Starbucks Semi-Homemade Lemon Loaf

My grandfather was a big fan of baked goods with his morning coffee.  For as long as I can remember, he would spend an hour or so, savoring the sweetness while nursing his coffee.  The routine sometimes carries over into the afternoon with his tea.  Grandpa always had a soft spot for any baked goods with a fruit flavor. Lemon loaves is one of his favorites.

Loaf:
1 box of lemon cake mix
1 box of lemon pudding
1/2 cup of oil
4 large eggs
1 tsp lemon extract
1 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp flour
Zest of lemon, optional

Icing:
2.5 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tsp of lemon juice or milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients and mix well for about 4-5 minutes.

Pour into pan and bake for about 40 minutes or when the center is clean after poking with toothpick.  Allow to cool completely before icing it.  Keep the loaf in the pan.

Add the lemon juice or milk to the powder sugar slowly by adding a little at a time and stirring until you see a nice thick and gooey consistency.  You are looking for a blob just runny enough to pour.

Bread by Artisan Bread in Five in a crockpot

Artisan Bread in Five minutes a day has this really great recipe that is absolutely simple.  I stumbled across the recipe on Pinterest when I was looking for a recipe to make bread at home.  Go check out their website and learn to save your family BIG BUCKS by baking these beautiful  loaves at home.  There is only 4 ingredients to this bread vs commercial breads that have a zillion different things in it.  I never understood the use of high fructose corn syrup in making bread.  Anyone looking for a bread without the added sweetness, this is the recipe for you.

3 cups warm water

1 package yeast

1 tsp salt

6.5 cup unbleached all purpose flour (add 1/4 cup more if you are using King Arthur)

Pour yeast and salt into water.  Combine.  Add flour.  Stir well.  Proof for 2 hours.  Weigh out a pound. Shape into a round ball.  Dust top with flour and make 3 slashes with sharp knife.  Make sure that it is deep slashes.

Place a piece of parchment in crockpot and set on high for about 1 hr.  Brown in oven on broil for a few minutes.  If you don't have a crock pot, bake in oven for 30-35 mins on a stone.  If you don't a stone, place the loaf on parchment paper and a baking sheet.

Allow for loaf to cool completely, otherwise the bread will be nasty looking on inside when you cut into it.