High-Protein Bread Recipe

I love to eat bread and remembered this delicious high-protein bread at the store, so I decided to try making it myself to see how hard it would be.  I did make this in my Breville Bread Machine as I figured it would be a little sticky to deal with, and since my gluten-free bread always comes out perfect - this should work as well.  In the interest of saving time for this recipe, I would recommend making your quinoa beforehand and not right when you decide to make this bread.  This loaf is pretty delicious, it's chock full of great stuff - even my 16-yo daughter thought it tasted great.  No need to feel guilty eating bread with this!

1 cup of quinoa - you will need to cook this with 2 c. water
1 c. warm water
1/4 c. honey
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. honey, roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 c. flax seeds
1/4 c. roasted, salted watermelon seeds
1/2 tsp. freshly, grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten

In the bowl of your bread machine place the warm water, honey, eggs, olive oil, salt and all the cooked quinoa.  Then add the flour, finished by all the remaining ingredients on top.  Set for 1.5 lb loaf with medium crust and turn on.  I always monitor the bread initially in the machine just to make sure everything is mixing properly - so I would recommend watching this for the first 4-5 minutes and scrape the sides with a spatula to ensure all of the ingredients are getting incorporated.  Then you can shut the top and walk away.

Sausage & Mushroom Pudding

Rethink the traditional and make a batch of this savory pudding for breakfast or your Thanksgiving/Christmas meal.  You can use any type of stale bread for this recipe, yet I prefer to buy a loaf of roasted-garlic peasant bread.  I cube it up, then place it in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes, turn off the heat and take the bread out after another 40 minutes.  I also prefer to prepare this the night before, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it so the bread has a chance to soak up all the liquid.

1 - 16 oz. loaf peasant bread, cubed and dried out
1 lb. country sausage
10 oz. package fresh, sliced mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1/4 c. chopped sage
1/4 c. chopped chives
3 cups half & half
6 eggs
3 tbsp. dried or fresh parsley
2 tbsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Fry sausage in a large skillet and add mushrooms and onion after it has browned and rendered most of its' fat.  Saute mushrooms and onions until they have released their juices and are softened, roughly 5-7 minutes.   Remove from heat and set aside.

Arrange dried bread into a 9X13 pan or desired pan of choosing.  Sprinkle chopped sage and chives over the top, followed by evenly distributing the sausage mixture on top as well.

In a blender combine half & half, eggs, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper - blending to combine thoroughly.  Pour over mixture in pan and gently stir to evenly distribute.  Cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator overnight.

Remove from refrigerator one hour before baking to take the chill off.  Cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and place back into oven for 15 more minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for ten minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread

What could be more fun that taking this classic sandwich and making it into an actual loaf of bread!  The loaf itself is infused with creamy, peanut butter with a swirl of raspberry jam.  Soft or toasted, this is sure to bring out the kid in everyone!  This recipe is for the Breville Bread Maker, but can surely be adapted to be make in a regular oven as well.  You will need to pull out the loaf from the bread machine after the second rise to remove the paddle and roll out the dough to spread with jam and re-roll it back up.

1 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp sugar
3 3/4 c bread flour
2 tsp. wheat gluten
2 tsp. yeast
1/2 cup raspberry jam - for filling


Place ingredients into bread machine pan in order listed.  Set loaf on basic setting, lightest crust option and 2 lb. loaf size.  Turn machine on and allow to mix, knead and rise twice.  After the second rise and punch down, PAUSE machine then remove the dough and paddle attachment - set paddle attachment aside.  Roll out dough into a 9X16" rectangle, spread with jam leaving a 1" border.  Taking one of the short-sided ends lift 1/3 up and over on top - repeating the with other short end, so you have three 1/3's layered.  Roll up long end , pinching seam and tucking into bottom.  Place back into bread machine loaf pan, cover and turn machine back on.

Remove loaf when done, let cool completely - slice and serve!

Maple Syrup Bread

Delicious maple syrup is infused into this load of bread - I only use Burton's Maple Syrups.  Soft or toasted, this is sure to be a hit.  Make a second loaf and let it dry out to make a new twist on french toast or bread pudding.  This recipe is for the Breville Bread Maker, but can surely be adapted to be make in a regular oven as well.

1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp sugar
4 c bread flour
1 tbsp. wheat gluten
2 tbsp. buttermilk powder
2 tsp. yeast


Place ingredients into bread machine pan in order listed.  Set loaf on sweet, lightest crust option and 2 lb. loaf size. Remove loaf when done, let cool completely - slice and serve!

The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe

I personally do not have an intolerance to gluten, but I know many people that do.  After many trials and tests, I hope this recipe allows many people to have that piece of bread they have denied themselves of for years.  The gluten-free, whole-grain flour I use is by Cooqi - I chose them after using several different brands and finding that the advantages with Cooqi are many.  First and foremost, it is their attention to quality ingredients, like whole grains that I have not found in the marketplace.  Second, is the tenderness of the final product.  The crumb closely resembles actual bread.  The recipe below can be halved to make a smaller loaf if you desire.

I prefer to make gluten-free bread in a machine as it keeps all the ingredients in place and allows me to go about my day without having to monitor anything.  The bread maker I choose to use is by Breville and sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma.  After making this recipe many times, I advise you to stay present in the beginning.  After placing the ingredients in the machine, I keep the lid open and use a spatula to make sure the ingredients are mixing well - this should roughly require your attention for two minutes until it begins to knead the mixture.  At this point, you can close the lid and go about your day.

1 package Cooqi Pizza & Pita Mix (yeast packets included - you will use one)
2 cups milk or buttermilk
2 whole egg + 4 egg whites
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. olive, canola or vegetable oil
2 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. xantham gum

Combine all of the wet ingredients into a liquid measuring cup and using a fork, beat to combine and break up the egg.  Pour into loaf pan that you have inserted into the bread machine.

Pour half package Cooqi Pizza & Pita mix (roughly 2 1/2 cups) into loaf pan on top of liquid ingredients.  Sprinkle with salt, xantham gum and one of the yeast packets included with the mix.

Set Breville Bread Maker to Gluten Free, select lightest crust setting and press Start.  Keep lid open and as ingredients begin to mix, use a spatula to scrap edges and corners inward to make sure everything gets incorporated.  Once the mixing changes speed and goes faster, close cover and allow the rest of the process to complete.  When finished, remove pan immediately and invert to remove loaf from pan.  Allow to cool to warm or completely, slice and enjoy.

Pan de Muerto - Bread of the Dead

In the Mexican tradition, this sweet, buttery bread is a staple at Day of the Dead celebrations - a holiday honoring those who have passed away.  Here my recipe is chocked full of butter, eggs, orange zest and orange flower water.  Glazed with butter after baking and sprinkled with a healthy dose of sugar - it is sure to be a hit any time of the year to honor loved ones that have passed away.

1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. active dry yeast
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp. salt
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp orange blossom water
Zest of 1 orange
6-7 cups all-purpose flour

In a microwave safe measuring cup, combine buttermilk and sugar.  Heat for roughly one minute to warm mixture, remove from microwave and mix together with fork to dissolve sugar.  Add yeast once it is warm - make sure the mixture is not too hot or it will kill the yeast.  Let yeast rest for a few minutes to proof so you know that your yeast is active - it should begin to produce a foamy top.

Place yeast mixture into bowl of a stand mixer and add melted butter, eggs, salt, orange zest and orange blossom water - and 5 cups flour (make sure you sift your flour with a whisk before you measure).   Place dough hook into machine, raise bowl and turn mixer on medium low.  You will need to watch the dough at this point to see when it comes together.  After around two minutes, if the dough is not forming a ball - add another 1/2 cup of flour and watch the mixture, repeating this until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.  You should be able to grab the dough with your fingers and it will feel soft and not stick to your fingers.

Remove dough from bowl and line with soft butter or baking spray.  Place dough in bowl and turn to coat, cover and place in a warm place until dough has doubled in size - at least one hour, up to 1.5 hours.

Remove dough from bowl and divide in half.  Then take roughly a tennis-ball sized hunk of dough out of half and set aside.  Form each larger half into a ball and place onto a silpat-lined baking sheet, pressing each with the palm of your hand to lightly flatten it.  Take each tennis ball sized hunk of dough and divide in four.  Make a ball out of one fourtth and set on baking sheet.  Roll the other three pieces into ropes and using your index and middle finger press indents into to rope and lay each rope evenly over the top of the main ball of dough.  This mimics the bones.  Let rise for 30-45 minutes in a warm place, covered with plastic to keep from drying out.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Before placing into the oven, wet the bottom of the small ball with water and place on the very top of the dough ball.  Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, turning pan around half way through if necessary.

Remove from oven and place bread onto a cooling rack.  After 15 minutes, coat with unsalted butter and sprinkle with sugar to coat.  Let cool completely and serve.