A Carb Lovers Dream

I love a good sweet treat, but my true weakness are the carbs. I’m a sucker for bread, pasta, and more bread. Is it a coincidence that Italy is my favorite place? I think not!

Well, ever since I got this beauty for my birthday last year…

 I’ve been obsessed with making the perfect homemade bread. I tried out several recipes over the past couple of years, but I really like this one I found on Allrecipes.com. I now try to make homemade bread as often as my time and waistline will allow. Oh, and did I mention I like to pair it with homemade cinnamon-honey butter? It’s pretty much a mouthful of heaven. I had to share the recipes. Carb-lovers unite and enjoy!

Homemade White Bread

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

•  3 cups warm water
• 3 tablespoons active dry yeast
•  3 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 8 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water and yeast and let yeast dissolve.
2. Add salt, oil, sugar, and 4 cups flour to water and yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly, and let sponge rise until doubled in size (about 30-45 minutes).
3. Gradually add about 3 - 4 cups flour, kneading until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn several times to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled.
4. Punch down the dough, let it rest a few minutes.
5. Divide dough into three equal parts. Shape into loaves, and place in three 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch greased bread pans. Let rise until almost doubled.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes. The loaves may need to be covered for the last few minutes with foil to prevent excess browning.

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 Cinnamon-Honey Butter

(copycat Texas Roadhouse butter)

Ingredients

•  2 sticks of butter softened
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

 Directions

• Combine all ingredients.
• Whip together in a mixer or with a hand-mixer until it’s smooth like butter. :)