Recipe for Homemade Pizza Crust

1 cup warm water

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons dry yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine as listed.  Use the dough setting for your machine.  When cycle has completed, put dough on lightly floured surface.  If the dough is too sticky, knead in some more flour to make a moderately stiff dough.  Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and let rest for 10 minutes.  This is also the time you can form the dough into a ball, place into a freezer bag  and freeze if you do not want to use all of it.

After the 10 minute rest, pat out your dough into a circle that measures 10″ (more or less depending on how thick you like your crust).  I place my dough on a lightly Pam sprayed baking sheet (unless you have a pizza stone then omit the spray) and put in an oven for about 3-5 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then I pull out pizza crust and place my toppings that I like on the crust.  I find my toppings don’t dry out and get over cooked while waiting for my crust to brown up.  You basically give your crust a head start.

This crust is also the one that I use when I make my grilled pizza during the Summer/Fall!

Homemade Pizza Dough

Recipe for Sinfully Gooey Chocolate Marshmallow Sandwich

1/2 cup Chocolate Flavored Better n’ Peanut Butter

4 – 5 Tlb. of Marshmallow Creme – Fluff

8 slices of homemade bread

Pam Butter Spray

On one piece of bread, spread at least 1 tablespoon of the Chocolate Better n’ Peanut Butter. On another slice of bread, spread 1 tablespoon marshmallow creme.  Join slices and spray the top slice with Pam.   Repeat with the remaining slices of bread.

Warm a medium size nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Place the sandwich sprayed side down in the pan.  Spray the top with Pam.

Cook for about 2 minutes or until golden brown and flip to cook another 2 minutes or so on the other side.  Remove from skillet and serve immediately.

You can easily make cut the bread in half and then in half again to make a bite size dessert for family or guests.

NOTE:  I have tried making this without the marshmallow creme and using marshmallows.  I have not had good results because they have to cook for so long to get the marshmallows soft enough.  So grab a jar of creme and it will work much better.  Also if you are not able to find the Chocolate Better n’ Peanut Butter you can find it in my aStore on the right hand side of the page.  Other chocolate spreads add a great deal more fat to the sandwich.

I also have better luck using white wheat flour when I want to put a bit of wheat in my bread making.  And yes, mom is correct you really do need to use Better For Bread Flour.  She is very particular on the company she uses for her flour and will not compromise!  Hey, what can I say the woman is 81 so I guess she can be fussy all she wants, right?

Hope these tips help you!  For comments/questions email me ramona@lowfatdivablog.com

So here is my warning to you, if you, your family or your husband likes bacon….look out this bread will not last!  Plus, it makes sandwiches that are out of this world!!!!  BLT’s – oh yummmmmmmm        Enjoy!   Comments/questions  ramona@lowfatdivablog.com

Recipe For Bacon Bread

1 cup warm water

3 cups white bread flour

2 Tlb. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. dried sweet basil

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/3 cup cooked bacon that has been crumbled

2 1/2 tsp. dry yeast

Once you make this bread you will soon find it to be your families favorite!  Follow your bread machine directions for the order of ingredients (most follow the list exactly as it is).  You can mix a bit of the bacon juices in with the crumbled bacon before you put it in the bread machine, be careful not to get to carried away or you will be adding a great deal of fat to your bread!  I added just a small amount to keep the crumbled bacon moist and you will notice I didn’t add any of the normal butter to the recipe.  Set the machine for dough and when it has completed, turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter.  Knead the dough for about 2 minutes and then form the dough into a loaf.  Place in a pan that has been sprayed with olive oil Pam.  Cover and let rise until double in a warm place.   Bake 350 degree oven for about 30-35 min. or until brown on top and lightly brown on the bottom.     Warning – this bread can become addicting

As with all bread machines, this recipe called for dry milk and I was in a bit of a panic when I realized I didn’t have any….oops, however I did have some powered buttermilk so I substituted that.  Seemed to work out just fine!    Enjoy!  For comments/questions please email me at ramona@lowfatdivablog.com.

Recipe For Fruit Bread

1 1/4 cup warm water

3 cups flour

2 Tlbs. dry milk

1 1/2 Tlb. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tlb. Blue Bonnet Lite

1 cup assorted dry fruit

3 tsp. dry yeast

Layer ingredients as your bread machine instructs you to and set on dough cycle.  If you need some suggestions on the dried fruit, you can use apricots, golden raisins, pineapple, cranberries, dates, mango or kiwi.  Don’t add the fruit at the “nut cycle” add it when you put in the rest of your ingredients.   When the dough cycle has ended remove it from the machine and place on a lightly floured area.  If the dough is a bit sticky knead for about 2 minutes with enough flour so dough is no longer sticky.  Spray a regular size bread pan or you can separate the dough and place in smaller loaves.  Shape dough into loaf form and place in prepared pan.

Cover and place in warm place to raise for about 1 hour or until double in size.  Bake in 350 degree oven for about 35 min. or until golden brown on top and bottom (one huge reason why I use glass bread pans is so I can see the bottom of my bread and know when the loaf is actually done).

This fruit bread has a unique texture from all the dried fruit

Make a batch of white bread dough in your bread machine and be sure to put it on the dough setting.  Once the dough timer has gone off, remove the dough and place on a lightly floured surface.  Knead for 1-2 min. and let the dough rest as you prepare the filling.  Melt 1 tablespoon of Blue Bonnet Lite.  Finely chop 2  cups of dried cranberries.  Zest the rind of a medium orange.    Combine the cranberries and orange zest in a bowl.

Roll dough into a rectangle that is close to 10X16.  Brush the center of the dough and out to within 1 inch of edges with the melted butter.  Sprinkle with the cranberry mixture.  Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of sugar over the top of the cranberries making sure you always leave at least 1 inch from the edge.  Beginning with the longer side roll the dough up tightly into a log form.  Be sure to tuck in the ends and pinch seal the seam when you are finished.  Cut with a very sharp knife the log into 12 pieces.

Place the pieces in either a round pan, square pan or muffin tin that has been sprayed with Pam.  Cover and let rise for 30-45 min or until double in size.  Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven, and place pan on cooling rack.  Wait at least 7 min before you drizzle any icing on the rolls.  The rolls are great warm or at room temp.    Mouth watering – oh yes!!!

Chocolate Bread

1 cup warm no fat 1/2 and 1/2

1/2 cup white sugar

1 package dry yeast

2 tablespoons Blue Bonnet Lite melted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup Egg Beaters

5 1/4 cups flour

Pam Spray

Combine the first three ingredients in a large bowl and let stand for 5-8 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. Add butter, vanilla, salt and eggs.  Stir to incorporate.  Add the  5 cups of flour to the egg mixture and stir until combined, I use my mixer with a dough hook.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 minutes.  Add enough of the remaining 1/4  cup of flour to prevent the dough from sticking.  Place dough in a large bowl that has been coated with cooking spray.  turn to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours or until double in size.

Filling

1/3 cup white sugar

1?4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 large egg white

2 tsp. no fat half and half

2 Tlb. Blue Bonnet lite melted

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and coco a small bowl  Stir well.  Combine the egg white and 2 tsp. of the half and half in a small bowl.

When dough has risen divide it into two equal pieces.  Work with one portion at a time, roll the dough into a 12 X 9 inch rectangle.  Brush with part of the melted Blue Bonnet.  Sprinkle half of the cocoa mixture evening over the dough leaving 1/4 in along the edges.  Sprinkle dough evenly  with half of the chopped chocolate.  Brush the edges of dough with egg mixture.  Roll dough up jelly roll fashion, tuck in edges and pinch end to seal.  Place seam side down in sprayed bread pan.  Repeat with other half of dough.  Cover and let rise until double in size. Brush tops of each load with the extra egg/milk mixture and sprinkle with some turbinado sugar.   Bake in oven 325 degrees.  for 40 minutes or until browned.  Try and let rest for about 15 minutes before you cut into the bread.  Ahhhhhh….. so worth the wait!

Most of the issues were regarding ingredients.  Bread machines are almost fool-proof but there needs to be a constant balance with the ingredients.  One of my big pitfalls was cheese because as the dough is mixing and proofing it melts down to a liquid, therefore if you don’t compensate for the extra liquid the dough will not turn out as it should.  So if you put cheese into any of your recipes, be sure to cut down on the water in your recipe.

If you add dried fruit you can cut back on the sugar in your recipe and if you want the fruit to be whole in the dough be sure to add it towards the last part of the cycle or it gets blended into fine bits.

Different blends of flour can produce breads with not only varying flavors but also they also change the density.

Experiment, use your bread machines and have fun.  I try to make something new and different a couple of times a week.   Today I made some orange rolls, check back for the recipe on this blog.  Thanks and hopefully you are enjoying all the new bread machine recipes I have been giving you!

Try the sweet version and the savory version or make up your own substitutions for the biscuits.  The recipe is great because they have just a few ingredients, nothing to out of the ordinary and take no time at all to put together.  Enjoy!  From comments/questions write to me at ramona@lowfatdivablog.com

Soda Bread Biscuits

2 cups flour

2 Tlb. white sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tlb. cut up cold Blue Bonnet Lite

1/2 cup raisins, cranraisins, yellow raisins, currents, etc.

1 Tlb. caraway seeds

3/4 cup low or no fat buttermilk

Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  Whisk together.  Work in the cold Blue Bonnet by hand.  Add the raisins (if making savory add the caraway seeds now but if sweet then omit the seeds).  Mix in the buttermilk.  Pan the dough onto a lightly floured surface until it’s 1 inch thick.  Cut into 2 1/2 inch rounds with cutter.  Place on baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam.  If sweet, brush with some egg whites and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Bake 375 for 15-20 min. depending on oven.  Do not over bake or they will be dry and hard.  Remember these are soda bread biscuits and even though you have added sugar they will not be real sweet so they can be eaten with any meal.