Bagels (New York Style)

Mark decided to surprise us with bagels. He and Megan made them with shredded white cheddar cheese and they were wonderful.

Roosterkoek (Braai Bread)

We learned this recipe from Rose H., a friend in Swaziland.  The dough can be made early and set aside until ready to braai (grill).  We often enjoy this instead of store bought rolls when we cook outdoors.

English Muffin Bread

Not quite as good as English Muffins, but a lot less work! This makes great toast. It always bakes up with a flat top, so I only let it rise to the top of the pan.

Cornmeal Raisin Bread

I do not remember when I was given this recipe from Mom M. If you use yellow corn meal, the bread will have a light yellow tint.

Megan thinks it tastes like hot cross buns but without the icing.

Meringue

Audrey learned how to first make these when she was eleven. She continues to make them, usually with chocolate chips and occasionally with pecans.

Meringues are not super hard to make, but they will not set up on a humid day or if there is any yolk in the egg whites. Sometimes it feels as if you have to beat the whites “forever”. But these are well worth it

Hot Cross Buns

Oma gave this recipe to Mark many years ago after she made them for Easter dinner and he really enjoyed them and wanted to make more. Her original recipe did not call for most of the spices, but we prefer them with it.

Grandma Bea’s Sour Milk Cupcakes

Grandma Bea gave me this recipe many years ago. I was in Boston at the time and must have asked how to use up some sour milk we had.

For some reason, these cupcakes stick to cupcake liners. You can use them if prefer, but it is better to bake these in unlined muffin pans that have been greased and floured with cocoa powder.

The cupcakes are good plain or lightly glazed.

Chocolate Cake

Aunt Bonnie made this cake for Dad McGuire’s birthday in 2011. It is simple, but very good. It also made a great cake for Adrian’s 14th birthday. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or a glass of milk!

The recipes calls for a 9×13 pan. If you prefer use two round cake pans. Be sure to grease and flour the pans well.

Over Night Flat Bread

After making a batch of bread dough, we discovered that our oven died. Instead of throwing the dough away, we decided to try making flat bread with it. The bread turned out much better than expected.

We made the dough and let it sit overnight. The first batch of bread (after about 18 hours sitting) was perfect. The second night’s bread was still good but was starting to taste a little strong (sitting close to 32 hours). We recommend letting the dough set no longer than 24 hours.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

When Allan started cutting gluten from his diet, a friend from work gave him this recipe. It is good fresh, but we think it tastes better toasted. It works very well for sandwiches also.

A few helpful hints on this bread:

  • To keep gluten free, but sure to check ingredient labels.
  • The bread will stick, so use a nonstick bread pan or grease the pan well. If it does stick, let it sit a few minutes before trying to remove from pan.
  • Do not let the dough rise over the pan, it will “boil over” and make a mess.
  • Also, be sure to bake the bread long enough. It may sound hollow, but still be sticky inside. A thermometer should read between 208-210 when done.
  • Let cool before cutting. It does not have to be completely cooled though.