Best Bread Recipe

 I did not create this bread recipe. I found in on youtube, and it is absolutely delicious!

Video for Making Bread 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water

• 2 tsp. dry yeast

• 5 ½ cups bread flour

• 1 ½ tsp. salt

• 3 TBSP. soft butter

Directions:

1. Pour water in a glass bowl.

2. Add yeast and whisk until yeast is completely dissolved.

3. Pour all of the bread flour in with the water mixture at one time.

4. Pour salt on top of bread flour.

5. Mix all ingredients with rubber spatula.

6. Once ingredients are mixed, add soft butter and mix the dough until the butter disappears into the dough. (Mixing a buttery dough is much easier than kneading.)

7. If baking it right away, cover the dough (with a loose lid and then a towel on top), and rest it at room temperature for 2 hours.

8. If baking later, rest the dough in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.

9. The dough should be soft, moist, and slightly sticky. 

10. Dust the dough with flour.

11. Gently scrape the dough with a spatula without pressing (pulling from the wall of the bowl).

12. Sprinkle a little flour on a large cutting board and gently dump dough onto the flour.

13. Put flour on finger tips and open the dough gently with your hands.

14. Tri-fold the dough and then roll it. 

15. If you don’t want cracks, seal the seams well.

16. Put parchment paper in an oval bowl/tray to bake. Place dough (seam side down) on the parchment paper.

17. Gently press the top of the bread.

18. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. (Over rested dough won’t rise and may collapse.)

19. For steam, place a bowl of boiling water on the bottom of the oven.

20. Bake at 410° for about 30 minutes. Bread will be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

 These soft, chewy, thick bakery-style cookies are absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (cold, cut into cubes)

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs (I sometimes use extra large)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 - 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

• 1/2 - 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

• 1 heaping cup Mini Unwrapped Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. In a medium size bowl, gently stir together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cold cubes of butter, brown sugar and sugar for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

4. Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute longer.

5. Fold in flour mixture.

6. Add chocolate chips and peanut butter cups.

7. Depending on the size of cookie you want, you may use a regular size ice cream scoop (makes 24 cookies), measure dough into 4 oz. balls (makes 12-13 cookies) or 6 oz. balls (makes 8-9 cookies). (You may choose to shape them more like a cone if you choose.)

8. Place on a parchment paper lined, light-colored baking sheet.

9. Bake 8-9 minutes for ice cream scoop size cookies. Bake 9-12 minutes for 4 oz. or 6 oz. cookies. ***DO NOT OVERBAKE!!!*** These cookies should be slightly soft in the center.

10. AS SOON AS YOU REMOVE COOKIES FROM THE OVEN, carefully place more chocolate chips, chocolate chunks and/or mini Reeses cups on top of the cookies.

These cookies will last in an air tight container for several days or frozen in freezer bags for up to 2 months. You may choose to freeze the cookie dough and bake cookies as needed/wanted.