Banana Bread

Ingredients:
5 tbsp butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups mashed, very ripe bananas
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp tsp baking powder
½ cup heavy cream
⅓ cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350̊ F. Spray bottom only of 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Beat butter in large bowl with an electric mixer set at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat well. Add egg, egg whites and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add mashed banana, and beat on high speed 30 seconds.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in medium bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with cream, ending with flour mixture. Add walnuts to batter; mix well.

Pour batter evenly into prepared loaf pan. Bake until browned and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cool bread in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Slice and serve with butter and jam.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 16

Caramel-Hazelnut Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1½ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
½ cup jarred caramel ice cream topping
2 eggs
⅓ cup canola oil
½ cup chopped hazelnuts
Caramel Icing:
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp jarred caramel ice cream topping

Directions:

For the Banana Bread: Preheat oven to 350̊F. Coat 4 (5x3 inch) loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

In a medium bowl whisk together bananas, ½ cup caramel topping, eggs and oil. Add to dry ingredients, mixing just until combined, fold in hazelnuts. Pour evenly into loaf pans.

Place pans in oven. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove bread from pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Caramel Icing: In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and 2 tbsp caramel topping; stir until smooth. Drizzle over banana bread just before serving.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes + cooling time

Serves 16

Cornmeal Muffins

Ingredients:
¼ cup cooking oil
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
¾ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt

Directions:

Beat cooking oil, sugar and egg together in medium bowl until smooth. Add milk and sour cream. Stir in cheese.

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in separate medium bowl. Add to milk mixture. Stir until just moistened. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake in 400̊F (205̊C) oven for about 18 minutes until wooden pick inserted in centre of muffin comes out clean. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool. Makes 12 muffins.

There is a similar Serbian dish called Proja.

Proja - Corn Bread

This is a traditional Serbian bread. It is served with yogurt, white cheese and smoked dried meat. It is ideal for breakfast and supper on cold days. You can bake this when you have leftover cheese, almost ready to go bad.

Ingredients:
1 cup corn flour (yellow)
1 cup white flour (regular)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
½ cup sunflower oil
50-100 gr white full fat cheese

Directions:
Heat the oven to 180°C.

Mix the flours together in a bowl. Add milk, slightly beaten eggs, oil and crumbled cheese. Add baking powder and add a pinch of salt if the cheese is mild. The paste needs to be liquidy like honey.

Put the baking dish in the oven to heat. Pull it out after 2 min and oil the dish. Pour the dough into the prepared dish and return immediately to the oven.

When you see the crust forming, reduce the heat to 150°C and bake for at least 30-45 min. The bread is ready when the sides of the bread have separated from the dish.

Serve warm.

Butter Shortbreads

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. coarse sugar (sometimes called sparkling sugar or sanding sugar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325̊. Put flour, butter, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. With a mixer on low speed, mix until blended, then increase speed to medium and mix until dough is no longer crumbly and just comes together.

Press dough evenly into a 9-in. round cake pan. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Cut still-warm shortbread with a fork, tines down, into 16 wedge-shaped pieces with shaggy edges. Cool completely, then invert pan onto a clean work surface and carefully separate cookies.

Buttery Freeze-ahead Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs, divided
3½ to 4 cups flour

Directions:

Microwave milk, uncovered, until warm (100̊ to 110̊), about 20 seconds at full power. Put in bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Stir in yeast, salt and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. If using a stand mixer, attach dough hook and with mixer on low, stir in butter and 1 egg. Add flour, ½ cup at a time until a stiff dough forms and pulls away from sides of bowl. If mixing by hand, stir in butter and 1 egg. Stir in flour,  ½ cup at a time until incorporated; then turn out onto a floured work surface and knead until a stiff dough forms.

Put dough into a greased bowl and turn to coat. Cower with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let sit until doubled in bulk, about 1½ hours. Meanwhile, butter two large baking sheets and set aside.

Punch down dough and turn it onto a floured work surface. Knead a few times, adding more flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking. Form dough into one of the shape variations or divide into 24 pieces, roll into 10-in. ropes and coil into flat spirals or pretzel shapes, then pinch ends in place (work with 1 piece at a time, keeping other pieces covered).

Put shaped rolls on baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and set directly in freezer. As soon as they’re completely frozen, you can remove rolls from baking sheets and store in reseal able freezer bags.

Remove rolls from freezer about 2 hours before you plan to bake them. Arrange on greased baking pans about 1 in. apart. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and set in a warm (about 80̊) place to thaw and rise until almost doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350̊.

In a small bowl, beat remaining egg with 2 tbsp. water. Brush rolls with egg wash and bake until brown, about 29 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even baking. Cool on wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:
1¼ cups milk
1 package (2¼ tsp.) active dry yeast
1¼ cups plus 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
1½ tsp. salt
5¼ cups flour, divided
¼ cup cinnamon
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

In a 2-qt. pan over medium heat, heat milk to luke-warm. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm (100̊ to 110̊) water and let stand 5 minutes.

If using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, stir milk, 3 tbsp. granulated sugar, 2 tbsp. butter, salt and 3½ cups flour into yeast mixture. Beat on high until slightly stretchy, about 2 minutes. Switch to dough hook and on medium speed, beat in 1½ cups more flour until a stiff dough forms. Continue beating until dough pulls cleanly from sides of bowl, 5 to 7 minutes longer. If dough is still sticky add more flour, 1 tbsp. at a time. To mix by hand, with a wooden spoon stir milk, 3 tbsp. granulated sugar, 2 tbsp. butter, salt and 3½ cups flour into yeast mixture. Stir vigorously until slightly stretchy, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in 1½ cups more flour until a stiff dough forms. Scrape onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth, elastic and no longer sticky, about 8 minutes; add flour as required to prevent sticking. Return dough to bowl.

Cover bowl airtight and let dough rise at room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1½ hours.

Scrape dough onto a floured work surface and press gently to expel air. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 10- by 16-in. rectangle. Spread 6 tbsp. butter over each rectangle. In a small bowl, mix remaining 1¼ cups granulated sugar with the cinnamon. Sprinkle half the mixture over each rectangle.

Starting from a long edge, roll each rectangle into a tight cylinder. Cut each cylinder into six equal pieces. For a clean cut, use a very sharp knife. If rolls get bent out of shape, reshape them as you set each one in the pan. Put cut side down and slightly apart in two 7- by 11-in. baking pans. Cover pans with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let stand at room temperature until rolls are almost doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.

Bake in a 350̊ oven until rolls are browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in medium bowl mix powdered sugar, vanilla and ¼ cup water until smooth. Thin with more water it too thick. Drizzle icing over warm rolls and serve.

Banana-Nut Oat Bran Muffins

Ingredients:
2 oranges (about 1 lb. total)
2 tbsp. Canola or safflower oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups quick-cooking oat bran cereal
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400̊. Oil 12 muffin cups (2  3/4 in. wide) or line with paper baking cups. Finely shred 1 tbsp. zest from oranges. Cut oranges in half and ream juice. Measure ½ cup juice; save remainder for other uses.
In a large bowl, combine orange zest and juice, oil, eggs, bananas, honey, and brown sugar. Stir to mix well. Ina medium bowl, mix cereal, baking powder, salt and walnuts. Add to egg mixture and stir just enough to moisten dry ingredients evenly. Be careful not to over-stir. Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full.
Bake muffins until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Loosen muffins from pan and turn out onto a rack. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Easter Bread

This bread can be every day bread, of course ...
Preparation time: ½ hour.
Baking time: 1 hour.



Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 packages dry yeast
4 cups flour
5 eggs
1 stick (½ cup) butter
2 tsp.+ 1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
oil

Preparation:

Heat 1/2 cup milk to lukewarm. Add 1 cake of yeast (or 2 packages dry yeast), sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Let rise for 1/2 hour, then add 3 egg yolks. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk to lukewarm, add 1 stick butter and 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour over yeast mixture. Stir in 3-4 cups flour to make a firm dough. Turn onto floured board and knead for 10 minutes, adding a little flour so dough will not stick.

Grease a deep bowl, place dough in bowl, and turn grease side up. Cover with clean cloth and let rise until double. Divide dough into 3 equal portions (save a small piece of dough for cross). Roll each portion and braid. Place in large greased pan or cookie sheet. Take a small piece of dough and make a cross for top of bread. Let rise until double in bulk. Brush top with 2 beaten egg yolks to which on teaspoon sugar is added. Bake a 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Tip:

Can be fresh for 3 days, if wrapped.