Any bread bakers out there?

[KimKelly]

My son (4 years old last week) is a pretty picky eater. Since he was born I've taught myself to make breads - mostly to get some healthy things into him. He now even asks for the "brown" bread (whole wheat) and has no idea that many of the breads contain fruit or vegies.

Anyone out there have any favorite bread recipes they want to share? Although we try to eat healthy, we love them all wheat, white, rye, dessert...

Kim

PS. Here's one that my baby loves as well. Note, I do not mash either the strawberries or bananas, just slice them into the machine.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Strawberry Banana Bread

Breads


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup strawberries -- mashed
1/2 cup banana -- mashed
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Add ingredients to the bread machine and press start. I used the light cycle.

Description:
"Light loaf with a hint of both strawberry and banana"
Source:
"http://soar.berkeley.edu/recipes/baked-goods/breads/machine/recipe114
rec"
Yield:
"1 loaf"
Ratings : Really Good 9


NOTES : I had to add a bit more flour - depends on the juice in the strawberries.

I also added 1/4 cup wheat germ in place of 1/4 cup bread flour.

[Kristilyn1]

sounds like our monkeys might be around the same age. I have a four year old and a one year old. The four year old is a picky eater but we have decided to "take our house back" control thing and I have found that if I put a food in front of him about 10-15 times--he suddenly loves it. So yes, I have the patience of a saint (NOT!)

Kristi--who puts spinach in everything!!

[lorilei]

Kristi - This is really just an aside, but it pertains to your discussion. I was just reading an article the other day which talked about how to prevent children from becoming picky eaters.
The article proposed that none of us are born with "natural" aversions to foods, but they are developed psychologically at a very young age due to our exposures to foods. The article stated that you really /do/ need to put foods in front of children between 7-12 times before they'll eat them! Apparently when kids reject foods it's usually less because they dislike them -- and more because they're trying to assert "authority". http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Just two cents from the peanut gallery...

[KimKelly]

Kristi... how funny! My 4 year old pickey eater is Drew also!

Actually, he's been doing much better lately. We have a 1 year old girl as well, Olivia, and she eats everything - loves broccoli as a matter of fact. The other night I told Drew that even his baby sister eats broccoli, and believe it or not, he scooped some up and ate it! Said he didn't like it, but he ate it anyway. I have also done what Loreli has described, serving the foods repeatedly, that has indeed seemed to help.

K

[Kristilyn1]

Thanks Lorilei-

makes me feel better when Drew goes to bed after eating a dime size portion of potatos and nothing else on his plate. It does seem to be working as he informed me that green beans are his favorite food now--and 3 months ago--he refused to even touch them.

Kristi

[lindrusso]

Here are two of my favorites. One is fairly kid-friendly and can easily be adapted to any dried fruits or nuts (or no nuts!), the other is more for the adults - or kids who like olives!! One more note - I decided that I DID NOT like the grapes in the fruit bread - it made for squishy pockets of dough - so I now make it using ONLY dried fruit.

Fruit-and-Nut Bread
from Cooking Light

2/3 cup hazelnuts
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups warm water (100º to 110º)
1 package dry yeast
1 cup coarsely chopped dried fruit
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup seedless red grapes
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sunflower seed kernels

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake nuts at 350º for 15 minutes, stirring once. Turn nuts out onto a towel. Roll up towel; rub off skins. Chop nuts.

3. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

4. Combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour, warm water, and yeast in a large bowl, and stir well with a whisk. Cover and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

5. Add the hazelnuts, 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, dried fruit, sugar, 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and egg to yeast mixture, and stir until a soft dough forms (dough will feel tacky). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough of remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Arrange grapes over dough; gently knead on a lightly floured surface 4 to 5 times or just until grapes are incorporated into dough. Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Shape into an 8-inch round loaf. Brush dough with 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle surface of dough with sunflower kernels, gently pressing kernels into dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85º), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

6. Preheat oven to 375º.

7. Uncover dough. Bake at 375º for 35 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove loaf from baking sheet; cool on a wire rack.


Olive Bread
from Martha Stewart

1/4 cup warm (105-115 degrees)water
1 package (2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 cups tepid water
4 to 5 cups bread flour
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup black oil-cured olived, pitted
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
coarse cornmeal for dusting

1. Proof yeast for 10 minutes. Place yeast in large bowl with tepid water. Add flours alternately, 1 cup at a time. Beat after each addition. Knead until smooth and elastic. Dough should be somewhat sticky. Shape into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl (turning bread once to coat in oil), cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the fridge or until doubled in bulk.

2. Dust a heavy gauge baking sheet with coarse cornmeal. Divide dough. Shape each ball into a rectangle and flatten. Roll dough up on the long side and flatten. Roll dough up on the short side and flatten. Shape into a tight, smooth ball by tucking ends under. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours in a cool room.

3. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Dust loaves with flour and dimple. Let stand 10 minutes. Bake in bottom third of oven. Spray with water immediately, and then 3 more times in the first 10 minutes. Bake 35-50 minutes.

Enjoy!

[Anne]

Isn't it a joy trying to get kids to eat healthy foods! Every time I think mine are past that stage some new 'I don't like' pops up. My 9 year old just decided he doesn't like cheese which was his favorite for years. This to shall pass, I guess. Both my kids like apricot bread.


Whole wheat apricot bread

1 ½ to 1 2/3 cups apricot juice
1 cup chopped dried apricots
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons oil
3¾ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup gluten flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons dried milk
4 tablespoons yeast

Place all ingredients in breadmachine in the same order you usually do - this makes a 2 pound loaf. This is a heavy, sweet bread so needs the extra yeast. We vary the amount of juice slightly depending on how damp our weather and flour are and how thick the honey is.

Another favorite is cranberry suprise rolls - Make your favorite dough (we use whole wheat) and remove at end of the dough cycle. Mix about a cup of fresh or frozen cranberries with enough flour and sugar to coat the individual berries. Form bread dough into balls (size is about half way between a golf ball and a tennis ball). Make a large hole in a dough ball with your thumb and pack with about a tablespoon of the cranberry mixture and reshape the ball so the cranberries are in the center. When all the balls are stuffed - and this make take awhile depending on the ages of your helpers - bake as you would dinner rolls. We usually set them seam side down in a lightly greased cast iron skillet but muffin pans would probably work too. Bake at 375 to 400 until lightly brown.
Whew! what a long winded explaination...