Cheesy Garlic Bread

1 loaf French bread
Garlic butter spread
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut the bread loaf in half. Spread with desired amount of garlic butter. Top with grated cheese. Broil in the oven for a few minutes until warm and cheese is melted.

French Bread

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dry yeast
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp oil
6 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl combine water, sugar, and yeast. (I use my Kitchen Aid.) Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour. Stir vigorously. Add remaining flour slowly as needed and mix well. (You may or may not need all the flour.) Let rest in bowl for 5 minutes. Stir down. Repeat this process two more times. Place dough onto a floured board. Knead only enough to coat dough with flour so it can be handled; divide in half. Flatten out into rectangles, roll up from the long side. Pinch seam to seal. Arrange both loaves lengthwise on a large, well greased cookie sheet. Place seam side down. Let rise about 20-25 minutes until doubled in size. Use a very sharp knife to gently make 3 diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf. Bake at 375 for 23-25 minutes. Cool on racks.

Note: If you want a crisper crust, you can use a spray bottle to spray a fine mist of water onto the loaves. Also misting the sides of the oven with water will create steam which will help make the crust crustier. You can also place an empty pan on the bottom shelf of the oven while the oven is preheating. After adding the bread to the over, pour cold water into the hot pan on the bottom shelf. Again, this will create steam which will make a crustier crust.

Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute + 1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine dry ingredients; set aside. Combine eggs, lemon, oil, vanilla -stir until combined, and sugar, stir, then add zucchini and nuts. Add in dry ingredients, mix. Divide batter between 2 8X4in. loaf pans coated in cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then place on cooling rack.

Hot Buttered Pretzels

* 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
* 1 cup warm water

Topping:

* 1/2 cup warm water
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* Coarse, kosher or pretzel salt
* 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Place all the dough ingredients in a bowl and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or mixer, for about 5 minutes, until it's soft, smooth, and quite slack. Dust the dough with flour (to keep from sticking) and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving enough room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray or lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and divide it into eight equal pieces. Let the pieces rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Roll each piece of dough into a long thin rope (around 28 inches) and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip the pretzels in the warm water mixed with 1 teaspoon sugar, and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with the salt. Let them rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8-9 minutes, until they're golden brown, reversing the baking sheets halfway through.

Remove the pretzels from the oven and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

pesto crescents

1 jar store bought basil pesto
1 package pilsbury crescent rolls

Spread about a teaspoon of pesto sauce onto to each triangle of dough, roll up and bake as directions say on roll package. Slice the triangle in half to use for an appetizer.