Brazilian Cheese Bread aka Pao de Queijo

Yum! Yum! Yum! This is so delicious and so easy! Everyone should try it and be happy.

It calls for using parmesan (which is delicious and what I did). But Mel also recommends after your first try to experiment with other cheeses. She really likes half parmesan half queso fresco. USE FRESH GRATED PARMESAN! The others (can and pre grated) will change the texture, which makes sense because they don't melt as well. 

Anyway make these. Be happy with your life.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/easy-brazilian-cheese-bread-pao-de-queijo/

1 large egg

1/4 cup canola or vegetable or olive oil

2/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cups tapioca flour (fluff the flour before measuring)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup packed shredded cheese, like Parmesan or Asiago (

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a mini muffin tin (this makes about 16-24 little breads so if you don't have a muffin tin large enough, you can just make separate batches after the first ones come out).
2. In a blender, combine the egg, oil, milk, flour and salt. Process until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender once or twice. Add the cheese and process for just a short bit, 5-10 seconds or a few short pulses, until the cheese is in small bits all throughout the batter.
3. Give the batter a good stir to get any solids off the bottom and pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin filling the cups nearly to the top.
4. Bake the pao de queijo until very lightly golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Don't let them get too brown on the bottom or they will be too crusty and not as chewy.
5. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for just a minute or two. They are best eaten warm! Don't worry if the cute little puffs fall a bit in the middle - that's completely normal.

Naan

I thought I had posted this a while ago, but I guess I hadn't. This naan is delicious and uses normal ingredients. And even if you don't make it with Indian food, it makes great personal pizza crust. We had buffalo chicken pizzas with it and it rocked. I love naan!

Since I don't have a pizza stone, I cooked them on the stove top in a frying pan. It worked great!

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/04/naan-indian-flatbread.html

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons, melted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour the milk into a liquid measure and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). If using active dry yeast, mix the sugar and yeast into the milk and let it sit for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is foamy and the yeast has activated. Once the yeast/milk mixture is foamy, pour the mixture into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour (proceed with the second paragraph of the recipe). If using instant yeast, pour the warm milk into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar, instant yeast, salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. Proceed as directed below.
2. Mix well to combine. Continue adding flour gradually in small amounts, until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough by mixer or hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly with greased plastic wrap, for about 2 hours.
4. After the dough has rested, turn it onto a lightly floured surface (I like to use my roul’pat for this) and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, rounding each into a ball shape. Cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F and place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven. (If you don’t have a pizza stone, try grilling the dough on a lightly oiled outdoor grill or use a hot griddle to bake the naan – you’ll have to experiment with cooking times but I’ve seen either of those methods used with cooking naan also.)
5. Once the dough has rested for 30 minutes, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6-8 inches wide, depending on how thin or thick you want your naan. Lay the circle of dough on the hot pizza stone and spritz lightly with water. Close the oven and bake the naan for 2-4 minutes, until it is lightly puffed (some pieces will puff more than others) and brown spots begin to appear on the top. Remove the naan from the baking stone and place on a cooling rack. Brush lightly with melted butter. Stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven. Cover with a towel and let the naan cool completely or serve warm.

Make Ahead Garlic Bread

This bread was AWESOME. So good. And quite easy. 

It was ideal for us because we buy a loaf of French Bread and the last like 1/4 gets forgotten about and goes stale or something. So this way I could just pull out 4 pieces from the freezer, throw it in the oven and we had delicious bread! And we will have delicious bread again later! Woohoo!

It cooked faster for me, but that could be because I had had the oven on roasting vegetables, so keep an eye on it. I think I cooked it for about 5-6 minutes on the first side, flipped it and cooked it for 3-4 minutes on the other side. 

Great bread. Glad I tried it. 

I had a picture but it was all blurry, so yeah. 

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/09/make-ahead-crispy-buttery-garlic-bread.html

• 12 tablespoons butter, softened
• 4 garlic cloves, very finely minced
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 12 (1-inch) slices Italian or French bread

DIRECTIONS

1. Using a fork, beat butter, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in small bowl until combined. Spread butter mixture evenly over both sides of bread.
2. Freeze the slices on a large baking sheet or plate until firm, about 15 minutes. After they are firm, transfer the slices to a freezer ziploc bag and freeze for up to one month.
3. To serve, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange bread on rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown on the first side, about 10 minutes. Flip and bake until golden brown on the second side, 6-7 minutes more. Serve.

NOTES

Note: To serve the bread immediately instead of freezing, bake buttered bread on rimmed baking sheet at 425 degrees for 8 minutes then flip and bake 5 more minutes on the second side.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

These were awesome. Since they use the same dough recipe as the pretzels, I just used half for pretzel bites and half for this. And they were even better than I expected!

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/12/buffalo-chicken-bites-sugar-rush-reinvented-9.html

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups cooked, finely diced chicken
• 8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce (more or less to taste)
• 1 recipe pretzel dough
• 2 tablespoons butter, for brushing

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the pretzel dough according to the recipe. As it is rising in the bag, prepare the filling by combining all the ingredients together in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and lightly spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
3. When the pretzel dough is ready to roll out, split it into two sections. Working with one section at a time, press or roll the dough into a long, thin rectangle - about 12-inches by 4-inches or so. Spread half of the chicken filling on the lower third of one of the long edges. Roll the dough tightly, cinnamon roll style, pressing the seam to seal well. Cut the dough into about 1 1/2-inch pieces and place on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. You can place them cinnamon roll style (with the filling facing up) or you can place them so that one of the dough edges is on the baking sheet and the other is topside up (so the filling sides are both facing outward).
4. Bake the buffalo bites for 8-10 minutes, until they are golden brown and the filling is bubbly and hot. Brush the hot bites with the melted butter. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese sauce for dipping, if desired.

Pretzel Bites

Tonight was an exciting dinner. I made these and dipped them in this and made this with the other part of the dough. So great and unhealthy :) Fortunately we did have salad and fruit, so that evens it all out, right?

Anyway these pretzel bites were so great! And really easy. And delicious. And fairly fast considering they're a yeast bread. Anyway I will stop waxing poetic. Make these. They're awesome.

Note on the dough: she said it should be pretty slack, and I was nervous because I thought my dough seemed quite stiff. So if your dough seems thick, don't fear! They were still incredible!

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/02/chewy-pretzel-bites.html

INGREDIENTS

Dough:
• 2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water
Topping:
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• Coarse salt (optional)
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven to 500°F. Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them (I’ve learned it helps to coat the parchment paper with cooking spray).
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.
4. Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
5. Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.
6. Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.

Divine breadsticks made even better

So, this is Mel's recipe, but I think I have the key to making it even better and easier :).

So, I followed the recipe with these changes:

You need a full cube of butter melted.  When you use that much they are even better than Pizza Hut breadsticks

First, after you mix/knead the dough and let it rest, take 3/4 stick of real butter melted and throw it in the jellyroll/cookie sheet pan.  Then just blop the dough on there and use a rolling pin and your fingers to squish it out onto the pan.

put the rest of the stick of melted butter on the top and sprinkle with garlic salt and maybe italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.

Then, take the pizza cutter and cut it into strips.

Let it raise bake as it says in the recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 ½ cups flour (I usually use a combination of unbleached all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour but use whatever you have on hand!)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted (for the baking sheet)--that is her thoughts.  Use a full cube-see above.

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all ingredients (except melted butter) in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread melted butter onto an 11X17-inch baking sheet (I ignore the rest of this and just squish it out on the baking sheet). Roll out the breadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Twist slightly if desired and place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt, herbs of choice (I vary this depending on my mood but it usually consists of rosemary, basil, or thyme in some form and crushed finely) and parmesan cheese.
2. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Garlic Herb Bread

This was good! Yum :). Jenn Alvey shared it with me.

4-4 1/2 c. flour

2 pkgs (1/4 oz ea) quick-rise yeast

1 3/4 tsp dill weed

3/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. butter, cubed

1 Tbsp butter, melted

3 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp basil

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp rosemary

1/2 c. water

1 egg

In lg. bowl combine 1 1/2 c. flour, sugar, yeast and seasonings. In sm. pan heat milk, water, and cubed butter to 120-130. Add to dry ingredients, beat just enough flour to form soft dough. Turn onto floured surface. Knead til smooth, 4-6 min. Cover and let sit 10 min. Divide into thirds. Place ropes on greased sheet. Braid. Pinch ends and tuck under. Cover and let rise in warm place til doubled about 25 min. Bake at 375 for 20-25 min or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Cool on rack.

Cheddar and Herb Biscuits

We had these with the lemon pasta. According to Sam, these were really what made the meal. I would probably decrease the garlic powder or the salt that you brush on the top by just a little. I thought it was a little overwhelming. And I used a fiesta blend of cheese that we had in the fridge. Yum. They were good and fast.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/03/cheddar-and-herb-biscuits.html

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3 tablespoons butter, cold
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, garlic powder and salt. Cut in shortening and butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Lightly mix in grated cheese. Mix in buttermilk just until moist (dry spots here and there are ok – the biscuits will be tough if they are overmixed).
2. Drop the biscuits onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until browned and golden.
3. While the biscuits are baking, in a small bowl combine three tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Right when the biscuits come out of the oven, brush the butter/herb mixture over the biscuits evenly (alternately, you can dip the top of the biscuit into the butter mixture). Serve immediately.

Soft Wrap Bread

I made this to go with a pita recipe that I thought looked interesting, I'll post it too. This bread is so good. So good. I had some for breakfast with butter and cinnamon and sugar. For lunch with this hummus stuff we got at the farmers market. It was real good.

I made it with half whole wheat flour and half white because it sounded healthier and because it's more filling and I'm into filling Sam up and having left overs. It was still so good with whole wheat flour. I'm half scared with how good it would be with just white flour.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/08/soft-wrap-bread.html

INGREDIENTS

• 3 to 3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 to 13 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) boiling water
• 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour OR 1/2 cup (5/8 ounces) potato buds or flakes (I used potato flakes)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast

DIRECTIONS

1. Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir until smooth. Lightly cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the slightly cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough. It may look like the flour/salt/oil/yeast mixture will never absorb into the boiling water/flour mixture. It will, I promise, but you may need to take it out of your electric mixer, if using one, and knead the flour in by hand or add it very gradually into your electric mixer.
3. Note: You can allow the dough to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it’s not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky (the dough is fairly stiff, so don’t be worried – just be careful not to overflour the dough). Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour (I let mine rise up to 2 hours).
4. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute per side (I cooked mine about 2-3 minutes per side and they didn’t dry out), until they’re puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

Homemade French Bread

I have made this at least a dozen times!

The only thinsg I do differently than our trusted friend Mel is
1- I drizzle in more oil after the flour is added
2-If I remember, when I put the bread in I throw some water in the bottom of my oven so that it steams and makes a better crust
3-and I tried rolling this out on an oiled surface instead of floured and it was good too!)

INGREDIENTS:
2 ¼ c. warm water
2 T. sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
5 ½ -6 cups flour-stirred before measured

DIRECTIONS:
Dissolve sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let this proof—or sit for a few minutes until it bubbles. Then add salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and beat well. Add in 2 1/2 -3 more cups of flour. The dough should clean off the sides of the bowl and not be too stick – but be careful not to add too much flour. Knead for a few minutes. and drizzle in a little more oil as you mix 

Leave the dough in the mixer to rest for 10 minutes and then stir it down (turn on your mixer for 10 seconds) and then allow to rest another 10 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times. Then turn dough onto a floured surface and divide into two equal parts. Roll each part into a 9×13 rectangle. Roll dough up, starting from long edge of loaf to seal. Arrange seam side down on large baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with corn meal, allowing room for both loaves. Repeat with second part of dough. With a sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at an angle on the top of each. Cover lightly; allow to rise 30 minutes.

 Brush entire surface with egg wash (one egg beaten slightly with 1 Tbsp of water). If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

If you remember, throw some water in the bottom of your oven so it steams right after you put your bread in (and shut the door really quick) Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Mom's Zucchini Bread Recipe

OK, so maybe you have this recipe, but I didn't have it until I called mom, so I am posting it here.

Hailey called this Gram's Brown "Zuchoni" Bread We Eat Breakfast

Preheat to 350 degrees
Oil and sugar bread pans (or you can do like me and remember to do this right before you pour it in...haha)

1/2 c applesauce
1/2 c veg oil
2 c sugar

Mix well

3 eggs
3 tsp vanilla

mix again-eggs and everything well incorporated

3 c flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder

If you do medium loaf pans, you get 3 and want to start checking the bread by inserting  toothpick at 45 minutes

If you do large loaf pans, you get 2 and want to start checking the bread by inserting a toothpick at an hour.

questions? ask mom.

Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

Warning: this recipe needs to sit in the fridge for at least a few (which I interpret to read three) hours.  I didn't catch that when I was making it the first time, so instead of eating it on a Saturday, when I started making it, I ate it on Sunday, with friends at Casey's house.  Yeah, my friends were incredibly happy with my mistake.  This bread now has the endorsement of game night friends, plus the elders who just happened to be at Casey's for game night on Sunday (weird, I know).  I thought this was wonderful.

From: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/05/cinnamon-pull-apart-bread/

Ingredients:

2 c. whole milk
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 c. sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 heaping tsp. baking powder
1/2 scant tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
Cinnamon

Glaze:

8 oz. powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. almond extract (I did not include this because I think almond extract is disgusting)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (I doubled this, because I wasn't paying attention)
Enough milk to make a glaze to desired consistency

Instructions:

In a large (at least 4-quart) pot or saucepan, combine milk, sugar, and oil. Heat just to boiling, stirring occasionally, and then remove from heat. If you’ve got lots of ice handy, dump all that you have into a clean sink and then place the pan of scalded milk over the ice. This way, the milk mixture cools quickly and the melted ice just drips down the drain.

When the milk has cooled to around 105-115 degrees, remove from ice and sprinkle yeast over the milk mixture. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes. Stir. Mix in 4 c. flour and cover. This can be done with a wooden spoon; the dough is VERY soft, more like a batter. Allow to stand for 1 hour.

Mix remaining 1/2 c. flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle over the dough and then mix it in with the wooden spoon. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the pan and refrigerate for at least a few hours and up to 24 hours.  (Note, I just covered the dough and the dough grew so it got crusty.  So maybe cover the pan and this won't happen)

Grease a 9×5″ loaf pan and set it aside.

When you’re ready to use the dough, turn it onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 18 inches wide by 9 inches tall. Spread with 6 tablespoons of melted or softened butter. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar and an even sprinkling of cinnamon.

Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough into 6 3″ strips. Stack the strips 3 strips high (so you have 2 piles). Cut each of the stacks into 3 3″ squares. Place the squares, cut side up (not the flat, sugared side) into the prepared pan, being careful not to stuff too much dough into the pan. Any leftover dough can be baked in mini pans or muffin tins.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the loaf. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

While the loaf is rising, preheat oven to 350.

Bake for 25-35 minutes (or until baked through). If you don’t want your fire alarm to go off, place a baking sheet on the rack below the loaf pan. If the loaf is getting too brown on top, lightly place a sheet of aluminum foil over the loaf while it finishes baking.

And this is where I deviate, if you want what they did, go to their website.  Take out of the over but keep on that pan you used to keep the fire alarm from going off.  Allow to cool until it is warmish.  Mix together the glaze during that cooling period.  Dump half to 2/3 of the glaze on top (its on the pan so you can glaze it messily and not worry about cleaning your counter because you already have to wash that pan).  Tip the bread out onto a plate and dump the other half of the glaze on what used to be the bottom.  Serve warm.  Or if you want it to be pretty, after dumping it out, flip it back over but then pour the rest of the glaze on the sides so that the bottom half gets happy and glazed too.  

Bread Bowl

Ok no one fall over, yes, I am actually posting to the blog. The other day Anna asked me to post the bread bowls recipe we had along with that "rice recipe." From that incredibly specific description I thought I could post a variety of recipes, but she wanted the Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. Danielle just posted that, thus reinforcing the idea that if I wait it will pop up, but it did remind me to post the bread bowls so here they are:

Italian Bread Bowls

*Makes 6-8 bread bowls

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (use 1 tablespoon instant yeast)

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 teaspoons salt

I believe I also added some sugar, about a tablespoon perhaps?

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

7 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornmeal (I'm pretty sure we were always out of cornmeal, so I skipped this)

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. (You can omit this step if using instant yeast.)

Add salt, sugar, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups). This bread bowl dough needs to be a bit firmer than a roll/bread dough so that the bread bowls rise up instead of out.

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or let knead in an electric mixer). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal (or use silpat liners or parchment paper). If desired, slash the top surface of the bread bowl several times with a sharp knife or razor. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and baked through.

And I got this recipe from http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/11/my-favorite-bread-bowls.html