I absolutely love my no knead fruit & nut bread. I made it again today and added just a touch more sugar (4 Tbsp total) and that little extra sweetness is perfect for me. With sugar in this recipe, the bread can burn due to the high oven temperature. That’s why I say to reduce to temperature to 400° F when it bakes. But I found another solution to keep the bread from burning.
I raised up my oven rack one slot and it keeps the bottom of the Dutch oven a little farther away from the heat. I used my 3-quart Dutch oven and it easily fit on the raised up oven rack. I still reduced the temperature to 400 per the recipe and I was thrilled with the result – no blackened crust and a perfect loaf of sweet breakfast bread. If your try this whole wheat fruit & nut bread with lots of sweet raisins and walnuts, and if your Dutch oven still fits, try it with the oven rack raised up a notch. This could be a good Easter recipe.
You can turn my easy one-rise dinner rolls into bunny buns for Easter. Kids will love them and grown ups will enjoy the tasty bread rolls. This recipe is super easy but it will take a little time to put the faces together. This is almost the exact same recipe as my easy dinner rolls but you’ll need a couple of extra tools.
I use two cookie/biscuit cutters that are 2 1/2 inches and 4 inches across. The small circle is for the faces and the bigger one for the ears. To cut out the little noses I use the top of a lipstick tube. You’ll also need raisins and it helps to put together matching pairs or raisins in advance that are the same size and color. You might not notice but a box of raisins has many different sizes and shades.
Now for my photo tutorial. First, you roll the half of the dough into a 6 x 12-inch oval and this is how you cut the circles. The smaller ones are the faces and the bigger ones will be for the ears:
Put the small circles on your baking sheet (I make 4 faces per sheet) and then this is how you cut the ears from the two large circles:
You cut the nose using the top of a lipstick – it’s about 1/2-inch wide:
You tuck the ears slightly under the top of the head, place the nose, and push in the raisins for eyes. This is how they look before baking (four per sheet):
Once you make four bunny faces you cover the baking sheet with a towel and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled. That takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. While they rise you put together the other four bunny buns. They bake at 375° F for about 10 minutes. For the leftover dough, I roll it into a few 2-inch balls, rise and bake the same way. I hope someone sends a photo! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Drop some pesto in each compartment of an ice cube tray but not all the way to the top. Then cover each one with a little olive oil, just enough to cover the top completely. This will keep the pesto from turning brown. Freeze the tray and once the cubes are frozen, remove from the tray and store in zip top freezer bags. To make your own healthy homemade pesto, click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
No knead bread is the easiest method there is for bread making. I’ve made it plain, multi-grain, fruit & nut, whole wheat, and now I’m sharing my whole wheat Greek olive bread recipe. I use the overnight method where you take 5 minutes the night before to mix together the batter with cool water, let it stand on the counter top overnight, and the next day, you bake the bread.
Here’s how easy it is. You just combine the flour(s), salt, yeast, and olives in a big bowl. Greek kalamata olives come in a jar, already pitted, so I just coarsely chopped and patted them dry with paper towels to add to the mixture. Then you add the water, mix it together, cover and let it stand overnight. Five minutes of work! By the way, olives are a good source of heart-healthy fats. The next day, you bake it in a Dutch oven. My Dutch oven is enameled cast iron. Actually, I have two, a 3-quart and a 5-quart, and I have made no knead breads in both of them.
I made this hearty bread yesterday and had it with a big bowl of soup and today for lunch I used it to make a grilled cheese sandwich with my reduced fat cheddar. Here’s lunch:
I’ll be working on even more variations of easy no knead breads because I am such as bread person so the more variety the better. If you try the olive bread, keep in mind it needs less salt than other breads because the olives are salty. Click herefor the recipe. And if you’re Greek…. “Opa!” – Jenny Jones
I truly appreciate when someone takes time to send me a photo of one of my recipes. And it’s always fun to know where you are from. Please send your picture to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com …or… Share it on INSTAGRAM or TWITTER and hashtag it #JennyCanCook
EDDIE MADE MY EASTER BUNNY BUNS “Thank you for your Easter bunny bun recipe.”
KATHY MADE MY SIMPLE WHITE BREAD (with egg)
MARIJA MADE MY POPPY SEED ROLL (MAKOWIEC) “Dear Jenny, Happy Easter!”
KEITH MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD “Loaf #1! Wonderful! Many thanks!”
EBTISAM MADE MY EASTER BUNNY BUNS “Thank you jenny those bunnies are awsome.”
(Great job! They look wonderful. Thanks for the photo. – jenny)
CHERYL MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD “I followed your recipe, and it’s fantastic Jenny thank you. Cheryl, Taiwan.”
MARIJA MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS “Hi Jenny! I’ve made your crusty rolls many times. They always turns out great and disappear before I take a photo. This morning I did it. Thank you for your recipes, advices and humor. Greetings from Zagreb, Croatia”
CRAIG MADE MY CHICKEN POT PIE “Jenny, Made you chicken pot pie today and it was awesome. So easy, i never made a pie crust in my life and it couldn’t have come out better. Love your site it inspires me to try new things. Thanks for what you do. Craig Mandel, Peoria Az”
(Craig, thanks for the great photos. If you send any more pictures, please be sure to send each one separately. I’m glad you liked the pie! – jenny)
FRANCES MADE MY GRANOLA BARS “Dear Jenny, the granola bars are so easy to make and they taste great too. I have made cherrie-almond and pumpkin-pie spice with pecans and white raisins for last holiday’s gifts and treats. Everyone liked them. Thank your for sharing the healthy recipes.”
PAULINE MADE MY FRUIT & NUT BREAD “I used golden raisins and cranberries with toasted walnuts. Yummo!”
ROBERT MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD “Hi Jenny! Greetings from Lawton, Oklahoma! I care for a disabled spouse and work odd hours. Your recipes are terrific because they’re healthy, quick, budget minded and easy! I love your quicker no knead bread. Here’s a pic! Thanks so much!”
VICTORIA MADE MY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS “Hello Jenny. I made Buttermilk Biscuits using your recipe and it was fantastic and delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Greetings from California!”
EDWARD MADE MY APPLE PIE “Hey, Made this for my 30th birthday yesterday. Was absolutely amazing. Used 1/4 cup of sugar instead and tapioca that is in bead form. Made my birthday one to remember. My first apple pie ever and 1st pie served as a birthday cake. Fantastic! Thanks Jenny.”
JEAN MADE MY COCONUT-DIPPED MACAROONS “On a rainy day in New Jersey there’s nothing like a quick, easy to make, delicious sweet. Today I made your Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons. Rain or shine these cookies are wonderful.”
LORI MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS, NO KNEAD & WHOLE WHEAT BREADS “I made your cinnamon roll recipe today!! They turned out great! Thanks Jenny for the easy to follow recipes! So, I have to admit I’ve been busy making several of your recipes! Not only the cinnamon rolls, but whole wheat bread and the crunchy round loaf too!! They turn out great everytime!! Thanks again Jenny for the amazing recipes!! Next I’m trying the Pierogis!!”
DARYN MADE MY PAN PIZZA “Some pan pizza action. Thanks Jenny. Great crunchy crust.”
EBTISAM MADE MY CHRISTMAS WREATH “Thank you jenny i made this christmas wreath yesterday. It was great ?”
BEYZA MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD “Hey! It’s the first bread i have ever made. It turned out great! Everybody loved it! So simple and healthy 🙂 By the way i used hazelnut oil instead of olive oil. Thanks Jenny xx”
MARY ANN MADE MY SIMPLE WHITE BREAD “I made the simple white bread…it is simple, it tastes wonderful!”
CHRIS MADE MY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD “Jenny, These just came out of the oven and the house smells GREAT!”
BONNIE MADE MY CRISPY OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES “Made your Crispy Oatmeal Choc. Chip cookies today.”
SOPHIA MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS “Hi Jenny! I made your cinnamon rolls. I haven’t frosted them yet, they just got out of the oven a couple minutes ago. The cinnamon rolls are making my house smell amazing! I can wait to try them.:-)”
BONNIE MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD “Hi Jenny, I use your Simple Whole Wheat Bread recipe to made these rolls & ate with fried egg … Super !!! Any special recipe for coming Easter ?! Best wishes – Bonnie.”
CLAIR MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD “Hi Jenny, I saw your video of Simple Whole Wheat bread on YouTube yesterday, and today I gave it a try. I was simply amazed at how well it raised! I changed one thing in the recipe. I did not use all purpose flour or bread flour, but instead used white whole wheat flour. It gave it a little sweeter taste and still raised just great. I am so impressed! Just look at that beautiful loaf of bread! Thank you, Clair & Gwenda Segovis.”
YVONNE MADE MY BEEF STEW “Dear Jenny, Greetings from Singapore! Thank you for your recipe. Here’s a picture of my beef stew. It’s really fork tender! When I first saw your recipe, I told myself I had to do this the very day and I’m glad I did! I used store bought chicken stock and I will certainly try your home made beef stock the next time I make this beef stew again…. Yvonne Cheong (Singapore)”
EFRAT MADE MY POLISH POTATO PANCAKES & PIEROGI “Hi, my name is Efrat, I’m from Israel. Here are photos of my Polish Potato Pancakes and Polish Pierogi. Thanks for your great recipes!”
EFRAT MADE MY POTATO GNOCCHI “Attached- photos of the frozen gnocchi that I made with your recipe. Thanks again 🙂 “
BONNIE MADE MY CITRUS CHIFFON CAKE “Bonnie made your Citrus Chiffon Cake …yummy.”
KADI MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS, WHOLE WHEAT & WHITE BREAD “Hi Jenny thank you so so so much for sharing your recipes! They are so easy and quick… I have here your recipe for cinnamon rolls, whole wheat bread and white bread… Family loves it!! It’s a bit hit in my home thank you again….and of course a pic of me.”
ANA MADE MY WHITE BREAD “Hi Jenny. I’am Ana from Lisbon (Portugal). Yesterday I made your white bread. Just loved it! Crispy outside crust and a wonderful soft interior (forgot to take a picture…). I just love making bread! Love your blog and your videos “
ANIL MADE A VARIATION OF MY CINNAMON ROLLS “Jenny, I made a batch of these cinnamon rolls yesterday and the entire 8 dissapered in a matter in minutes with many an exclamation of ooooh and aaaahhhhs! Absolutely lovely these turned out. So, I tried a variation today. Savory rolls. Substituted butter for oil, increased the salt but doubling it, made a thick cheese sauce laced with butter, spread that over the dough, crumbled feta cheese chopped olives and crispy bacon, sprinkle of Provence spice mix. When the rolls had risen in the pan, I added a grating of parmesan and some cheddar over the top.”
I made my double chocolate almond biscotti today. I like crispy, crunchy things (except for meatloaf 🙂 ) and biscotti are the best. Mine have tons of toasted almonds and I used two kinds of chocolate – semi sweet and dark (70%). They take a little time to make but then you have dessert for days because they keep so well. Since they’re baked dry, you can keep them for 2 weeks!
I keep mine in an air-tight container, refrigerated, but they never last two weeks. I keep having them for dessert, dunked into a glass of milk. The almonds really need to be toasted for the best flavor. I toasted mine while putting the batter together, at 350° F for 7 to 10 minutes, and I spread them out to cool because they should be cooled before adding.
By the way, if you want to make an impression, biscotti make fantastic gifts because they stay fresh for so long. Homemade biscotti is a rare treat so I hope you’ll try it. My recipe uses some whole wheat pastry flour for added fiber and of course, no butter. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
UPDATE Feb. 29th – I just made a slight change in the recipe. That is to turn the oven off for the final 20 minutes of drying the biscotti. The oven stays hot enough and it reduces the risk of burned edges.
Like most people, I’m often short on time to cook dinner and a stir fry is usually my solution. Last night I made my quick & easy orange sesame chicken. You should see the reaction I get when I serve it to company. “How did you make this?” “Is this takeout?” “It must take forever to make a sauce like this!”
Actually, it takes 20 minutes… not just to make the sauce but to make the whole meal. That’s why I love to cook Chinese for dinner. Making it at home is always fast and it’s never deep fried, at least not the way I make it. The chicken is briefly marinated and then lightly sauteed and the sauce is so simple you won’t believe it. I make it with…
– fresh orange juice – rice vinegar – soy sauce – garlic – sugar & salt. It’s thickened with cornstarch and once it cooks you drizzle on some toasted sesame oil at the end. Wow! Make sure you use toasted sesame oil and not plain because the flavor when it’s toasted is intense. Then a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and you have something so much better than takeout and so delicious, it might be your newest 20-minute meal.
By the way, some steamed broccoli on the side goes perfectly with this. I love it! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Here is my easy one bowl recipe for a healthier banana nut bread made without butter and using whole wheat flour. You’ll need two medium size very ripe bananas (the riper, the sweeter) and some dark chocolate chips. I also add lots of toasted nuts and since I can never decide, I use both walnuts and pecans. I love baking without butter so I use oil in this quick bread. I prefer extra light olive oil but you can use any vegetable oil or canola oil.
I use a standard size loaf pan and it’s the best size for this quick bread to rise up in the oven. Mine is 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches and even though it’s non stick, I still grease it. You’ll get the best result with this size pan.
The prep is super easy and it bakes in less than an hour. What you get is a moist and yummy banana bread with nuts and chocolate chips. The chocolate chips are optional but… com’on… everything’s better with chocolate chips! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
BEFORE ASKING A QUESTION… please see the links below on the most commonly asked questions. I am not always able to keep up with questions so please also look through the recipe comments from other cooks, or maybe you can research your question online.
I absolutely love my no knead fruit & nut bread. I made it again today and added just a touch more sugar (4 Tbsp total) and that little extra sweetness is perfect for me. With sugar in this recipe, the bread can burn due to the high oven temperature. That’s why I say to reduce to temperature to 400° F when it bakes. But I found another solution to keep the bread from burning.
