Bread Recipe

AHH! I hate this new blogger. It will never format my posts right! Someone help me!

This is my go-to recipe that I make about every other week. I love it. And it's basically like yummy vitamins because of all the grains and seeds in it. :) I tried adding shelled pumpkin seeds to it today, so I will post a pic later on and tell you how the pumpkin seeds are in it.

 Bread

2 c warm milk

 3/4 c warm water

1 T salt

1 T yeast

1/3 c olive oil

1/3 c honey

2 T + 1 1/2 t wheat gluten

 6-7 c fresh ground flour ( I usually do 5-6 cups wheat and 1-2 cups ground oats)

 I add flaxseed, poppy seed and toasted unsalted sunflower seeds along with the flour--not sure how much, just what looked like a good amount. Probably about 1 T poppy seed, 2 T flax seed and 1/4 c sunflower seeds.

 Grind your wheat while your yeast is activating in water and salt. After you have ground your wheat your yeast should be activated. (5 minutes.) Add remaining ingredients one at a time.

 Add flour 2 C at a time. When flour pulls away from sides then stop--too little is better than too much. Add 3/4 c more flour and mix dough for 8 minutes on medium speed.

 Let rise until double, then punch down, form into loaves, and let rise in pans. Cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes in pans, then let finish cooling on a rack. Makes 2 large loaves.

Monster Cookies

I've probably eaten 12 of these cookies just in the last three days (and these are BIG cookies, too).  Everybody loves a good monster cookie.  This recipe was given to me by a lady in California that Johnny met on his mission.  She was kind enough to let us stay at her house for a couple of days on our trip back there a few weeks ago.  Even kinder, she made a batch of her famous monster cookies for us to enjoy on our 2,000 mile road trip!  Kindest of all, she just sent me the recipe so I can make them as often as I want to! Thanks Jeannie!

Monster Cookies

6 eggs

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups white sugar

2 cubes butter (1/2 lb.) Don't even consider margarine.

about 1/2 Tbs. corn syrup (I halved this recipe for your convenience, and the corn syrup doesn't need to be exact.  Don't worry - it makes many, many cookies.)

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups Skippy crunchy peanut butter (this is no time for healthy peanut butter)

Cream all of this in a really big mixing bowl with a hand mixer.  It will be too much for a stand mixer.  Then add your dry ingredients (you may need a good ol' fashioned wooden spoon from this point on):

9 cups Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, the quick kind.  I like the old fashioned for a chewier texture, but the other would do in a pinch.

4 tsp. baking soda (which is why there is no salt in the recipe)

2 cups or so chocolate chips

2 cups or so plain M&Ms (I don't measure these, I just go until I get the desired amount of color)

I use 1/4 cup dry measuring cup that is sprayed with Pam to get the cookies the same size.  Lay them out on an ungreased cookie sheet and press them down a bit.  I usually fit 6 on a sheet.  You will have to spray more Pam on the measuring cup occasionally, but that or an ice cream scoop that releases help the cookies stay uniform in size.  Sometimes for Fathers' Day at church I make them bigger.  Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.  Your oven may need a few more minutes, but I like them to still be softer and a bit chewy.  Enjoy!

You have to make these cookies!  They're basically super healthy, too, which is always a plus.  At least they have oatmeal and peanut butter so we can tell ourselves that.