Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe

This easy breakfast casserole recipe is a Schmidt family recipe shared through their Our Family History Cookbook.  (Check out some other recipes from the cookbook, like the Apfelkuchen Overnight Coffee Cake or Wilma’s Scalloped Potatoes with Ham.) Dwaine’s mother and sister, Betty, did a tremendous amount of work putting this cookbook together, and it contains not only good, trustworthy recipes, but saves a lot of …

Whole Wheat v Whole Grain

Whole Wheat v. Whole Grain

Whole Wheat v. Whole Grain: What’s the difference and is one better for you than the other?   Well, in a perfect world, there would be no difference at all.  If a label said “Whole Wheat” you would be able to assume that it contained all three parts of the wheat kernel: Alas, marketers are geniuses at selling their product, and if they have to …

Whole Wheat Baking

Baking with Whole Wheat Flour

I love baking with whole wheat flour.  Not just because I believe it’s healthier to use the whole grain, but I really do prefer the taste.  Whole wheat products have a nuttier, heftier feel to them.  You won’t get “wedding cake” smoothness out of a whole wheat recipe, but then, you won’t have that cloying, gummy mouthfeel, either. Whole wheat flour is simply flour made …

Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

For an item consisting of three ingredients, buttermilk biscuits sure can be tricky.  I’ve baked up plenty of hockey pucks over the years, and had almost resigned myself to a biscuit-less life.  Until I shared my frustrations with my friend in Georgia, who showed me the Southern secrets to buttermilk biscuit success.  This genuine Southern Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe is nothing special – it doesn’t vary …

Whole Wheat Bread with Honey

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Flour, water, yeast, salt, fat and something for the yeast to eat – the basic building blocks for a loaf of American-style bread. But of course, the proportions of each element are important, too. This Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe provides that. It yields two, soft-crust loaves, and is perfect for the bread machine. Why Honey Whole Wheat Bread? I’ve talked about the benefits of …

Apfelkuchen Overnight Coffee Cake

Apfelkuchen Overnight Coffee Cake

I’ve spent a lot of time in Germany, particularly Berlin, and this version of apfelkuchen (apple cake) is very similar to what I’ve found in the bakeries there. Never too heavy on the sugar, European pastries are often sweetened naturally with fruit. Apples are very common, but you see many fruit tarts loaded with any seasonal fruit, as well as jam-filled sweet rolls or doughnuts, …

Chocolate cake

High Altitude Chocolate Cake

High Altitude Chocolate Cake – Baking chocolate cake at high altitude is one of the greater challenges in a baker’s life. Chocolate cakes tend to take more sugar, and sugar plus high altitude is a problem.  You can overcome this problem with trial and error, or you can use a tried-and-true recipe that will produce a moist, chocolaty cake without a lot of fuss. This …

Millionaire Shortbread Cups

Homemade Twix Bars (Original Millionaire Shortbread)

Are you a fan of Twix candy bars?  These Homemade Twix Bars are just a variation on my time-tested Best Millionaire’s Shortbread: Shortbread cookie layer, covered with rich caramel and topped with chocolate. This recipe for Homemade Twix Bars is gleaned from ground-zero for shortbread – Scotland. The story goes that shortbread evolved from the practice of baking any leftover bread scraps in a low …

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

Rich Moist Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

There are a million chocolate cupcake recipes out there.  The problem is, Which one produces a truly rich, moist chocolate cupcake?  I can tell you that this Rich Moist Chocolate Cupcake recipe has been analyzed and adjusted using the classic Bakewise text by Shirley O. Corriher.  It’s properly balanced between fat and sugar to give you the perfect, moist cupcake without being oily or overly …

Soft Molasses Cookies

Soft Molasses Cookies Recipe

There’s something about sinking your teeth into these Soft Molasses Cookies. It’s one of the simplest cookies to make – a great project for you and the grandkids – and the reward far surpasses the effort! With fall in the air, there’s nothing like the smell of cinnamon, ginger and cloves wafting from a warm oven.  And with such a simple recipe, you can whip …