Not Just Another Loaf (alternate uses for bread dough)

Sure, you can always make a nice loaf of bread out of bread dough, but I like to use it for more than just bread. Historically, I have made most of these recipes using frozen bread dough, but since I have found my own favorite homemade bread dough, I have been using it to make most of these recipes. You can find my bread recipe here.

Sticky Rolls - These oooey goooey rolls made with butterscotch pudding and more are a delicious treat for the morning. You can find my recipe here.

Pizza Dough - I actually have not tried this yet with my bread dough, but I enjoy using bread dough to make pizza. With frozen dough, I simply set it out in the microwave in the morning and roll it out for pizza when I get home. I use a can of tomato sauce to which I add some Italian herbs for the sauce and then top with our favorite toppings and cheese. The family thinks it is a great treat to have homemade pizza, and I personally just think it tastes better!

Hamburger Buns - I found that if I rolled out my bread dough to about 1/2" - 3/4" thickness and used a small bowl to cut the bread that I could make rolls that easily sliced into hamburger buns. I rolled and cut after the first rise of the dough (or when thawed if using frozen dough). What I like best is that I can use a different size bowl to cut, depending on what I am making. Pork Tenderloins - roll the dough thinner and cut bigger circles. Hamburgers - roll the dough to 1/2" thickness and cut out with a medium size circle. Slider - roll the dough to 3/4" thickness and cut with a cup. Allow the dough to rise on your baking sheet for 30 minutes. Then bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until just golden.

Breadsticks - I found a recipe a while back, in a magazine I think, for Parmesan Breadsticks. We have adapted it to use a number of different cheeses to go with our meal of the day. We have had it with Mozzarella and Parmesan. It only uses 1/2# of dough, so when I make the bread dough, I either make a 1# loaf with the remaining dough or one time I even made hamburger buns! I'd like to figure out if I can freeze before the rise and then thaw and rise when we want them. That would be very convenient. I just haven't had a chance to experiment with freezing yet. We'd also like to try them as larger bread sticks, these are crunchy, but I think that if we made half as many that they could be a little more doughy. Again, I haven't tried this yet, but have been considering it.

Cheesy Breadsticks
1/2# of bread dough
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Combine and separate into 28 balls. Roll each ball into a 6" log. Place on a baking sheet and let rise for 15 minutes. Spray with olive oil cooking spray and bake at 450 for 12 to 15 minutes.

Using bread dough to make other treats works for me!

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

Beer Bread

I enjoy bread. In fact, I enjoy it too much. A few weeks ago, I shared with you the recipe that I have been using for homemade white bread. It is dangerous, when I have it around, I want to eat it not only at my meals, but as a snack too.

After reading a post on Beer Bread at Sweet and Savory by Sarah, I'm finding myself in the mood for some beer bread. She made her bread using All Purpose and Wheat bread, along with leavening agents. I like the idea of whole wheat flour, but like the quickness of preparing the beer bread from the recipe that I have which uses self-rising flour.

One thing that I enjoy about beer bread is how different the bread can be depending on the beer you use. You can use a beer like Honey Brown for a sweeter taste, or a stout for a nuttier taste. I have tried it with light beers and dark beers, and each offers its own unique taste.

Beer Bread
1 12 fl oz can or bottle of beer
3 c self-rising flour
3 tbsp white sugar

Grease a loaf pan.

Mix together sugar and flour. Add beer and continue to mix, first using a wooden spoon and then your hands. Batter will be sticky. Pour into greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes. The top will be crunchy and the insides will be soft.

This post shared at the Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Homemade Bread

Generally, I do the grocery shopping for the family. Shortly before Christmas, my husband was running errands and offered to stop at the store for me. I thought this would help me save time, so I was more than willing. I made a list and off he went. One of the things on my list was flour for cookie baking. Of course, I wanted all purpose flour, but when my husband arrived home, he had bread flour. I knew that if we returned it to the store, there was a chance that the product would be thrown out, so I decided to keep it. And thus began my bread baking experiment.

I tried a couple off different recipes over the past few months. There were some that were good and some that were average at best. We tried one using cream cheese that wasn't too bad, but it seemed heavy for regular use. Last weekend I tried a new recipe that I really liked. I have already made a second loaf.


White Bread
1 c warm water (110 F)
1/3 c white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil
3 c bread flour
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

Layer the ingredients in your bread maker according to the instructions.

The first time, I made the bread in my bread maker. I used the 1.5# loaf settings.

The second time, I used the dough setting on my bread maker. Then, I pulled out the dough, kneaded it and shaped into a loaf. I placed it in my loaf pan and let it rise for about 30 minutes. Then, baked at 350F for 30 minutes.

I think I liked it a little bit better out of the oven. I felt like the crust was a bit more crusty than it had been from the bread maker. The crust is the best part of any bread.

Turns out that even when I made it in a bread pan in the oven, my typical slice is still about 2 oz, which is about 4 PointsPlus values when I entered the recipe in on the eTools Recipe Builder.

This week's theme over at the Ultimate Recipe Swap on Life As Mom is Cozy Supper, this may not be a full supper, but pair it with some Chicken and Dumplins or a nice pot roast and you have a mighty fine cozy supper!

This post shared at the GCC Recipe Swap and Frugal Food Thursday.