homemade bread Archives - Mama Plus One

I’ve mentioned a lot lately how much I love spring. It’s that 70 degree weather and the delicious seasonal foods that appear in stores about this time, for sure. So the other day, I was shopping at Target, wandering the store the way I do… you know how you go into Target for one thing and there’s that unspoken law that you can’t leave without spending $50 even if you went in for just one $5 item? Yeah, so, I was wandering. And stumbled upon a Target exclusive.

Oh my goodness, Target, you kill me with those exclusives…

Betty Crocker got sneaky and made a WATERMELON cake mix. And frosting to go with it. And oh my goodness, this cake mix, it’s just like a watermelon. But like, in cake form. Psht, like I needed another excuse to eat cake!

So I gathered my Betty Crocker Watermelon Cake mix, a box of Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding, 4 eggs, 1 cup of water, and 1/2 cup oil, then preheated my oven to 350.

Now, I want to tell you here, I used the Watermelon Cake mix because I really wanted to have that amazing watermelon bread flavor. The vanilla pudding compliments that well, but you can use literally any flavor of pudding and cake mix. Want chocolate bread? Try chocolate cake and chocolate pudding. Want chocolate covered strawberry? Use a strawberry mix and chocolate pudding. Want lemon? Use lemon cake mix and lemon pudding and add some poppyseeds… or, use lemon cake and vanilla pudding for a lighter flavor. The sky is the limit!

But for today– Watermelon Cake Mix, Vanilla pudding. Everybody still tracking along?

Put your dry ingredients in the bowl, then add in your wet ingredients while mixing.

Aww, look at all of the fun “seeds” in the watermelon mix! This is a good time to mention that, while these great black seed bits came in the mix, you CAN add in mix-ins like chocolate chips or poppyseeds when making a cake mix quick bread. Use your imagination!

I divided my batter among 4 mini loaf pans, but you can make two regular loaves instead. I like mini loaves because they’re so cute, and great for sharing! The baking time should stay the same or increase just slightly if you’re using the regular loaf pans. Always insert a toothpick or use your method of choice to check for doneness!

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until edges are golden. Then, cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes to an hour before slicing and serving. See, breads will continue to bake just slightly after removed from the oven, so cooling them before slicing allows that soft center to get fully cooked.

Cake mix quick breads are great because they use ingredients people usually keep on hand, and they’re so easy to take to friends or family, serve as a breakfast or dessert, and are just a great treat.

The best thing about the Watermelon quick bread is it’s delicious watermelon flavor that tastes so true to the actual fruit. This is the moistest sweet bread you’ll ever taste!

What cake mix/pudding combo would you try in your Cake Mix Quick Bread? Let me know in the comments below!

For years, I’ve been buying beer bread mix from companies like Tastefully Simple or Wildtree. I’m not going to lie, they’re expensive. But I’ve always been under the impression that they were so much easier than if I were to make it myself. I mean, you can’t exactly get much easier than opening a package and pouring a can of soda in, can you?

Except you can.

This bread literally has only three ingredients. Measure, pour your soda in, and bake.

Put some self-rising flour in a bowl and add a little sugar. Then grab your can of choice… because my family does not drink or purchase alcohol at all, we use soda, but you can make this a traditional beer bread if you prefer.

This time around, I used a can of Pepsi.

Pour it into the bowl with the self-rising flour mixture.

Barely mix it, just until it’s combined, and you get a thick dough.

Then, pour it into a greased loaf pan.

Bake it, and just about 15 minutes before it’s done, take it out of the oven and spread some margarine on top.

Pop that back in the oven for 15 more minutes, and it’ll develop a nice golden brown crust.

This is awesome served warm… and it really goes well with the lasagna soup I posted recently!

This recipe is so easy, and it came to me in a handwritten note in the recipe box. I love that it was such an easy bread and it didn’t require any weird ingredients… three things. That’s it. It’s much cheaper than buying a box mix all the time, and it tastes just as good, if not better. While you’re at it, make up a few loaves to take to friends and neighbors. I know they’ll love it!

Soda/Beer Bread

3 cups self rising flour

4 Tablespoons sugar

1 can beer- room temperature (I substituted Pepsi)

Mix together in bowl, put into greased bread pan. Bake 350 for 55 minutes. Take out and put Oleo (margarine) on top and bake 15 minutes more.

Mama Plus One

Making Life Easy So You Can Get Back to What Matters Most

homemade bread

Watermelon Quick Bread (Or How To Make a Sweet Bread out of ANY Cake Mix!)

Three Ingredient Soda (or Beer) Bread