It’s been a long time since I bought bread. My favorite no knead bread is multi-grain and I decided to try it with some added ground flaxseed meal to see if it turned out. I love it! This was a high fiber bread to begin with and now, with added flaxseed, it has heart-healthy benefits because flax is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
I used my original recipe and simply added 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed meal and increased the water to 1 1/2 cups. Everyone is making no knead breads because they are so easy and the variations you can make are endless. If you want to try it, just make the two changes above and follow this original recipe. – Jenny Jones
A 106-year-old fruitcake has been discovered in an old explorer’s hut in Antarctica and it looked and smelled edible! I’ve always heard that properly stored fruitcakes can last for years but whoa! This fruitcake was wrapped in waxed paper and tucked into a tin box and most likely came to Antarctica with an English expedition in 1910. The cake survived much better than the tin box, which was badly corroded. It had a very slight rancid butter smell but other than that, they say the cake looked and smelled edible! The freezing cold in Antarctica had a lot to do with the cake’s survival.
A century old cake notwithstanding, any fruitcake needs time to “age” and should be started early. The aging period can be from 2 to 4 months. Sugar acts as a preservative and alcohol kills bacteria and prevents mold. Many fruitcakes are soaked in alcohol and those can actually last for years if you periodically add more alcohol. You do this by wrapping the cake in a towel soaked in brandy or wine and then covering tightly and keep it refrigerated. It’s generally recommended that soaked fruitcake should be consumed within two years.
I don’t have a recipe for fruitcake but there are lots of good ones to be found and it is a long standing tradition to give fruitcake as a Christmas gift. Not everyone likes this very dense and rich cake so if you make one, don’t be surprised if it gets re-gifted to you five years later! 🙂 – Jenny Jones
I make more granola bars than almost any other recipe and I always have them available to take along as a snack in my purse or in the car. The best way to store granola bars is to wrap each one in a separate snack size plastic bag with all the air removed. Then keep them refrigerated and they last for weeks. Whenever I leave the house, I put one in my purse, or I put a few in my purse to give as gifts. Everyone loves a homemade granola bar so if you make them, consider giving them as gifts. By the way, these little plastic bags can be re-used. If you want to make these delicious and easy homemade granola bars, click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL MY HOW-TO TIPS, Click here.
The fact is that homemade bread will not keep as well as store bought bread but in spite of that, homemade bread will always taste better. It’s best enjoyed the first day so after you have slathered the first few slices with butter (oh, yeah! ?) freezing what’s left on the first day is the best idea. I suggest slicing and freezing it so you can thaw only the slices you need. (I separate my slices between wax paper for easy separation.)
If you do not freeze your bread the first day, here are a few tips:
1. Crusty bread can be stored uncovered at room temperature for the first day. By the end of the day, it’s best to wrap it in foil (not plastic) or in a paper bag and kept at room temperature for a second day. After the second day, it’s really best to freeze it.
2. Crusty bread will not be crusty the second day. You can re-crisp it by putting it cut side down on a piece of foil and place in a preheated 325° F oven, directly on your oven rack, for about 7-10 minutes.
3. Crusty bread should not be stored in plastic, which softens the crust. Aluminum foil is a better choice.
4. Crusty rolls are best frozen the day they are baked. To re-crisp, place frozen rolls directly on the oven rack in a preheated 325° F oven for 10-12 minutes. They’ll be even more crispy than first-baked.
5. A standard soft loaf is best stored tightly wrapped in foil or plastic at room temperature up to 2 days and after that should be refrigerated or frozen.
There is a lot of differing information available about storing homemade bread – not everyone agrees with storing bread in the refrigerator but it works for me. Feel free to add your own tips if you like. – Jenny Jones
For anyone wondering how to re-crisp a crusty loaf of bread, here’s how I do it. A lot of us are making no knead breads and the crusts don’t stay crispy forever. My way of restoring the crust is to put it back in the oven but you don’t want to dry out the cut side. Once the loaf is cut I press some foil on the cut side and place the loaf cut side down directly on the oven rack (the oven should be preheated to 325°F). I tried spraying the crust with water first and it didn’t seem to make much difference. Bake the loaf for 7-10 minutes and it will crisp right back up.
This is my favorite thing to see – photos of my recipes made all over the world! Feel free to share where you are from and please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com
FRANCINE MADE MY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD “Hi Jenny! Today was my first attempt at making bread from scratch. I followed your video step by step. It was so easy. I used cast iron loaf pans and the browning was so even. I’m going to try your crusty Dutch oven loaf next. Thank you so much for giving me the confidence to try it. So much fun.”
~ Congratulations on your first homemade bread! Thanks for the lovely photos. ~ jenny
KYLE MADE MY EASY ONE BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE “Hey Jenny, I decided to bake a cake for my brother’s birthday. Found your recipe and gave it a whirl. It was my first time baking a cake and I went big with 2 cakes layered, instead of a single one. The cake was super moist and the frosting went perfectly with the cake. My family certainly enjoyed it as well. Not the prettiest frosting job, but like you said, “If they smell good and don’t have flies landing on them, they’re okay with me.” Can’t wait to try more of your recipes! – Kyle from Florida.”
~ Your frosting is perfect. That’s exactly what mine looks like. Thanks for sharing. ~ jenny
12-YEAR OLD DAHN MADE MY BRAIDED CINNAMON BREAD “Hi Jenny, I just needed to let you know that my 12 yr old daughter saw this recipe and wanted to make this for the county fair (minus the raisins) and it turned out so fantastic that she received a blue ribbon. She has made this 3 times now and has her grandma requesting this as well! Thank you for sharing this recipe! This photo was taken right after my 12 yr old daughter Dahn iced the bread so it’s a bit messy. But it was delicious and still beautiful.”
~ Dahn, congratulations on the blue ribbon and on being such an amazing young baker. Great job! ~ jenny
It’s been a long time since I bought bread. My favorite no knead bread is multi-grain and I decided to try it with some added ground flaxseed meal to see if it turned out. I love it! This was a high fiber bread to begin with and now, with added flaxseed, it has heart-healthy benefits because flax is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
