Healthy(er) Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients
2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups pumpkin
4 eggs
1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 2/3 cups oat bran
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup buttermilk



Topping (optional)

- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 5 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions
- Cream apple sauce, sugar, pumpkin and eggs
- Add dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk
- Pour into greased loaf pans
- Use a pastry cutter or two knives to mix topping ingredients until mixture forms small crumbs
- Top loaves with topping mixture
- Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

Yield: 2 loaves

Hints
- Don't over mix!
- You can substitute cooked squash, zucchini or mashed banana for pumpkin.
- You can also make this as muffins or in two 9x9 baking pans
- This is fat free, high fiber and (without the topping) has half the sugar of regular pumpkin bread.

Submitted by Amy

Monkey Bread

There are many monkey bread recipes out there.  Here's the super easy one we use... it is loved SO much it's often referred to as Jesus In A Pan.

Ingredients
2 rolls refrigerated biscuit dough
1/3 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (mixed to your taste)
1 cup powdered sugar (for icing)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (for icing)
2-4 tablespoons milk (for icing)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Arrange biscuits in a grid on a cutting board
- Use a pizza roller to cut biscuits in quarters
- Spray casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray
- Arrange half of cut biscuits in a single layer in casserole dish
- Use a pastry brush to coat biscuits with melted margarine
- Sprinkle 1/2 of cinnamon sugar mixture over biscuits
- Arrange remaining cut biscuits in a second layer in casserole dish
- Top with remaining butter and cinnamon sugar mixture
- Cook at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes
- Serve warm with icing

To make icing
- Add vanilla to powdered sugar
- Add milk 1/2 tablespoon at a time until icing is of desired consistency

Hints
- You can use kitchen scissors to cut biscuits into quarters but using a pizza roller is fastest.
- After about 30 minutes check monkey bread every 2 minutes (turn on oven light, don't open oven door) and remove from oven when the top is golden brown.

Submitted by Amy
- Cook monkey bread in center of oven.  Too close to the top and it will brown but still be mushy in the middle.
- Do not use more than two layers of biscuit dough or it will not cook all the way through.  If you need more, make a second pan.

Beer Batter Cheese Bread

Ingredients
8 ounces Gruyere cheese (4 oz shredded and 4 oz cut into 1/4-inch cubes)
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (12-oz) light-bodied beer, such as Budwiser
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Combine shredded and cubed cheese, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in large bowl.
- Stir in beer and mix until well combined (will be very thick).
- Pour into loaf pan, spreading batter to corners. Drizzle melted butter evenly over top of batter.
- Bake until deep golden brown and tooth pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes.
- Cool bread in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack.
- Cool completely and slice as desired (good warm, too).

Variations
- With smoked gouda and bacon: Follow recipe for bread substituting 8 oz gouda for gruyere. Stir 8 slices of bacon (cooked until crisp and crumbled) into bowl with cheese.
- With cheddar and Jalapeno: Follow recipe for bread substituting 8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese for Gruyere. Stir 2 seeded and minced jalapeno chiles into bowl with cheese.

Hints
- Makes 1 9-inch loaf.
- Insert a toothpick in a few spots when testing for doneness; it may hit a pocket of cheese which resembles uncooked batter on the toothpick.
- Mild American lagers like Budwiser and Miller Genuine draft work best.

Submitted by Kelly

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
2 eggs
1 2/3 flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup water

Directions
- Cream shortening and sugar
- Add pumpkin and eggs
- Add dry ingredients alternating with water
- Pour into greased muffin tins
- Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Hints
- Don't over mix!
- You can also make this as a loaf of bread or in a 9x9 baking pan

Submitted by Erin

Delicious Dinner Rolls

Ingredients
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast
3/4 cup warm water
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs oil
1 egg (room temperature)
3 cups sifted flour

Directions
- Mix and dissolve yeast in 3/4 cup warm water
- Add the sugar, oil, egg and one cup of the flour.
- Set on a rack over hot water for 15 minutes (cover bowl with a kitchen towel)
- Add the other 2 cups of flour.
- Knead until smooth - about 3-4 minutes.
- Form into rolls and place in a greased 8 X 8 pan.
- Put back on rack over hot water for 35 minutes (with the kitchen towel over pan)
- Bake in a 400* preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
- Tap the top of the rolls, they will sound hollow when done.

Submitted by Kelly

Yield: 18 rolls.