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.

For lots more in my “How To Guide” click here.

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

This is a variation of my chocolate almond clusters and I love it. Instead of using whole almonds, I chopped them into pieces and added some chopped dried cherries and raisins. The result is a wonderfully chewy, dark chocolate, healthy sweet treat full of protein, heart-healthy fats, antioxidants and fiber. I used a dark chocolate bar (72% cacao) from World Market and followed the same process as my original recipe but instead of using tiny paper cups, I just dropped the clusters onto wax paper, let them cool, and then refrigerate.

The easiest way to refrigerate them is to slide a cutting board under the wax paper and place the whole thing in the fridge until the clusters are cold and set. Then you can put them all into a covered container but always keep them refrigerated; otherwise, the chocolate will melt in your hands. Next time you’re craving a chocolate bar or some m&m’s, try this healthier homemade fruit & nut dark chocolate cluster. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

These are not raisins – they’re melted chunks of dark chocolate. I wanted an easy dessert and he wanted chocolate. So I made my easy peanut butter cookie recipe with added dark chocolate… oh and some extra added peanuts too. This recipe is so flexible and they turned out fantastic. I chopped up about 1/3 of a 72% dark chocolate bar from World Market but you could use Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips, and then I chopped up some roasted peanuts. I stirred them all into the simple cookie dough and wow, they were good.

Even if you make the original peanut butter cookie recipe, you will love that they have no flour and there is no butter or oil. So they are gluten free, healthy, and super easy to make. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I love seeing your photos of my recipes and it helps other cooks see what someone else’s dish looks like. Of course it’s always nice if you share where you are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

PAMELA MADE MY NO KNEAD RYE BREAD
“Hi Jenny, I used a cup of semolina flour instead of whole wheat, This was so good!”

~ This shows just how flexible this method can be. Thanks for the photo! ~ jenny

DALILA MADE MY MUFFINS
“Hi Jenny! I made muffins using your recipe for PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS with a change. Your recipes ALWAYS turn out great for me that I decided to play with this one. I used shredded zucchini instead of the canned pumpkin. Seeing that I didn’t use canned pumpkin I omitted the nutmeg and added vanilla extract. I ran out of my whole grain pastry flour so I used all purpose flour only. Added some sugar for sweetness, sorry, couldn’t help myself, I do love my sweets! And wah-lah….Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins!  Thank you Jenny for inspiring me to experiment in my baking adventures with you, you are a “Baking-Star”!!  Have a fabulous day! Happy Baking! ?”

~ I’m happy to be your inspiration. Thank you for sharing. ~ jenny

SRIVALLI MADE MY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“Thank you so much Jenny you have the best whole wheat bread recipe! I love it!”

~ I’m glad to hear it. Yours turned out really well, thank you. ~ jenny

SUSAN MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD
“Hi Jenny. This is my first attempt at this recipe and I’m thrilled!  Have subscribed and shared with my sister. Lots more to try now, can’t wait.  Love from Susan in London, UK”

~ Thank you for sharing. You’re from London (UK) and I’m from London (Canada!) ~ jenny

SANDY’S GRANDAUGHTER MADE MY 2-HOUR NO KNEAD BREAD
“My 13 year old granddaughter made the ‘No Knead’ fastest bread today.  Sensational taste!  I’m going to try whole wheat flour next time.  Great recipe, Jennie.  Thanks.”

~ I love to see young people cooking and baking. Great job!~ jenny

LORRAINE MADE MY PIZZA DOUGH
“Hi Jenny! I stumbled upon your YouTube videos last night and I’m obsessed. I have never had any luck cooking with yeast but your videos gave me confidence to try again.  The first thing I tried was the pizza dough and it gets 2 thumbs up!  Yumm!  Thank you for the delicious recipes and for the confidence to try recipes that require using yeast. I adore your humor and can’t wait to try another of your recipes.  Here is a photo of my pizza. I started on the stove top using a cast iron grill pan, flipped the dough when it was brown, applied my very simple tomatoes and fresh mozzarella topping then finished it off in the oven. It was perfect. Happy cooking!”

~ Your crust looks great and I love the free-form idea. ~ jenny

JACKIE MADE MY 2-HOUR WHITE AND RYE NO KNEAD BREADS
“Gone bread crazy! Hi Jenny, I made the even faster white and tried it on the rye bread and it worked!  Bread in 2 hours woopee!!I call it kitchen therapy !!”

~ I’m so glad the rye bread worked too. Thanks for the inspiring photo. ~ jenny“Hi Jenny!I found these adorable cast iron baby Dutch oven’s at Winco at a fraction of the price of a large Dutch oven. Now I can bake two loaves at the same time! Because of their small size they are easier to store as well. Pictured are two loaves of even faster rye bread.” ~ Jackie L

DALILA MADE MY CRISPY APPLE TART
“Hi Jenny! ? I made your CRISPY APPLE TART for a small get together with family. It was a wonderful dessert to end our meal with, so delicious! I used a removable bottom tart pan. Everyone loved it and because it had ‘apples’ in it no one felt bad eating two pieces…LOL!? I would highly recommend this  CRISPY APPLE TART, it must be made, it’s just lovely! Thank you Jenny for sharing another fantastic recipe with us. Happy Baking! ?”

~ A tart pan is a great idea and makes beautiful edges. Thank you for sharing. ~ jenny

KIM MADE MY CHICKEN POT PIE & PAN PIZZA
“My dish this week-Huge praise from hungry kids: Thank you so much for your great help making yummy meals, healthy and tasty. I made chicken pot pie and pizza this week. Made a few other items as well, but don’t have pictures. Thank you for making my life easier. Happy kids and husband. They loved it. Making pizza tonight for a party. But this time I got your turkey to go on top. 🙂 thank you. ~ Kim Anderson from Oklahoma.”

~ I’m so glad to know I’ve made your life easier. Thanks for the photos! ~ jennyBRENDA MADE MY DUTCH BABY PANCAKE & BANANA CHOC. CHIP BREAD
“Hi Jenny, I made your Dutch Baby recipe and it was delicious. I will definitely make it again. And I made your chocolate chip banana bread recipe and of course it was delicious.”

~ Thank you for sending two photos. And a mountain of fruit is the healthiest way to serve a Dutch baby.  ~ jenny

Summer officially starts today and so does my summer vacation!  Please continue to enjoy my recipes while I’m away. I will be checking in but can’t always answer questions so please look to the FAQs for answers. Meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful summer. Stay hydrated, eat well, and use sunscreen! See you soon. – Jenny Jones