Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

Easy Sticky Buns Recipe or AKA as Cinnamon Buns

Welcome back to my kitchen, where I’m about to embark on a journey down memory lane with this easy sticky buns recipe (we call them Cinnamon Buns) that’s been cherished in my family for the past 50 years.

These delightful treats are not only a sweet indulgence but also a testament to the simple joys of childhood.

Made with just a few pantry staples and a whole lot of love, these easy sticky buns with cinnamon are guaranteed to bring warmth and comfort to your home. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get baking!

Now for the Recipe – Easy Sticky Buns Recipe

Easy Cinnamon Buns

This easy Cinnamon buns recipe is super simple and perfect for breakfast or dessert! I've been making this since I was eight years old and it's still a family favorite! It's similar to sticky buns but a little simpler.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 People

Equipment

• 10-12 Cup Bundt Pan
• Liquid Measuring Cup

Ingredients

  

• 3 cans canned biscuit dough
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ cup butter
• 1½ cup brown sugar

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a bundt pan generously with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
• Begin by preparing the biscuit dough. Open the 3 cans canned biscuit dough and cut each biscuit into quarters.
• In a shallow bowl, mix together the ½ cup sugar and 3 tsp cinnamon until well combined.
• Roll each quartered biscuit piece in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated evenly.
• Arrange the coated biscuit pieces in the greased bundt pan, layering them evenly.
• In a saucepan, melt the 1 ½ cup butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the 1½ cup brown sugar and stir until the mixture comes to a gentle boil.
• Allow the butter and brown sugar mixture to boil for about one minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
• Carefully pour the hot butter and brown sugar mixture over the biscuit pieces in the bundt pan, ensuring that it is distributed evenly.
• Place the bundt pan in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cinnamon buns are golden brown and the center is cooked through.
• Once baked, remove the cinnamon buns from the oven and invert the bundt pan onto a serving plate to release the cinnamon buns. Serve warm and enjoy the gooey goodness!

Keyword breakfast recipe, cinnamon buns, cinnamon dessert, dessert, sticky buns

And there you have it – Homemade Cinnamon Buns, straight from the heart of my childhood kitchen to yours. With just a few simple ingredients and minimal effort, you can recreate the magic of these beloved treats in your own home.

Whether enjoyed with a cup of coffee in the morning or as a comforting dessert after dinner, these easy cinnamon buns are sure to become a favorite in your family too. So, go ahead, take a bite, and savor the sweet memories!

Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you’ll want to check out these:

Light Desserts

Fresh Peach Dessert

Make sure the subscribe to my blog so you never miss a recipe and if you’re looking for beautiful home decor that I use in all my posts, check out my online shop called Evolution Home Decor!

Pin this Post for Later

The post Easy Sticky Buns Recipe | Homemade Cinnamon Buns appeared first on Home With Holly J.

This post is sponsored by Walmart. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

Mello Holiday Jello Recipe

This Mello Jello Recipe is a tradition in our house for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner and New Years Eve. Mello Jello is super easy to make and is the perfect side dish or can be served for dessert.

It’s the perfect treat for any of your holiday gatherings or any time of year. It’s so yummy and tastes like a creamsicle. Mixing orange jello and lemon pudding is the secret to this jello recipe and then it’s topped with a lemony-whip cream and mandarin oranges.

This is not your grandma’s potluck Jello that has weird things in it!

This is the best jello recipe out there and once you start eating it, you can’t stop! This Mello Jello Recipe was given to us by my sister-in-law Cheryl and has been a family favorite ever since! 

With the holiday season upon us, I wanted to share this yummy Mello Jello recipe and some tips for making holiday cooking and baking easier. My go-to, especially this time of year for last-minute groceries is Walmart, and using my Walmart+ Membership. I’m able to have fresh, high-quality groceries delivered right to my door as well as any last-minute gifts and other items I need to get ready for our holiday celebrations.

With unlimited free delivery, the Walmart+ Membership can help make planning and prepping easier so that you can focus on spending quality time with your family and celebrating the holiday season. I love baking Christmas cookies and other treats the week leading up to Christmas and then delivering boxes of homemade goodies to my friends and neighbors. Walmart+ helps me so much by making shopping faster and easier!

Another benefit of the Walmart+ Membership is you can order all your gifts, home decor, and hosting and entertaining items at Walmart’s everyday low prices.

Visit Walmart+ to start your free trial. Unlimited free delivery from your store* – $35 order minimum. Restrictions apply.

Here are some of my favorite items to use for this recipe and for my holiday meal prep, cooking, and baking. Sources are linked below and at the bottom of the post.

Now, it’s time for the amazing Mello Holiday Jello Recipe:

Tip:

You can make the Mello Jello in a large 9×13 baking or casserole-type dish or if you want to get fancy, you can make them in individual dessert cups. I recycled these little glass ones from some store-bought desserts a few years ago. They work perfectly for Mello Jello shooters. I’ve linked some similar ones here:

Print

Mello Jello

This is the best jello recipe and is made with orange jello, lemon pudding, whipped cream, and mandarin oranges. This is not your grandma's potluck jello!

Course Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword dessert, dessert recipe, holiday recipes, jello, party recipe, Side Dish, summertime recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 1 large box of orange flavored jello (Make jello as directed – the recipe calls for 4 cups of water)
• 1 large box of Jello Brand lemon cooked pudding (Make cooked pudding as directed: The recipe calls for 3 egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, and 3 cups water)
• 1 small box of Jello Brand instant lemon pudding
• 2 cups cool whip
• 1 cup milk
• 2 small cans of mandarin oranges, drained (or one large can)

Instructions

• Make 1 large box of orange flavored jello according to the directions and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
  
• Next, make the 1 large box of Jello Brand lemon cooked pudding as directed with the sugar, egg yolks, and water. When it thickens let stand for about 2-3 minutes. Stir it a few times and then pour the lemon pudding into the prepared orange jello in a large bowl. Stir them together until well blended.
  
• Pour the pudding and jello mixture into a 9×13 baking dish or you can do individual servings in mini dessert dishes, shooter cups, or ramekins. Just fill your serving containers 3/4's of the way to the top with the jello/pudding mixuture leaving a little room at the top for the topping and orange.
  
• Put in the refrigerator and chill for at least 6 hours or until it sets up.
• Once the jello/pudding mixture has set up and is firm, take it out of the refrigerator. Then in a separate mixing bowl, mix together the 1 cup milk, 1 small box of Jello Brand instant lemon pudding, and 2 cups cool whip. Whisk or stir it together until everything is combined well and it's nice and creamy. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure it's all mixed well.
  
• Then, spread the Cool Whip mixture evenly on the top of the jello and then top with the 2 small cans of mandarin oranges, drained. If you don't like the oranges, you can leave them off. If you want to do them individually in dessert cups, put a dollop of topping onto each one or, you can use a piping bag or a ziplock bag to pipe the Cool Whip mixture on top. Add a mandarin orange to the top of each one.
  
• Chill until ready to serve.

Here’s the Ingredients:

Mixing the orange jello mixture with the cooked lemon pudding mixture.

Here’s where I made them individually. This takes a little more time but they look so cute served this way.

After the jello has set up and chilled, make the topping and spread evenly on top of the jello.

Then top with the mandarin oranges.

I hope you give this yummy Mello Jello Recipe a try! It’s so good!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

PIN THIS FOR LATER:

The post The Perfect, Most Delicious Mello Holiday Jello Recipe appeared first on Home With Holly J.

The Best French Toast Recipe

I’m sharing one of my family favorites today! This is The Best French Toast Recipe that’s super easy to make and can be made in a short amount of time! I serve my homemade french toast with fresh berries and maple or coconut syrup.

I usually make breakfast for my family on the weekends and it’s important to me that the produce and other ingredients I use are fresh and high quality. The fresher the berries and other ingredients, the better! I recently discovered the Walmart+ Membership where I can order all my groceries online and get free same-day delivery! My groceries are delivered right to my front door—where has this been all my life??!!

(This post is sponsored by Walmart+Membership and contains affiliate links.)

Some of the items I used are linked throughout the post and everything is linked at the bottom of the post.

With all my adult children back home from college, I can’t seem to keep groceries in the fridge or pantry for long and keeping them stocked has been a challenge lately!

Walmart+ Membership offers unlimited free delivery with Walmart’s everyday low prices and fresh, high quality produce. I’m very picky about my ingredients and I was very happy when I unpacked my grocery order and saw the quality and freshness of the fruit that I bought for my french toast breakfast.

Here are a few things to keep in mind regarding the Walmart+ Membership.

*After the free trial, Walmart+ costs just $98 dollars per year or $12.95 per month.

*Groceries are picked up from your local store right before pickup or delivery, keeping the freshness.

*Free delivery from your store-$35 order minimum. Restrictions apply

Click here to sign up for your free trial: Walmart+ Membership 

Make a Breakfast or Brunch Board

I arranged this breakfast board filled with fresh fruit to go along with the french toast. I also had a loaf of my rustic homemade bread so I added that to the board, then I garnished it with chamomile flowers and some pretty faux flowers that I arranged in a white pitcher.

Now for the French Toast Recipe 

Print

The Best French Toast Recipe

This is a very quick and easy french toast recipe.

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American, French

Keyword breakfast recipe, brunch, brunch recipes, easy recipes, french toast

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Equipment

• Griddle or frying pan

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 6 large eggs
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
• 1 loaf texas toast bread *You can use any bread but I prefer texas toast

Instructions

• In a medium-sized bowl, crack the 6 large eggs and whisk them together until fluffy, then add in the 2 cups milk, ½ tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla. Whisk until well combined. I like to use my hand blender to do this but you can do it by hand too.
• Heat up a griddle to medium heat. Brush with some of the oil. When the griddle is ready, dip your bread into the egg mixture, and coat both sides of the bread. Don't soak it for long, just a quick dip to coat both sides, then lay it on the griddle. Each person's griddle or stove cooks differently so watch the first batch carefully and adjust the temperature if it's too hot or vice versa. I usually flip mine over around 2-3 minutes. When the bread starts to get browned on one side, flip it over and cook for approximately the same amount of time.
• Brush the griddle with oil in between each batch.
• I set my cooked French toast on a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while I cook the rest. The egg mixture should make enough for one loaf of Texas toast or any regular loaf. You can use cinnamon bread too if you like a lot of cinnamon flavor.
• Serve warm with butter, warmed up coconut or maple syrup. and fresh berries.

Serve the French Toast warm with butter, coconut or maple syrup and fruit.

I’ve linked some of the items I used below to create this breakfast board and homemade french toast recipe.

These strawberries were amazing!

PIN THIS FOR LATER

Thanks so much for stopping by and feel free to ssubscribe so you never miss a post or recipe. Enjoy!

xoxo,

Here’s the link to sign up for Walmart+ membership.

Sources and items I used are all from Walmart+ and Walmart and linked below:

The post The Best French Toast Recipe appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Rustic Homemade Bread Recipe

I’m excited to share this simple and easy, four-ingredient homemade rustic bread recipe. This recipe comes from one of my husband’s favorite patients. We call this recipe Jeff’s Bread. Every evening, Jeff mixes up two batches of this rustic homemade bread recipe and then lets it rise overnight. The next morning, he bakes it up and delivers two of these delicious loaves to wherever he goes that day. He always brings some into my husband’s office and he and his staff love this bread so much!

It’s simple to make and tastes so good! I asked Jeff if I could share his recipe and he said yes! I hope you love it as much as we do!

For these photos, I doubled the batch and baked it in a rectangular Dutch oven baker but I usually do it in a single batch and shape it into dough balls, as some of the other photos show. It can be baked in any type of Dutch oven but for the round loaves, I find that the 7-10 quart enameled Dutch ovens work the best.

Ingredients

I prefer to use a kitchen aid stand mixer.

I raise the dough in a parchment paper-lined bowl.

I use a damp dish towel to cover it. This keeps the dough from drying out.

Let rise for about 6-12 hours.

Heat up the oven with the pot inside and then place the dough into the pot, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Cover and bake as directed below.

Print

Rustic Homemade Bread Recipe

This four-ingredient bread is simple and easy to make. The hint of sea salt on top is what makes this bread so good!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American, French

Keyword baking, bread, bread recipe, easy bread recipe, french bread recipe, homemade bread

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Stand Mixer
• Cast Iron or Cast Iron Enameled Dutch Oven with Lid (7-10 quart is best)

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour (I use bread flour but any kind is fine)
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp yeast
• 1⅓ cup water (does not need to be warm)

Instructions

• Add 3 cups flour, 2 tsp fine sea salt, and ½ tsp yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl if you're making without a mixer.
• Stir in 1⅓ cup water gradually until the dough is just wet enough to stay together in a ball. Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit for a minimum of six hours or longer to a maximum of twelve hours.
• Place the cast iron pot and lid into the oven and preheat to 475°.
• Dust a clean countertop with flour, pour the dough ball onto the floured surface, and fold it into the center about four times, forming a round ball. Cover with a towel again while oven and pan continue to heat up to 475°.
• Once the oven is up to temperature, take the lid off and put the dough ball into the very hot cast iron pot. Sprinkle or brush with olive oil and sea salt and replace the lid onto the pot.
• Set a timer for twenty minutes to bake the bread, then remove the lid and bake for another ten minutes or so until golden brown.
• Remove bread carefully and let cool on a wire cooking rack.

PIN THIS FOR LATER:

The post Rustic Homemade Bread Recipe appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Caramel Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

This is the easiest fruit dip recipe ever!

This recipe is a favorite that came about by accident! Who doesn’t love when that happens?! One day I was hosting a baby shower and had bought all the fresh fruit for my favorite fruit dip which was made with cream cheese and marshmallow creme. I had all the fruit prepped and was ready to make my dip, however, when I went to my pantry to find the marshmallow creme, I discovered I did not have any! I hadn’t checked in the pantry to make sure I had some before I went to the store and I didn’t have time to go to the store again.

As I sat there and tried to figure out what I was going to do, I thought, what else goes good with cream cheese……something sweet always goes good with cream cheese right?! I quickly started looking around my pantry for something sweet to supplement my cream cheese. I saw my container of caramel apple dip and decided to throw it into the mixer with the cream cheese and BAM! My own version of fruit dip was born, and I now have the Easiest Fruit Dip Recipe!

Some of my best recipes have come from situations just like this! Whenever you’re cooking or baking and realize you’re missing an ingredient, brainstorm and find what might work as a replacement. You might end up with some interesting mixtures, but occasionally you’ll find a gem like this!

This fruit dip turned out amazing and everyone loved it! Most of the guests asked for seconds. That was ten or more years ago and it has been a hit ever since! I love how easy and delicious it is!

This dip is perfect for your summer BBQs and entertaining, you can simply buy whatever seasonal fruit is available and serve it on a platter with this dip, and your guests will all be impressed!

Print

Caramel Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

This is the easiest fruit dip recipe and it tastes amazing!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword appetizer, baby back rib recipes, caramel, cream cheese, easy recipes, fruit dip, Side Dish, summer recipes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 16 oz regular cream cheese (2 8oz packages) softened
• 1 container caramel apple fruit dip

Instructions

• In a stand mixer or a bowl using a hand mixer, add 16 oz regular cream cheese (2 8oz packages) and 1 container caramel apple fruit dip
  16 oz regular cream cheese (2 8oz packages), 1 container caramel apple fruit dip
• Mix cream cheese and caramel dip until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the mixer and mix for another minute or so. You don't want lumps of cream cheese. It should be smooth.
• Do not use a lower fat or lower sugar version of either ingredient or it won't turn out right.
• Serve with cut-up fresh fruit. My personal favorites are strawberries, apples, grapes, and bananas. To keep bananas and apples from turning brown, you can toss them in lemon juice.

Enjoy!

Holly

The post Caramel Cream Cheese Fruit Dip appeared first on Home With Holly J.

The Best Blackberry Crumble Recipe

One of the things I’ve always loved about living in the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon) is berry season. Every berry you can imagine grows extremely well here and there are farms aplenty to buy them at or you can pick your own. I look forward to berry season each year and have been so excited to share this family favorite recipe with you!

I’ve also joined up with some of my talented friends to share more favorite berry recipes. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of this post for the other delicious berry recipes. These recipes are perfect for summertime entertaining or any time of the year.

In the Pacific Northwest, wild blackberries grow everywhere (they are actually an invasive species) and I’ve always picked buckets full right out of my yard.
They are easy to freeze in ziplock bags to be made into pies, cobblers, and crumbles

. Blackberries have a lot of seeds in them and can be a little tart which makes them the perfect berry to use in one of these types of recipes.

Blackberry Crumble Recipe

A few years ago my neighbors in Washington brought over the most delicious apple crisp and it was so good that I asked her for the recipe. I decided to try some other variations of it and this Blackberry Crumble is one of them. I think this one is my favorite. I’ve used tart cherries and blueberries too so feel free to improvise! I put instructions for the variations in the recipe below.

Print

The Best Blackberry Crumble Recipe

This Blackberry Crumble, or some might call it a crisp, is super easy to make and so delicious. Serve it up warm with some vanilla ice cream and you'll be everyone's favorite person!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword baking, berries, blackberries, dessert, Fruit Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Ingredients

• 5 cups Blackberries fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Butter (two sticks)
• 1 1/2 cup Flour
• 1 1/2 cup Oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• Non-Stick Spray Pam or Coconut Oil

Instructions

• Place five cups of fresh or frozen and thawed blackberries in a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and stir gently until the sugar is mixed in well.
  
• Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray and then dump the berries into the baking dish. Spread the blackberries out to cover the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
  
• In another mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix the crumble together. You'll want the pieces of butter to be pea-sized if possible.
  
• Dump the crumble topping on top of the blackberries in the baking dish and cover the berries with the crumble evenly. It's okay if some of the berries are sticking out or if it doesn't go all the way to the edge of the pan.
  
• Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. The juice from the berries will bubble up around the edges.
  
• Let cool for a bit and then serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
  

Notes

If you want to use blueberries, raspberries, or marionberries, the recipe is the same.

If you want to make it with tart pie cherries. omit the cinnamon and add 3 tsp of almond extract.

For apples, use green tart apples and follow the recipe as is. 

Make sure you serve warm with vanilla ice cream! 

I hope you’ll give my blackberry crumble recipe a try! It’s the perfect dessert for any time of the year and keep scrolling down for four more delicious berry recipes from my friends!

Lory from To Have + To Host made these cast iron Mini Blackberry Cobblers

Holliday from Home With Holliday made these refreshing Raspberry Vodka Spritzers with Mint.

Shawna from Willow Bloom Home made this Delicious Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Amy from Maison De Mings made this Raspberry Infused Lemon Naked Cake.

I hope you’ve enjoyed all these yummy berry recipes! If you’re looking for more yummy berry recipes, here’s my Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie and my Fresh Fruit Cobbler. These are amazing and family favorites!

xoxo,

The post The Best Blackberry Crumble Recipe appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

The Best Braided French Bread Recipe

This is The Best Braided French Bread Recipe ever and it’s not only delicious, it looks a little fancier than a regular loaf of homemade bread. It’s much easier to make than it looks and it has six ingredients! You’ll wow everyone with this amazing recipe!

If you’ve been following along for a while you’ll probably know that there’s almost always a story behind most of my recipes. If you’re new here, welcome! I’ll try to keep it short so you can get to the good stuff–the recipe!

The Story Behind This Recipe

Many years ago we moved to Portland, Oregon, for my husband to attend dental school. We started attending a new church and were fortunate enough to be befriended by a wonderful family named the Myers. I became fast friends with Debra, the wife, and even though she was a little older than me, we had so much in common. I looked up to her as she had seven children, five boys and two girls! My two oldest boys were toddlers then and she always gave me great advice. She was also an amazing cook and I loved learning from her in the kitchen!

Debra’s braided French bread was legendary in our church circles! She taught a class one night at the women’s group meeting and we all learned to make this amazing bread. I promise this is easier than it looks! I’ve shared many photos and step-by-step instructions on how to pull this off below in the recipe section. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect! Mine are never the same exact size and shape. What really matters is how good this bread recipe tastes!

It’s the perfect recipe to deliver to the neighbors because it makes 3-4 loaves. I often double the recipe (as I did here in these photos) so I could have plenty to share. With my double batch, I usually end up with seven loaves but you can make them smaller or shape them into smaller braided rolls or small, round rolls. How you shape them is your choice, but the braided loaf has a bit of a WOW factor!

The Recipe: Debra’s Braided French Bread

Print

Debra’s Braided French Bread

The most delicious braided French bread is the best recipe! You'll want to make this bread recipe often!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American, French

Keyword bread, bread recipe, breadrecipe, french bread, french bread recipe, homemade bread, rolls, rolls, bread, homemade, potato rolls, potato,

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Stand Mixer with a dough hook or attachment (I use my bosch mixer for this recipe since I usually double it.) A kitchen aid mixer is what I use when I don't double it.
• Baking Sheet Pan
• Dough Scraper
• Flour sifter (optional)
• Flour sack towel or tea towel
• Squirt bottle filled with water

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp yeast
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter *can substitute oil if you don't have butter
• 4 tsp salt
• 8 cups flour
• non-stick cooking spray
• extra flour for rolling out the dough

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, stir 3 tbsp yeast into a warmed 3 1/2 cups water.
  
• Stir until yeast is dissolved. Let stand for a few minutes.
  
• When the yeast starts to froth on the top, dump it into a stand mixer. Then add 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup butter (softened), and 4 tsp salt. Mix on low speed for about a minute or so.
  
• Start adding flour to the mixture 2 cups at a time. Allow it to mix in for about 20-30 seconds before adding the next 2 cups.
  
• After adding all 8 cups flour, you should have a soft, elastic dough. If the dough is super sticky, add another 1/2 cup-1 cup of flour. Let mix for a few minutes until all the flour is worked in.
  
• Spray a large bowl with a non-stick cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl.
  
• Cover the bowl with a damp towel. I run hot water on a clean flour sack towel to get it wet. You can use any tea or dish towel, just make sure it's clean and not a heavy towel. You don't want the top of the dough to dry out.
  
• Place the bowl of dough covered with the damp towel in a warm place. I use the proofing setting on my oven or the proofing mode on my bread warming drawer to speed it up. You can turn on your oven for a few minutes to get it warm, then turn it off and set it inside the oven. Be careful to not get it over 100 degrees or so. You want it warm, not hot.
  
• Let the dough rise until double in size. If the towel sticks to the top of the dough, gently remove the towel. You can always remove the towel towards the end and use the squirt bottle with water to keep the top of the dough moist. You don't want it to dry out.
  
• Sprinkle some flour onto a clean surface. I use a flour sifter to sprinkle the flour out more evenly.
  
• Dump the dough onto the floured surface.
  
• Try to get the dough into somewhat of a misshapen rectangular shape.
  
• Then start pulling and stretching sections from the side, and pull it over on top of the dough towards the middle, and press lightly down.
  
• This helps give the dough a more uniform look.
  
• When you've got it looking more uniform in shape, turn it over onto the flat, smooth side.
  
• Pat the ends to make it more flat and a long rectangle. This doesn't have to be perfect, just get it as close to this shape as you can.
  
• I do this process to make it easier to cut equal amounts of dough for each of the sections you are going to braid. I make little lines on the top of the dough with my dough scraper to section it into 9 or 12 sections. If you want 4 smaller loaves, do 12 sections. If you want 3 larger loaves, do 9 sections.
  
• Use the squirt bottle with water to lightly mist the top of the dough every so often so that it doesn't dry out while you're sectioning and braiding. I also keep the dough covered with a damp tea towel to keep it from drying out.
  
• Cut 3 sections at a time, then cover up the dough while you braid each loaf. Use your hands to stretch and roll each piece into about a 10"-12" piece.
  
• Pinch the three pieces together with the middle piece on top.
  
• Tuck the three pieces under themselves. You may need to hold them down with one hand while you start the braid with the other.
  
• You can tuck the end under more once the whole loaf has been braided so don't worry if it's not perfect.
  
• Take the right section over the middle section to start the braid.
  
• Then take the left section and continue the braid.
  
• The dough will keep stretching and getting longer as you braid.
  
• Keep the braid going and don't worry if it's not perfect. The dough will rise and hide all your imperfections.
  
• When you get to the end, pinch the 3 pieces of dough together and tuck under. Check the end you began with and make sure it's tucked under too. Get your baking sheets out (you'll need two) and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
  
• Now that the braid is done, use your dough scraper and your hand and gently lift the dough and set it on the baking sheet.
  
• You can get two braids on a standard baking sheet pan. I alternate the braided loaves so that they are opposite to each other. Cover with the damp towel again and let rise another 20-30 minutes.
  
• Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. When the top is dark golden brown, it's done.
  
• Remove from the oven and brush the tops with butter.
  
• Variations: Brush the dough with an egg wash or milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds before baking.

  You can make it into individual French rolls, small braided rolls, or just round-shaped rolls.

You’re going to love this recipe! I promise! Each time I make it, I get a little better at shaping the dough. If it’s not perfect, just remember that when the braids start to rise again, then bake, they get a lot bigger and fill in any spots that didn’t look as good when it was in the shaping stage.

I took some of these loaves to each of my neighbors this past week. They were all so grateful and wanted the recipe! I hope you love Debra’s braided French bread as much as we do. The best part about this recipe is that whenever I make it, I think about my sweet friend and all the fun times we had together in Portland. We both moved away from Oregon many years ago but we still stay in touch and she graciously allowed me to share this special recipe with you all!

You may also like my Homemade Rolls Recipe!  Click here!

For the Bosch Stand Mixer click here.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Shop The Post:

Pin This Post for Later

The post The Best Braided French Bread Recipe appeared first on Home With Holly J.

The Utah weather we are experiencing right now may not look like we are nearing summer, but Memorial Day is right around the corner so why not start planning for the picnics and summer entertaining with a few homemade strawberry recipes?

This strawberry cream cheese pie is one of my family’s favorites! I’m hoping for delicious, fresh strawberries so we can have this for the holiday coming up!

More Strawberry Recipe Ideas

This strawberry spinach salad from my friend Beth of 111 Light Lane looks like it will quickly become a family favorite! I can’t wait to try it this summer!

These fresh strawberry muffins from Ashley at Modern Glam look like the perfect breakfast addition or mid morning snack. I’m all for adding in fresh strawberries wherever I can!

These personalized strawberry desserts by Sara of Twelve on Main are adorable! I always like the idea of having my own portion size pre-made for me so that I don’t have to worry about dishing up when we have larger groups over!

I love these cute mini strawberry tarts from my friend Janine at Happy Happy Nester too! These look like the perfect touch for any summer meal. I’m so excited to try these out!

Inspiration for Moms strawberry brownie cheesecake looks like the way to my heart! Strawberries and chocolate? I think everyone will be begging for more of this one!

I’ve been getting more and more into cake decorating, so this easy strawberry vanilla cake by my friend Tana at Your Marketing BFF might be the next thing I’ll have to try! I’m even seeing how I could design a tablescape to feature it too!

Last, but not least, I love these strawberry crumble muffins from Leslie at My 100 Year Old Home. I love how she styled them and I’m sure they are just as yummy as they look!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these strawberry recipes as much as I have! I can’t wait to get in the kitchen and try them all out. You can save this image below and pin it for later so you have access to all of the recipes when you need them!

Homemade Strawberry Recipes

The post Strawberry Recipe Inspiration appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

I really enjoy hosting parties and bringing people together. It’s just something I’ve always done, and I’m just wired that way.

When I moved to Utah, I picked a CrossFit gym that was close by and started going every day. The ladies at this gym were so warm and friendly and welcomed me with open arms. To show my appreciation months later, I invited them all to my home for lunch.

What transpired was something so special that I did not expect it! Everyone started sharing things that were deep and personal, and I realized that we had all bonded over some life experiences we all had in common. There were tears shed and expressions of love, understanding, and compassion for one another.

Since that time, we have gathered every so often and continued this tradition. One of my favorite memories of our first gathering was when I went to do the laundry the following day, and I noticed that all of the cloth napkins we’d used for lunch had makeup stains from when we were all crying.

It was a reminder of the tender moments when we shared some deeply personal things we had experienced in our lives. I smile as I think of that moment, and I am so grateful to be surrounded by such an amazing group of strong women.

I’ve come to love every one of these ladies, and so I was excited about hosting a Galentine’s Day party in honor of Valentine’s Day. I wanted it to be extra special. I decided to do a brunch because I wanted to make heart-shaped waffles and heart-shaped butter. My friend Summer Adams made heart-shaped waffles for me when I visited her in the fall, and I knew I had to make them for some type of Valentine’s celebration.

I hope you enjoy all the little details of this fun party, and I hope it inspires you to gather with those special gals in your life and share something meaningful with each other. Good friends make our lives richer in so many ways, so why not have a party to celebrate each other!!

The Invitation

The Tablescape

The Hot Cocoa Bar

The Food

Brunch for me is having both sweet and savory options. For the sweet, I made whole wheat heart-shaped waffles with heart-shaped butter, fresh fruit, and homemade coconut syrup. For the savory, I made sautéed red and Yukon gold potatoes with caramelized onions, scrambled eggs with onions, green and yellow peppers, heart-shaped bacon drizzled with maple syrup (a mix of sweet and savory), and of course, the chocolate cake and hot cocoa bar for dessert! For drinks, I served Jordan Winery’s 2015 white wine, sparkling cider, and Orange Juice.

The Cake

I really wanted to make a semi-naked cake for this party. I decided to make a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. I found these recipes on Pinterest and they were both great. I found these chocolate XOXO’s at Target and knew they’d be perfect for the top of the cake. I added pink spray roses and some eucalyptus to the top and bottom of the cake. I love how it turned out. Thank you to my friend Christina and my daughters cute friend Jensen both for helping me learn how to make this type of cake! I’ll do a separate post for this soon and share what I learned! It’s not as hard as it looks to make this type of cake. You just need to know a few of the tricks and techniques to create a stunning cake.

The Decorations

The Gals and our Favorite Things Gift Exchange

A big thanks to Lizzy Early Cox (@yourcupofcake) for coming to the party and taking all the beautiful photos!

I hope you all have the happiest Valentine’s Day and know that I love and appreciate you all! Thank you for allowing me to share what I love.

XOXO,

Shop the Look

Sources are linked below. Just tap on the image. Some items may be out of stock so I’ve linked similar items.

PIN THIS FOR LATER:

HOSTING A GALENTINES DAY PARTY

The post Hosting a Galentine’s Day Party appeared first on Home With Holly J.

This is a simple recipe for making your own Pumpkin Pie Spice.  I use this pumpkin pie spice recipe in my pumpkin pie, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, pumpkin roll, and any recipe that calls for pumpkin spice or pumpkin pie spice.

At times, I’ve had a difficult time finding it in the grocery store and it is quite expensive for a small amount. You can make a batch of your own and store it in a spice container or small mason jar.

Print

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

Make your own pumpkin pie spice mix.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground allspice
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

• Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container or spice jar.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix RecipePumpkin Pie Spice Mix Recipe

The post Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix appeared first on Home With Holly J.