https://alexandracooks.com/2021/06/26/how-to-make-ciabatta-bread/
Easter Sweet Bread
(Updated Recipe)
Ingredients
The Yeast Mixture
2 large household yeast + 3 Tbsp sugar
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk (don’t use all the liquid—may not need it)
3/4 cup warm water (may not need all the liquid)
The Bread Dough
1 whole pound of butter—softened in microwave 20 to 25 seconds
8 eggs beaten with fork
2 ¾ cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt (Note: handwritten edit says: cut to 1 tsp salt)
12 to 14 cups flour (start with 12)
1/2 tsp vanilla (handwritten addition)
Topping for Bread (Double It)
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar (Note: Aunt Marie only uses 2/3 cup sugar but I like it sweeter)
¾ cup soft butter (Note: handwritten edit says: 1 stick)
Instructions
Prepare Yeast: Make yeast mixture by crumbling yeast into a bowl and putting sugar over the top. Let it sit in a warm place until you see it liquefy. Sometimes I’ll stir it with a fork to move it along.
Mix Base: Cream sugar, salt, and margarine. Beat eggs into mixture and add vanilla. Start to add flour and milk/water alternately while mixing. Then beat in the yeast mixture. The dough is very sticky.
Knead & First Rise: Sprinkle extra flour and try to knead it a little bit. Put dough into a large pot and cover with a piece of cloth. Then cover the entire pot with blankets to keep it warm. Cover the entire top and sides of the pot with the blankets.
Topping: Make the topping once you put the bread into the pot to rise. Mix the ingredients like you would a pie crust.
Prep Pans: Grease your pans with Crisco and set aside. Let it rise for 2 hours and 10 minutes, punching it down once. Then throw it on the counter and knead it a little bit.
Second Rise: Fill your pans at least half way. Put the crumb topping on top of the pan. Cover the pans. (Handwritten note: “I filled it – it passed it again”)
Third Rise: Once in pans, let it rise for another 1 ½ hours. Keep house warm while making yeast bread.
Bake: Bake in 300 degree oven for approx 55 minutes—since I use different sizes of pans I try to watch to see it turn golden brown. Let it sit. Do not cut it right away. It cooks a little more as it sits and cools. Great toasted.
Baker’s Notes (Handwritten)
Yield: When I made it in 2007, it made 4 large loaves and 1 small one.
Rising: “Does not need to be more than half [full].”
Baking Story: “Got tired & threw it in oven after the [unreadable] turned oven on & it did beautifully.”
Batch Size: “Cooked longer because 4 large loaves… extra ~15 mins!”
- ¾ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
- Stir/whisk until fully combined.
- Use immediately or store in a jar or airtight container in the pantry or fridge. Good for about 2 months.
- 1 cup finely crushed graham cracker crumbs (about 7 whole graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 6 Tablespoons melted butter
- 12 marshmallows (regular size, not mini)
- 2 full size Hershey bars, unwrapped and divided into 24 pieces (typically one half of one of their divided pieces, although the picture looks like it showing a full piece)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and melted butter.
- Grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Scoop the graham cracker crust mixture into the 24 cups. Gently press the crumbs into the bottom of each cup and up the sides to form little cups.
- Bake the mini graham cracker crusts at 350F for 4 minutes until golden brown.
- Cut each marshmallow in half to make 24 round marshmallows. Place one marshmallow in each graham cracker cup, cut side of the marshmallow facing down.
- Set the oven to broil. Place the pan of s’mores in the oven under the broiler and broil for 1-2 minutes, just until the marshmallows are soft and beginning to look toasted. Note: the marshmallows can burn fast, so watch them very closely.
- Top each marshmallow with one piece of the Hershey’s Chocolate Bar. Allow the s’mores to cool for 15 minutes, then use a butter knife to lift them from the pan
Aunt Karen made these and they were delicious. Her recipe had the marshmallow on the top and the chocolate in the middle.
- Peel, wash, quarter, and pat dry the russet potatoes
- Fry on each side in extra light olive oil until brown
- Place potatoes in a pan to bake, adding large garlic pieces or small cloves, and the leftover olive oil in the pan
- 350 degrees until can easily poke a fork through them
Delicious.
4/14/25 – Learned that these have to be made last and served hot. Once they sit they lose something. Served them with fried chicken and I did the chicken last. Put the potatoes back in the oven to heat up and they weren’t as good.
½ bottle Chili Sauce-Heinz
½ bottle ketchup
½ tsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Butter
sweet relish
1 lb. Isaly’s chipped ham.
Cook all ingredients except sweet relish until thick. Add sweet relish and ham.
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¾ cups milk alternative like oat milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
- ½ cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¾ cups milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla.
PEARS/PEACHES & CHOCOLATE
- 15 ounce organic pears or peaches strained (1 3/4 cups)
- 1.5 cups dark or semi sweet chocolate
Melt chocolate and strain fruit. Mix at high speed. Pour into a loaf pan lined with parchment. Top with chopped chocolate and flakey sea salt. Let harden in a cool place.
APPLESAUCE & CHOCOLATE
- 2 cups chocolate
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1 Hu chocolate bar
Melt chocolate in microwave with coconut oil, microwaving 30 seconds at a time in a glass bowl. Stir in applesauce until thickens. Line pan with parchment and pour in the half size of a 9 x 12 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Melt a Hu bar and pour over the top. They put it in the fridge until it hardened. Tastes like a fudgy brownie.
CARROTS & CHOCOLATE
- 9 oz dark chocolate
- 15 oz cooked carrots
Melt chocolate in microwave. Put carrots into high speed blender and add melted chocolate. Pour into little cups and refrigerate
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup pumpkin
- This works as a substitute for 3 eggs:
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup banana
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3 Tbsp oat milk (I added because there wasn’t enough liquid)
1/4 cup into lined muffin tins, I used 2 of my large scoops
350 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes
These are good only if served with fig butter but I’m really not a fan. When eat one it feels heavy in your stomach.