When it comes to donuts it dosen’t get better than homemade!Fresh donuts are best when it comes to taste experience as far as donuts are concerned and it doesn’t get fresher than homemade. You’re also in control of the ingredients so they can be a little healthier as well. Orange zest and vanilla are used to flavor the dough lending a light and fresh flavor to these donuts making them super delicious! This donut recipe is really easy and makes a wonderful fluffy donut. You can top these with the super easy to make glaze recipe that I’ve included or you can just roll them in cinnamon sugar. You’ll love these light fluffy donuts either way! For easy to follow instructions and the full recipe watch the video below.
Donuts Recipe Easy
For the dough
1/2 to 2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 package yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup warm milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
For the Icing
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (use clear extract for the vanilla)
• 2-3 tbs water (use milk for the vanilla)
•1/2 cup cocoa powder for the chocolate
In a large bowl mix together the warm milk, yeast, salt and sugar. Cover and let rest for five minutes or until yeast starts to foam. Then mix in butter, egg, vanilla extract and orange zest. Add flour gradually then knead by hand. When dough reaches a nice smooth consistency form into a bowl and let rise for about 40 minutes or until it doubles in size. Roll out dough , cut out donuts and let rise on a lightly greased surface for about 20 minutes. Fry in vegetable oil for about a minute or two on each side on low very heat. Flip over to ensure even browning. Place on a wire rack intially then transfer to parchment paper or paper towels. Parchment paper has less chemicals and will absorb any excess oil that hasn’t dripped off while on the wire rack. While donuts cool make your Icing! Take one cup of powdered sugar in a medium bowl, add vanilla extract and oil, stir a bit, add cocoa powder if making chocolate, then add water or milk gradually stiring until you reach the consistency you want.
A simple basic lemon bundt cake recipe. Sometimes the simple things in life can be the best. This lemon bundt cake is so easy to make you’ll love it! Moist and delicious, flavored with lemon and a hint of vanilla it’s topped off with a vanilla/lemon drizzle icing. Yogurt in this recipe is what keeps this cake moist and flavorful adding just a little bit of extra zing to that lemon and the vanilla balances it all out creating a wonderful lemon flavor with depth. For the full recipe with easy to follow instructions check out the video below.
Whole-wheat bread made from 100% whole-wheat flour is higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals than breads made from refined wheat.Most commercially made breads labeled as whole wheat in the US, actually have very little whole grain wheat. They’re mostly made from white flour with caramel color added to give the illusion that they have more whole wheat than they actually do.
Humans have been baking bread for thousands of years. Wheat was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent, an area in the Middle East, known as one of the cradles of civilization ,an area where farming first emerged.
You could say bread gave rise to society as we know it today. It played a key role in the formation of human society. As cultivation spread from the Middle East towards Europe, North Africa,and then Asia it led to a more structured society, towns were created, and a less nomadic lifestyle was possible. This is turn led to more shophisticated and organized forms of society. In the Amercas this also happened with maize and in China with rice.
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Remnants of a flatbread made from wild wheat and wild barley,dating back to between 14,600 and 11,600 years ago have been found in the Black Desert of Jordan. Bread dating back over 9,000 years has also been found at neolithic sites in Turkey and Europe. There has been much evidence of bread baking in ancient Egypt with sourdough being their preferred and primary source of leavening.
In medieval times in Europe bread was part of the table service, with food served on a piece of stale bread called a trencher, as a sort of absorbent dish. When you were done with your meal, you could eat your dish!
Up until the nineteenth century bread in Europe was made with extremely harmful ingredients like chalk,sawdust, alum, plaster and even clay.
That came to an end in the late 1800’s with the passing of the Food Adulteration Act in Britain. It was however more difficult in the United States as different states have different regulations for bread making.
Bread baking was industrialized in the early twentieth century. Whole grain breads were discovered to have higher nutrional content in that time period as well.
Chemical additives are used in commercially prepared breads to speed up mixing, rising time and enhance texure.Some very good reasons to make your own. Aside from that your bread will be far tastier, there is nothing better than a nice hot loaf of bread fresh out of the oven! Check out the video posted below for an amazingly easy 100% whole wheat bread recipe with easy to follow instructions.
Ingredients
3 1/2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of honey
1teaspoon of salt
1 package of dry active yeast.
2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
Directions
In a large bowl add the water, honey, oil, salt, and yeast mixing well until everything is thoroughly dissolved. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes or until you can see the yeast bubbling on the top.
Gradually add in flour until firm enough to knead. Knead for about five minutes by bring the outer edges of the dough to the center and pressing down firmly.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
Knead a bit until dough is smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
Warm oven slightly, then turn off. (only needed in cold weather)
Place dough in lightly greased pan, brush with water, make several cuts on top, sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) then let rise a bit more in an oven that is warm but not turned on.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit
Once dough has doubled in size bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
For thousands of years corn called maize,has been ground and used to make all kinds of breads. The corn we use today started out over 10,000 years ago as a plant called teosinte which grew in southern Mexico.
Teosinte was very different from the corn we grow today. The undomesticated plants were much smaller, bore only one cob and it’s kernels were much smaller and harder. It took thousands of years of human cultivation to get it as it is today. Evidence has been found to indicate that it was cultivated as far back as 6,000 years ago in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico.
The Aztec and Mayan civilizations used stoneground cornmeal to make tortillas and tamales. For many Aztecs cornmeal was a primary source of sustainance, consumed with beans it created a perfect protein. It has been used as a staple food around the world for many centuries.
In the United States the use of corn was introduced to settlers by Native Americans. While wheat crops thrived in the north and wheat breads were the popular choice, it was too hot and humid for wheat crops to thrive in the south. Corn crops were planted instead and did very well. Cornbreads became very popular as they were easy yo make. The original cornbreads were very basic being a simple mixture of cornmeal and water which was then baked over an open fire. Eventually other ingredients started being added, eggs,butter, and milk and that is how corn bread as we know it today was created.
Very easy to make corn bread, or corn muffins take only a few minutes to make and are a perfect as a treat on their own or as a side to a meal. Check out the video below for my favorite super easy recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1cup milk
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 teasp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
In a bowl mix together all your dry ingredients.
In a seperate bowl whisk together the egg, milk and oil. Once thoroughly mixed slowly add the dry ingredients mixing just until moistened. Do not over mix. Spoon into muffin tins or pour into greased and floured loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees farenheit until lightly golden brown on top. Approximately 15-20 minutes depending on your oven.
Did you know that chocolate cake as we know it now simply did not exist until the early 1900’s? It wasn’t until 1764 when Dr.James Baker discovered how to make chocolate by grinding cocoa beans between two massive circular millstones that chocolate started to become more widely used. At first it was a luxury item that few could afford. In 1828 a new processing technique was discovered making it available on a wider basis which transformed it into a more common snack item. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s late 1800’s however that it was available in a form that would allow it to be added to cake batters, up until then it was only used in glazes and fillings as it wasn’t refined enough. In 1886 bakers in America started adding chocolate to their cake batters and that is how chocolate cakes had their start in the United States. Thank goodness! I love a good chocolate cake and I can’t imagine life without it!
In the video below you’ll find my favorite recipe for a really good, moist chocolate cake. It’s a great basic recipe that yields an amazing chocolate cake and is super easy to make. You can whip this up in just a few minutes in your kitchen. I’ve frosted it with a chocolate ganache and filled it with fresh ,lightly sweetened chocolate whipped cream and it’s truly incredible. This cake is so moist and delicious though it’s also great with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar or nothing at all!
Vasilopita is a greek sweetbread cake that is traditionally made the night before and served on new years day in Greece. The sweetbread is flavored with cinnamon, and orange zest giving it a light citrusy flavor. It’s often flavored with mastic gum as well, a natural gum collected from the mastic trees on the island of Chios, which lends a wonderful and unique flavor to this delicious sweetbread.
The vasilopita cake is baked with a coin hidden within it. When the cake is cut and served on new years day whoever gets the slice with the coin in it is said to have good luck for the year! It’s a wonderful and fun tradition.
There are many legends regarding the history of this tradition. One is that St.Basil wanted to allow people their dignity when he was giving charity to the poor so he baked bread with coins hidden within the loaves and then gifted the bread.
New years is not the only time this delicious sweetbread is made in Greece. It’s also baked on easter ,minus the lucky coin, and throughout the year as a simple braided sweetbread which is called tsoureki.
Fairly easy to make at home yourself this wonderful sweetbread is a wonderful addition to your table any time of the year. For the full recipe and an easy to follow walk through on it check out the video posted below.
Coconut custard pie, one of my favorite pies! Let me start by saying that aside from being delicious coconut custard pies are very easy to make! They come together so quickly, the hardest part is waiting for them to cool off enough to eat! Added bonus, baking one will fill your home with the delightful aroma of toasted coconut. You can make your own pie crust as I do or use store bought, either way this pie will come out so good!
The ingredients needed are for the pie crust are simple, I rcomend making your own. They’re really easy to make and well worth the effort of learning to make.
The custard filling in this pie is super easy and only takes a few minutes to make, a pretty fool proof recipe!
Baking time is about 20 to 25 minutes at 325 degrees farenheit. Let cool thoroughly and enjoy!
For the full recipe and easy instructions watch the video below.
Italian Rainbow cookies have always been one of my favorite cookies to bake during the holiday season. I love these little cookies anytime of the year, but during the holidays they really shine as they’re so festive looking! Italian rainbow cookies aka Venetian cookies, or tri color cookies consist of thin layers of almond cake between layers of apricot jam and then covered with chocolate. The result is an amazing fragrant and delicious cookie.
We used to get these at italian bakeries in New York and they were so amazing! The very best ones of course are those baked by italian grandmas who will bake these for you on holidays or as a special treat every once in awhile!
These delicious bite sized cookies are fairly easy to make, and while they may be a little involved they are well worth the effort. They are really more of a cake than a cookie which is then cut into individual cookies. So making these only entails making one batter which is divided into three portions and then adding food color to achieve that tri color effect. The red, white and green are meant to symbolize the colors of the italian flag. You can omit the colors if you like these cookies are just as delicious with or without or you can use different colors for other occasions.
To get my full recipe and easy to follow instructions on making these watch the video below. I also show you the trick on how to cut them without cracking the chocolate topping.
Over the years I’ve developed several different brownie recipes. This one is one of my favorites though. It’s super easy to make and the recipe yields a wonderful fudgy brownie. Perfect for those moments when you want a quick snack or dessert. A few minutes, a few simple ingredients and one bowl is all you need to make these wonderful fudgy brownies. Keep this recipe on hand, jot it down on a recipe card or bookmark this page, as these brownies are so easy to make this recipe comes in handy on many occassions. For the full recipe and easy to follow instructions check out the video posted below.
I love butter cookies. That rich melt in your mouth buttery flavor just delights me! Just a basic cookie and yet they can be so good! I also love the fact that they are so easy to make, just a few simple ingredients and you can get an amazing butter cookie. I created this recipe for them years ago after trying out a few recipes that didn’t quite pan out for me. 😀 This butter cookie recipe yields an amazing and flavorful butter cookie. The dough is extremely versatile and easy to work with. They can be piped out of a pastry bag onto your baking sheet or rolled out and cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters. They make a great treat anytime of the year but they also make a great holiday cookie as they are easily decorated, either by sprinkling a little sugar on top prior to baking for a little extra sparkle, or icing them after baking. For the full recipe and easy to follow directions check out the video below.
I wanted a layer cake that would be moist, rich and flavorful. Easy to make was also high on my priority list. This is the recipe I created one night in a moment of inspiration while reflecting on some of my older holiday recipes. I tested it out the next morning and I was not disappointed! It makes for a great anytime treat and also works well as a holiday dessert. Four golden, rich delicious layers of almond cake infused with ginger syrup and nestled between an incredible fresh ginger cream. The flavors and textures in this layer cake come together beautifully, creating a taste experience you won’t want to miss out on!
