dough. I’m sure it gets easier with experience, but I never know how much flour to use! The dough gets so sticky. But these turned out great so I will let you know my tricks.

What you will need:

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for kneading)

For the top:

1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey

In the bowl of your mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let rest for 5 minutes. Add in the egg, honey and salt and mix until combined. Add in the flour. If using a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, knead for 5-7 minutes. With my KitchenAid mixer, this was the 2 setting. If kneading by hand, knead for 8 minutes, trying not to use too much flour! The dough becomes more workable the longer you knead it.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. Tip: My house was chilly so I preheat my oven to 170 degrees fahrenheit and then turned the oven off and placed my dough inside to rise. The perfect place!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Lightly oil a round cake pan or cookie sheet. After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and work it so it’s not too sticky. I had to add more flour because it stuck to my hands too much.  Shape the dough into 12 balls and place in pan.

In a bowl, mix together the melted butter and honey. Brush over the rolls. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned.

Serve warm with butter or more honey. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Biscuits

Yum! These turned out so delicious and are not difficult at all to make! I will be keeping this recipe handy for Thanksgiving 😉 No mixer needed, just a bowl and a spoon. So let’s turn on those ovens and bake some biscuits…

What you will need:

Cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
Biscuit cutter or circle cookie cutter

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Cut the butter into small pieces and put in the freezer while you whisk the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles small crumbs. Make a hole in the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Stir until everything starts to stick together.

Pour the dough onto a generously floured surface. Fold the dough into itself until it is not too sticky to handle. Pat down into a 1 inch thick circle. With the biscuit or cookie cutter, push down into the dough and come straight up without twisting. Keep doing this until all the dough is used. Arrange the biscuits onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Serve with butter, honey or gravy. Enjoy!