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Instant Potato Bread

Monday, 15 August 2022

I am really excited to share this bread machine recipe with you today for Instant potato Bread! This is the most delicious loaf of bread I have ever made in the bread machine. I tell you no lie!

It has a beautiful crumb and a crisp crust. The interior of the bread is moist, fluffy and dense. And the flavor is amazing. In short it is perfect!

I know, on the outside it looks a bit wrinkly and ugly, but this is one case where you definitely do not want to be judging the book by its cover. If you were to overlook this one you are missing out on a real gem of a bread!

One of the local grocery stores sells store made potato bread and whenever they have it on the shelves it is one of the first breads to disappear.!!

Now, with this potato bread recipe, you don't have to wait for them to have it on the store shelves, nor do you have to wait until you have leftover mashed potatoes! It uses dry instant mashed potatoes!

This is an addictively tasty loaf, slightly tangy from the use of buttermilk, sweetened with honey and enriched with just a touch of olive oil!

I was a bit dismayed when I first saw the loaf. I thought to myself, could this loaf be any uglier . . . . but all of my reservations disappeared as soon as I cut into the loaf. What a beautiful tight crumb it had!

It also cuts beautifully into nice even slices for making sandwiches with or toasting. I have enjoyed a few slices of it toasted every day since I baked it. Yummy!

I adapted the recipe from a book by Beth Hensperger entitled, The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. If you have a bread machine you really need this book!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE INSTANT POTATO BREAD

1/2 cup (120ml) water
2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk
1 1/2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 TBS dark honey
2 1/2 cups (350g) bread flour
1/3 cup (20g) instant potato flakes
1 TBS vital wheat gluten
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast

The buttermilk in this recipe gives this bread a moist texture and a lovely bit of a tang. If you don't have buttermilk you can easily make your own by whisking together equal parts of plain full fat yogurt and full fat milk.

You can also make a good substitution by measuring 1 TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar into a cup measure and adding milk to make up the full measure needed. Leave to clabber for 5 to 10 minutes prior to using.

Bread machine loaves work best with bread flour. By that I mean flour that has a higher gluten count which is designed specifically for making bread.

I also recommend adding Vital Wheat Gluten, which, while it is not totally necessary, will give you a much nicer loaf and help your bread to rise higher. I have been most impressed since I started adding this ingredient to my bread machine loaves! I highly recommend!

I used Instant Potato Flakes. These are the ones you can buy in the store that, when reconstituted make mashed potatoes. I believe any brand will do.

The recipe specified dark honey. I am not quite sure what she meant by that, but I took it to mean a honey that is darker in color. Perhaps a honey that is not quite as refined?

I love Greek honey. It has a beautiful distinct flavor and a lovely deep amber color. This is what I used with most delicious results!

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POTATO BREAD

This is a bread machine recipe, but you could also just do the dough in the bread machine and then shape, raise and bake in a regular loaf pan if you prefer. I know many people prefer to bake their bread in the traditional way.

In that case just use the dough cycle on your machine. Remove the bread dough when done, shape and place into your loaf pan. Allow it to raise again and then bake in the conventional way.

To do this, preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Uncover the bread, place it in the oven, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. A digital thermometer inserted into the loaf's center should register at least 190°F/88*C.

If using a bread machine for the whole process follow the instructions as per your own model of bread machine for making a basic loaf, with a medium crust.

Place all of the ingredients into your bread machine according to the manufacturer's instructions for your particular machine. Make sure that the salt does not touch the yeast and that the mashed potato flakes are not in contact with the liquid ingredients, otherwise the potatoes will start to absorb the liquid and create a drier loaf.

Set crust on medium and program for a basic loaf. Press start.

Once the baking cycle has finished, remove the loaf immediately from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature prior to slicing.

This is a really lovely loaf. I have enjoyed it toasted and buttered, made into a tomato sandwich and on the first day I enjoyed it with a nice hot bowl of my Quick and Easy Chili. It went perfectly!

I am sure it would also be good alongside of any soup or stew. And if you are a person who loves bread and jam, this is your bread to use!

Some other bread machine recipes you might enjoy are:

MILK AND HONEY BREAD - This recipe produces a lovely tall loaf with a beautiful crumb. Soft, tender and slightly sweet. Perfect for sandwiches or along side a nice bowl of soup, stew or chili!

BASIC RUSTIC LOAF- Not 100% whole wheat but a beautiful combination of wheats, whole grain and other wise. It slices like a dream and has a beautiful texture, equal to or better than any store bought loaf out there. In fact I would say that is is far better than a store bought loaf!

Instant Potato Bread

Yield: 1 (1 1/2 pound) loaf

Author: Marie Rayner

This bread machine bread has a crisp crust, beautiful crumb and is fluffy and dense with a lovely moist interior. Add the dry potato flakes before the flour when you add your ingredients to the pan. This is a delicious loaf of bread!

Ingredients

1/2 cup (120ml) water
2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk
1 1/2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 TBS dark honey
2 1/2 cups (350g) bread flour
1/3 cup (20g) instant potato flakes
1 TBS vital wheat gluten
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients into your bread machine according to the manufacturer's instructions for your particular machine. Make sure that the salt does not touch the yeast and that the mashed potato flakes are not in contact with the liquid ingredients, otherwise the potatoes will start to absorb the liquid and create a drier loaf.
Set crust on medium and program for a basic loaf. Press start.
Once the baking cycle has finished, remove the loaf immediately from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature prior to slicing.

Notes

You can also make a 2-pound loaf. Contact me for measurements of ingredients.

Did you make this recipe?

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Scandinavian Almond Cake

Saturday, 13 August 2022

One of the secrets of a happy life is

continuous small treats!

~Iris Murdoch

Today is my Birthday! I am turning 67 today and am grateful for every moment that got me here. I think every birthday deserves a treat, a cake, a pie, something to celebrate it with!

With that in mind I have had my heart set on baking a Scandinavian Almond Cake ever since I saw my friend Noelle post a photo of one on her Facebook page the other day. It looked so delicious!

Traditionally a Scandinavian Almond Cake, or Norwegian Almond Cake as it is also known, would be baked around the holidays when people are celebrating. If a Birthday isn't cause for celebration I don't know what is and so I decided that I would bake it for mine!

One of the things on my bucket list was always to visit the Scandinavian countries while I was in the UK. I never did get there, but I think one of the best ways to visit a country is through its food. I love Swedish Meatballs and Swedish Butter Cookies that you buy in the tins at Christmas.

So today I am going to pop on a travel show, and sit down with a hot drink and a piece of this cake and go arm chair travelling. (I think I'll watch Somebody Feed Phil, the Copenhagen episode.)

Traditionally this cake would be baked in a special pan such as the one you see above. It is called a Scandinavian Almond Cake Pan. I bought mine on Amazon. I know it will come in handy for all sorts of bakes.

I love the half moon shape. I can see it done in chocolate with a chocolate glaze and slivered almonds sticking out all over like a hedgehog. Fun fun!

I have a special weakness for foreign dessert, especially cakes, and I have to say that this is one of the most delicious almond cakes I have ever baked and eaten.

It boasts a beautiful almond flavor throughout, from that beautifully textured cake to the sweet almond glaze which gets drizzled on top. There is even more almond flavor if you choose to scatter it with toasted flaked almonds.

Its not hard to toast almonds. A few minutes on a baking sheet in a moderate (350*F/180*C) oven does the trick perfectly. I would say five to six minutes. You don't want to burn them.

(Although I have to say there used to be a burnt almond chocolate bar that I really loved to eat. I have not seen it in years.)

This is a light and springy cake which is quite unlike most European cakes which are, generally speaking, quite a bit more dense.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE

Other than a special pan, you only need every day ordinary ingredients. I am also quite sure you could bake this cake in a loaf tin or a deep 9 inch round tin. Not sure on the timings however.

For the cake:

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 large free range egg
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
1 1/4 cups (175g) plain all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted

For the icing:

1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar, sifted
2 to 3 TBS heavy cream
few drops of almond extract
flaked almonds to decorate, toasted or not

I used Watkins pure Almond extract for my cake and large free range organic eggs. I buy my eggs at a place just around the corner from where I live. You can see the chickens running around in the yard.

They have a refrigerator on the porch of the shed with the eggs in it and an honesty tin. $5 a dozen for the most beautiful eggs with the brightest golden yellow yolks!

I use whole full fat milk and plain all purpose flour. Robin Hood is what I always buy. I like it. My sugar is organic unbleached sugar, so it is a bit brown in color, but as you can see that doesn't show in this cake.

I use salted butter because I cannot afford to keep both salted and unsalted butter in my house. There is no salt in this recipe, but generally speaking I will cut back on the salt in a recipe a bit anyways. You do need a little bit most of the time, but not a lot.

HOW TO MAKE SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE

This really is one of the easiest cakes to make. You can have it mixed and in the oven in about 10 minutes or so. I melt the butter in the microwave while I am mixing together everything else.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray the cake tin really well with baking/cooking/canola oil spray. Dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Place onto a baking sheet.

Beat the sugar, egg, almond extract and milk together with an electric hand whisk until smooth.

Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Beat this into the liquid mixture.

Continue to beat with the electric mixer whilst drizzling in the melted butter until thoroughly incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for five minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, whisk the icing sugar, almond extract and cream together until smooth. You should have a mixture that makes for a drizzle. If it is too thick, add a few drops of milk.

Drizzle this over top of the cake and scatter with flaked almonds if desired. I added a few cake sprinkles because, its my birthday and sprinkles on a birthday cake are a must!!!

Cut into slices along the ring lines. Will that be one ring or two?

Note - this cake was adapted from a recipe I found here.

I usually try to bake a delicious cake on most family birthdays. Some of my favorites are:

BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CAKE - My brother in law loves this delicious moist chocolate cake. Adapted from a recipe I found in a cookbook by Trish Magwood called Dish Entertains.

RASPBERRY CELEBRATION CAKE - This was a cake developed for the Queen's 60th Jubilee. It is moist and delicious and the cake I chose to bake for my birthday for many years. It is studded and filled with fresh raspberries.

VICTORIA SANDWICH CAKE - This is my all time favorite cake. Plain in looks, but fabulous flavors. Two moist layers of cake filled with sweet red jam and dusted with sugar. It is a real favorite cake for the tea table as well!

Scandinavian Almond Cake

Yield: 18 small or 9 regular

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min

This is one of the BEST almond cakes you could ever want to bake or eat. Its also one of the easiest! You do need a special pan, although I am quite sure you could also bake it in a deep 9 inch round cake tin

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 large free range egg
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
1 1/4 cups (175g) plain all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted

For the icing:

1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar, sifted
2 to 3 TBS heavy cream
few drops of almond extract
flaked almonds to decorate, toasted or not

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray the cake tin really well with baking/cooking/canola oil spray. Dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Place onto a baking sheet.
Beat the sugar, egg, almond extract and milk together with an electric hand whisk until smooth.
Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Beat this into the liquid mixture.
Continue to beat with the electric mixer whilst drizzling in the melted butter until thoroughly incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for five minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze, whisk the icing sugar, almond extract and cream together until smooth. You should have a mixture that makes for a drizzle. If it is too thick, add a few drops of milk.
Drizzle this over top of the cake and scatter with flaked almonds if desired. Cut into slices along the ring lines. Will that be one ring or two?

Did you make this recipe?

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Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwich with Bacon & Caramelized Onions

Tuesday, 9 August 2022

I am a person who is a huge fan of the hot sandwich. Well, in all honesty, I am a fan of any kind of sandwich really, but a hot sandwich gets my taste buds tingling in a really special way.

Especially when you start talking about hot ham and cheese sandwiches in foil. I always used to enjoy making Heavenly Ham & Cheese Hots for the missionaries when they came over to eat. But it is a hot sandwich for a crowd, and I am no longer a crowd.

But why shouldn't single people be able to enjoy the same types of foods as families or crowds? Why indeed! I have been on a quest over these past months to small batch some of my favorite eats for the smaller family.

This hot ham sandwich recipe I am sharing with you today is sized perfectly for one, although if you are more than one, you can certainly multiply it to feed as many people as you like, or even check out the recipe link I dropped above which makes 12 sliders.

This version is slightly different in that it uses a nice fresh Kaiser roll. Today I chose poppy seed. It also included sweet caramelized onions and crisp slices of smoky bacon.

This is the full deal! And yes, incredibly delicious!

I do not want to fall into the rut of eating frozen dinners or simply grazing, or eating out just because there is just me in the house. I shouldn't have to wait until I have people invited over to cook a nice meal.

There is no reason on earth why a singleton shouldn't eat as well as a family eats.

This is my quest at any rate and I am sure that there are many of you out there who have the same challenge, which is to cook decent, delicious meals for one or two.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HOT HAM & CHEESE SANDWHICH

with bacon and caramelized onions

I have managed to downsize the original and make it even tastier with a few special additions.

2 slices of bacon, fried until crisp (or as you desire)
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
pinch sugar
2 TBS butter, divided
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 fresh Kaiser roll
4 slices deli ham
2 slices deli swiss cheese

I am often able to buy bacon marked down because it is at its sell by date. I will usually pick up two packages. One package I will cook the whole thing. I then it into an airtight container with wax paper between the layers and freeze it, ready to take out when I have a need or a use for it.

This is much cheaper than buying the already cooked bacon in the shops, which is expensive and incredibly thinly sliced!

The other package I will open up, roll each slice up tightly and pop them all into an air tight zip lock baggie in a single layer, ready to take out one or two slices as and when I need it. It also chops incredibly well when frozen in the way for recipes that require your bacon to be chopped. I chop it while its still frozen!

The only faffy bit about this is caramelizing the onion. I suppose if you wanted to and were thinking straight, you could slice up a whole lot of onions and caramelize them, and then freeze them in small containers for later use.

Or, if it was available to you, you could use a caramelized onion chutney. Now that would be especially good. I miss all the different chutneys that were available in the UK. There are not a lot on offer here in Canada, although I suppose I could make my own.

I actually have plans to make a mango chutney next time mangos are on offer. I love mango chutney. Its one of the first things we learned how to make in Culinary College.

HOW TO MAKE HOT HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH

with bacon & caramelized onions

These really are very easy to make. Probably the most time consuming part is the caramelizing of the onions. If you are not keen you can always leave them out, but I highly recommend you do make them as they really add to the deliciousness of this tasty sandwich!

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.

While the oven is preheating, melt half the butter in a small skillet. Once it begins to foam add the sliced onions and a pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have begun to caramelize.

Melt the remaining butter in a small dish in the microwave. Whisk in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Have ready a large square of aluminum foil.

Cut your bun in half through the middle, horizontally. Brush both sides of the bottom half of the bun with some of the butter/mustard mixture.

Layer as follows. ham, cheese, onions, bacon.

Brush both sides of the top half of the bun with the butter/mustard mixture. Place on top of the sandwich, cut side down.

Place into the middle of the square of foil. Bring all of the sides of the foil up to cover the bun completely and twist to close.

Place onto a small baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sandwich is heated through and the cheese has melted.

Enjoy it while its hot.

This really is a delicious sandwich. I love the combination of salty and sweet. The saltiness of the bacon and the ham, the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the swiss cheese.

If you wanted to you could use honey mustard Dijon instead of plain Dijon. That would also be incredibly tasty!

You need only add some crisp vegetable sticks on the side and you have a really decent meal. Hearty and delicious and very easy to make!

I really am a fan of the hot sandwich and actually the sandwich altogether. Some of my favorites are:

ITALIAN BAKED SANDWICH -These are so delicious and easy to make. You can make one large one, or small individuals. Tasty either way you do it! With mayonnaise, mustard, layers of Italian cold cuts and cheese. All baked together in a toasty bun. Yummilicious!

ULTIMATE MEATLOAF SANDWICH - Not just any old meatloaf sandwich but a delicious combination of slices of leftover meatloaf, browned in a skillet and tucked between slices of crusty bread with lettuce, cheese and homemade onion rings. Delicious!

BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICH - Leftover cooked chicken, heated up in some BBQ sauce and piled between layers of toasty bun with some crisp, cool and creamy coleslaw. Fabulously tasty!

Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwich with Bacon & Caramelized Onions

Yield: 1 sandwich

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Quantities are for one delicious sandwich, but can be easily multiplied to feed more!

Ingredients

For one sandwich:

2 slices of bacon, fried until crisp (or as you desire)
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
pinch sugar
2 TBS butter, divided
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 fresh Kaiser roll
4 slices deli ham
2 slices deli swiss cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
While the oven is preheating, melt half the butter in a small skillet. Once it begins to foam add the sliced onions and a pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have begun to caramelize.
Melt the remaining butter in a small dish in the microwave. Whisk in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Have ready a large square of aluminum foil.
Cut your bun in half through the middle. Brush both sides of the bottom half of the bun with some of the butter/mustard mixture.
Layer as follows. ham, cheese, onions, bacon.
Brush both sides of the top half of the bun with the butter/mustard mixture. Place on top of the sandwich, cut side down.
Place into the middle of the square of foil. Bring all of the sides of the foil up to cover the bun completely and twist to close.
Place onto a small baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sandwich is heated through and the cheese has melted.
Enjoy it while its hot.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it # marierayner5530

Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!

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Instant Potato Bread