Have you ever considered switching to a yeast-free diet? Eating yeast-free has become quite well known as a way to reduce yeast levels in your body. The average diet this day and age encourages the overproduction of yeast in our bodies, which can have devastating effects.

The overgrowth of yeast in our diets can result in uncomfortable symptoms such as fatigue, stomach issues, irritability, mood swings, joint pain and more. The reality is that in small doses, yeast is perfectly fine for most of us (barring other health issues), but it is important to make sure you aren’t having to battle an overgrowth.

Switching to a yeast free diet is a great way to deal with an overgrowth, and while you may be nervous, it really isn’t as difficult as you may think it will be. Like any diet change, it will take some getting used to, but it doesn’t have to alter your lifestyle too much. Following these tips for switching to a yeast free diet is a great way to make this change a reality.

Tips for Switching to a Yeast Free Diet

The Willpower

Just like anything else, you need to have the willpower to want to make these changes in your diet and in your day to day life. That being said, sometimes willpower is easy to create. One way to do just that is to educate yourself. For example, looking into the pros and cons of making this diet change can help you build this willpower. Once you learn about the benefits of it, it will be easier to have the motivation to make the changes.

The Right Recipes

A diet that is high in sugar and other refined carbs are a major risk factor as it relates to yeast overgrowth. A yeast free diet means you need to avoid not only sugar, but gluten, alcohol, and even some dairy products. Switching your diet doesn’t have to start that dramatically though, simply switching out to yeast free breads can make a huge difference. Especially if bread is a big part of your day to day diet. That’s why finding delicious yeast free bread recipes can make a world of difference!

One of my favorites is this delicious Peanut Butter Bread. It is rich, delicious and just the right recipe to make you forget that you are missing anything in your recipe.

Another favorite to add to the list is the No-Yeast Deep Dish Pizza. Each of the members of our family is a big pizza lover, so this is a popular one on our list!

As a matter of fact, we have quite a few delicious yeast-free bread recipes right here at Sassafras:

easy no-yeast bread

easy no-yeast beer bread

easy no-yeast breadsticks

easy no-yeast pretzels

One of my favorite things about these recipes is that even those who aren’t eating a yeast free diet, won’t even notice the difference! They are that good!

The Right Tools

Here’s the thing, when you are trying to make changes to your eating, the right tools are essential. Without the right tools, creating delicious recipes is virtually impossible. Without delicious recipes, a new diet is hard to stick to. If you have ever tried a new diet, you know how hard it is to stay motivated to continue to eat according to your new eating plan when you find difficulty in creating the recipes.

For example, creating a delicious bread like the Peanut Butter bread requires a good bread baker like the Superstone® Covered Baker.

The superstone® covered baker® mimics a professional brick-lined oven right in your own kitchen! This is perfect for bread making at home. The covered baker produces an oblong-shaped loaf of bread, inspired by Italian baking. The covered baker heats evenly, and pulls moisture from the dough, creating a crackly crust and delicious flavor.

For the yummy, yeast free pizza, you definitely need to have the Superstone® Deep-Dish Pizza & Pie Baker. A true deep dish pizza requires a pie baker made from a material that heats evening so that your pizza crust will be done with a crackly crust and a soft dough that holds in the delicious flavors perfectly. The superstone® stoneware material is perfect for this. 

Serve it Up

If you need pizza accessories for cutting and serving your pies, look no further–– Sassafras® has a wood-handled spatula and a silicone-handled spatula for all your baking needs.

We at Sassafras® wish you good health and happy baking!

Now though, I have more time at home and I am trying my best to make the most of it. I am spending more time cooking than I probably have in my entire life and I love it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my awesome kitchen tools that make life easier, but there is nothing like the delicious meals that I make in my kitchen stoneware, made with the Superstone® Bread Dome.

When I first heard about bread domes, I guess I assumed that it was all about bread and while homemade bread is amazing, I want my kitchen tools to be useful for more than one purpose. I am all about multi-tasking and that’s one of the reasons why I love the bread domes so much.

I absolutely love to create family meals in the Superstone® Bread Dome, they have actually started to become our family favorites. With both a glazed and unglazed option, the possibilities are endless. The glazed bread dome is wonderful for meat dishes with lots of spices and flavors, the unglazed is great for breads and other like dishes.

Why buy the Superstone® Bread Dome?

If you love to bake a beautiful loaf of bread, you need a bread dome. The Superstone® Bread Dome, unlike the other Superstone® products, is glazed on the inside. It mimics a professional baker’s oven, which means a beautiful crust. The same is true for other foods like chicken and roast. The inside is moist, and the outside is crispy and delicious.

You can either get the unglazed Bread Dome, or you can get one with an outer glaze, now in six beautiful colors!

The Superstone® Bread Dome is simple to use and it is surprisingly easy to clean. For more detailed info, check out our Use & Care page.

How does the Superstone® Bread Dome work?

There is a reason that food cooked in a bread dome and other stoneware tastes so amazing. The Superstone® Bread Dome traps heat and steam from the food within the bread dome and continues to bake the bread, chicken, roast, etc., to just the right temperature and doneness.

Superstone® Bread Dome Recipes

Once you get your bread dome and you are ready to make the best meal ever, check out some of our favorite Bread Dome Recipes and tell us what you think:

Orange Baked Chicken–– This sweet-and-salty recipe itself is delicious, but wow the juiciness of the chicken when made in the bread dome is mouth watering.

Beer-Marinated Pot Roast–– Add a can of your favorite beer or wine, add some chopped veggies and you've got a winner for dinner!

And of course, you can’t forget to make a delicious bread to go along with your perfectly roasted chicken or beef. Here are some of our favorite bread recipes to bake in the bread dome:

Crusty Country Loaf––  I am a huge, huge fan of crusty loaf bread. There is just nothing like a crunchy crust while you bite into the soft interior of a delicious loaf of bread.

Cracked Wheat Sourdough Loaf––  A simple recipe for using your leftover sourdough starter.

So now that you've been convinced, be sure to share your feedback and any pictured you have of your favorite creations. Happy Baking!

Eating Healthy, Eating Keto

We’re all bread lovers here, that’s easy to see. It’s also easy to see that Keto diets are getting more and more popular and, if you can eat a bit healthier, why not? So let’s compromise and find some healthier substitutions for our regular bread staple.

A Ketogenic diet, according to Wikipedia, is “a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used mainly to treat hard-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.”

image: Sugar Free by Marta

Keto Bread

Keto bread is a very low-carb bread that doesn’t contain loads of whole wheat and whole grains, reads the article ‘What Is Keto Bread'? by Sugar Free by Marta. These are usually used to make traditional bread. In its replacement, you will find different types of low-carb replacement ingredients that are low in carbs.

Many of the recipes we’ve found below are keto friendly and easy to make:

Keto Bread Recipes 

these recipes work best with the Superstone® Loaf Pan, available unglazed and in six glazed colors:

Easy Keto Zucchini Bread-- this recipe by Tasty Kitchen uses Almond flour, a keto-friendly, low-carb substitute for regular flour. Add in walnuts, blueberries or chocolate chips, this bread is both moist and crunchy in all the right places.

Keto Blackberry Bread with Lemon Glaze-- this recipe by Flavour and Savour is sugar-free, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and makes a healthy low-carb snack.

Keto Cinnamon Swirl Bread–– this recipe by This Mom's Menu brings all the cinnamon goodness of traditional cinnamon bread minus the carbs and added sugar. A little bit of butter only makes it better!

Keto Cheese Bread–– with some shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, and some keto-friendly toppings, this recipe by Cooked by Julie is a low-carb treat that everyone will enjoy.

This recipe works best with the Superstone® BBQ Pizza Stone or the Deep-Dish Pizza & Pie Baker.

Keto Sourdough Bread–– this recipe by Oh So Foodie is made with almond flour, which is gluten free, along with some other low carb ingredients, which means that you can enjoy it guilt-free.

This recipe works best with the Superstone® La Cloche or the Deep-Dish Pizza & Pie Baker.

serve it up

if you need accessories for cutting and serving, look no further–– sassafras® has a wood-handled spatula and a silicone-handled spatula, and so many other baking accessories on clearance for all your baking and bread carving needs.

We hope these recipes and tips help those of you who are looking to eat healthier, but want to keep bread in their lives. Stay Healthy and Happy Baking!

Focaccia Bread is Fabulous

Is there anything more delicious or addicting than warm, freshly baked focaccia? If you answered no, you came to the right place, because we are the same! I love it!

infographic by wikipedia

Learn How to Make Focaccia Bread

If you're new to making dough from scratch, focaccia is a great place to start. The first thing to do is to bloom the yeast. Next, dissolve a bit of sugar into some lukewarm water, and stir in your yeast. Wait 15 minutes until the dry granules are foamy and bubbly. Mis the remainder of the ingredients together and add to the yeast mix. Once a dough is formed, knead it for about 5 minutes until it is smooth.

Here is a couple of awesome things about focaccia bread that you won’t find with most other homemade breads:

• No need to add flour as you go
• Requires only one rise

Time to Stretch It

Another unique thing about focaccia bread is the stretching method that is used. You stretch the dough out to the edges of the pan, and poke dimples throughout the dough to help it stretch. These dimples will eventually create the awesome texture that focaccia is famous for.

Break Out the Olive Oil

Olive oil and focaccia go hand in hand. Here are all of the ways you will be using olive oil in your focaccia bread baking process:

• Coat the dough with olive oil
• Use olive oil to grease the pan
• Drizzle your finished focaccia bread with olive oil before eating

If you're interested in making your own olive oil for bread dipping, we have several recipes.

How to Top Focaccia Bread

There are so many delicious ways to top focaccia bread! Of course, you can eat it plain or with olive oil, like we mentioned before. Or, you can add seeds, olives, dried vegetables, spices, cheese and so much more! Really, you can use any toppings you want, but it is suggested that you use pre-cooked vegetables so that you don’t have too much moisture added.

In addition to topping focaccia, it also makes delicious hot sandwiches and a mean stuffing!

Superstone® Bakeware

Like with any other delicious homemade bread, it makes sense to use the right tools. For quality baking, your pizza stone can be what makes or breaks your flatbread.

I personally prefer the Superstone® BBQ Pizza Stone: it has a natural grooved surface for even heat distribution and a fire-proof finish, perfect for making pizza on the grill in the summertime or anytime of year–– the Superstone® BBQ Pizza Stone can also be used in any conventional or convection oven, giving this stone the most versatility. 

Also you've got the Superstone® Deep-Dish Pie & Pizza Baker, made of stoneware material that heats evenly, producing a perfectly-browned pie, deep-dish pizza, or breads with a crispy crust. Now available in six beautiful glazed colors.

Serve it Up

if you need accessories for cutting and serving, look no further–– sassafras® has a wood-handled spatula and a silicone-handled spatula for all your baking and bread-carving needs.

We hope that you enjoy baking flatbread as much as we like talking about them. happy baking!

Who else is craving a pizza night? I don’t know about you, but I am not craving just any pizza night, but a summer pizza night. Oh and before anyone asks, yes, there is a difference. Summer pizza is often topped with fresh and flavorful, yet seasonal ingredients.

One of my favorite things about summer pizzas is how healthy they can be! I mean, as much as I love a good old fashioned pizza night, there is just not much you can do to make pepperoni and cheese healthy (no offense to my pepperoni fans out there).

I love the idea that I can create a pizza with toppings of my choice (namely the ones fresh out of my garden), and with a crust of my choice! Trust me, my perfect perfect summer pizza is healthy and delicious.

Healthy Summer Pizzas

Whether you are making dinner for the family or inviting over some guests, you can rest assured that these healthy summer pizzas will be a hit. If you are on the hunt for a deliciously healthy summer pizza recipe that uses those flavorful and fresh ingredients that we were talking about earlier, we have you covered!

These are a couple of my favorite healthy summer pizza recipes:

Healthy Cauliflower Pizza Crust - Because I am gluten free and trying to maintain a lower carb diet, I am especially loving cauliflower crust these days! If you haven’t yet tried cauliflower crust, here is a delicious and easy recipe for you.

Margherita Pizza - When it comes to summer pizzas, I think my favorite just might be the classic Margherita Pizza. The only difference is that I make it on the cauliflower crust and then I love to top mine with fresh tomatoes from my garden. Oh my goodness, it is mouthwatering.

Curried Veggie Pizza - This one can also be served on the cauliflower crust and boy is it delicious! I love the flavors that burst through this one and since I have several vegetarian friends, this one is always a hit with them as well.

Zucchini Pizza - Is your garden overrun with zucchini yet? I don’t know about you, but every year my garden produces far more zucchini than my family could ever eat.

Because we don’t just want it steamed night after night, we like to try out new zucchini recipes as often as we can. When I first tried this zucchini pizza recipe out, the family was skeptical, but one bite and they loved it! They now ask for this one regularly.

I have also been known to throw extra toppings on my already yummy pizza, or even create my own sometimes. It's pizza night after all, time to go wild!

And be sure to check out our Pizza Stone Recipes page for more ideas.

Superstone® BBQ Pizza Stone

Using the right tools makes all the difference in creating the best pizza. You have heard me say this before, but you absolutely have to use a pizza stone for cooking the best healthy summer pizza, or any pizza at all actually.

A pizza stone allows you to get just the right amount of crisp and tenderness on your pizza crust. Trust me, a pizza pan is not enough. If you love pizza, you need a pizza stone in your life.

Sure, you could put your pizza directly on the grill, if you want to make a mess and possibly burn your fingers in the process. But if you really want a delicious BBQ pizza, using a pizza stone for your barbeque pizza can literally make all the difference in how your pizza turns out. I may be biased, but this pizza stone is my absolute favorite:

Superstone® BBQ Pizza Stone-- with it's natural grooved surface for even heat distribution and a fire-proof finish, the BBQ Pizza Stone is perfect for making pizza in any conventional or convection oven, or on the grill, great for making pizza on the grill in the summertime or anytime!

Serve it Up

If you need pizza accessories for cutting and serving your pies, look no further–– Sassafras® has a wood-handled pizza cutter and a silicone-handled pizza cutter for all your baking needs.

Now that you have the best recipes and you know the best tools, it is time to sit down, relax and enjoy your delicious and healthy summer pizza!

Summertime is almost over, but it doesn't mean that the fun has to end completely. There's still plenty of time Here are some recipes for No-Machine, No-Churn Ice Cream that your kids will enjoy making for months and years to come!

Ice Cream Recipes

The ice cream scoop and the set of 4 sundae cups from Sassafras® are great for beating the heat!

Taste of Home has a recipe for How to Make Homemade Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Maker, and there are so many recipes for making your own ice cream, like Ice Cream in A Bag by Whimsy,  a recipe that only needs three ingredients and is so easy, the kids can make it themselves!

Check out the Watermelon Sorbet in a Ziploc® Brand Bag recipe, this one's gonna be a crowd pleaser for sure!

This Waffle Cone recipe by All Recipes will make your frozen treat look like you bought it from a sweets shop! You can use your waffle maker, or, you can cook the batter like a crepe on your electric skillet.

No-Bake Treat Recipes

Together you and the kids can make fun treats like the 3-Ingredient, No Bake Cereal Bars for Peanut Butter and Honey Lovers by Kitchen Frau, or the No-Bake Snickers Crispy Cakes recipe by Sugar Salt Magic that doesn't even require the oven. Any adjustments you have to make in the recipe, you can use the cake pan converter.

Easy Viennese Crunch Ice Cream Cake–– this recipe by Esty Wolbe at kosherdotcom on YouTube is layered with rich caramel, chocolate, and nutty Viennese crunch (you can substitute English Toffee Crunch)–– a perfect summer dessert with very little fuss!

There is no better way to get your kid excited about being in the kitchen than letting them make their own no-bake treats with their own tools! You can help them along the way with measurements using the the little cooks™ tool kit with herb pot, complete with measuring cups. The little cook™ red silicone loaf pan can be used over and over and is easy to clean.

There are so many fun baking tools and accessories for you and your kids on our clearance page, be sure to check it out and save a couple of dollars!

We hope these recipes keep you cool for the new few months at least! Enjoy your summer!

Amish Friendship Bread

According to Wikipedia, Amish Friendship Bread is "a type of bread or cake similar to pound cake or coffee cake, made from a sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter".

from Wikipedia

While chain letters or chain letter memes aren't very popular nowadays, people concentrate on the "friendship" part of its name: think about all of the good friends you have, or the kind of friends you want to make in the new year. Also, giving a loaf of thick, sugary quick bread is a great way to start or re-kindle a friendship!

When baking Amish Friendship Bread, talk about friends and why we have them. Maybe consider looking up a recipe and make a bunch of loaves to deliver to close friends and even family.

Friendship Bread Recipes

Cinnamon-Sugar Amish Friendship Bread - This recipe takes 10 days of "squishing and mushing" the starter bag, then adding a few other ingredients and voila! Great for baking in our Superstone® Loaf Pan and given as gifts.Created by The Seasoned Mom.

Amish Sourdough Bread - another easy-to-make recipe by The Spruce Eats, considered to be one of the easiest sourdoughs to make, delicious as a side dish or for sandwiches, baked in the Superstone® La Cloche.

Original Amish Friendship Bread - This recipe from Friendship Bread Kitchen has only 10 minutes fo prep time and can be customized for the Superstone® Covered Baker, and you can add 1 cup of dried fruit, nuts or baking chips of your choice.

The Friendship Bread Kitchen has over 250 friendship bread recipes that you can use with the Superstone® Covered Baker or the Superstone® Loaf Pan. There's a PDF of their 'Top Ten Friendship Bread Recipes' to get your started.

Superstone® Bread Baking Products

Our Superstone® Bread bakers are a worldwide favorite for over 30 years. if you’re a bread baker and enjoy baking different types and shapes of bread, these bakers 

serve it up

if you need accessories for cutting and serving, look no further–– sassafras® has a wood-handled spatula and a silicone-handled spatula, and so many other baking accessories on clearance for all your baking and bread carving needs.

Do you have any baking recipe tips or recipes to share with us this new year? Feel free to share them with us. Happy Baking!

image from Wikipedia

According to Amy Treasure, "Brioche tastes richer than standard bread. It has a sweet almost cake-like taste. It's buttery and sweet and very delicious!"

brioche bread recipes

Overnight Pull-Apart Brioche Cinnamon Roll Bread–– the recipe by Half Baked Harvest is more of a holiday recipe using eggnog and cinnamon, but we think it's great for anytime of the year!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread Brioche–– a fun recipe by Barbara Bakes using confectioners sugar and cinnamon and makes three loaves, similar to the Pull-Apart Brioche loaf but without the eggnog.

Foolproof Braided Brioche–– With a eggy and buttery taste with a flaky crust, this brioche recipe by Happily Unprocessed is a perfect bread for brunches and special occassions.

French Brioche Recipe–– this recipe by Eat Little Bird is a little bit easier because you can use the Superstone® Loaf Pan: there is no need to buy a special brioche pan.

Gluten-Free Yeast Brioche Bread–– According to Cathy's Gluten Free, "If you've been intimidated by the idea of making yeast bread, cast those fears aside! It's actually easier to make gluten free yeast bread than it is the traditional wheat variety".

Superstone® Loaf Pan

The Superstone® Loaf Pan produces a semi-crisp crust with an evenly textured crumb, enabling breads to bake into a more airy and fluffier texture. Our Loaf Pans are available in six glazed colors that will brighten up your kitchen!

serve it up

if you need accessories for cutting and serving, look no further–– sassafras® has a wood-handled spatula and a silicone-handled spatula, and so many other baking accessories on clearance for all your baking and bread carving needs.

Next we'll do a blog about sandwich breads, so stay tuned. Happy baking! 

If you haven't read our blog article, Sourdough Starter Recipes to Get You Started, give it a quick glance: once you're done, here are some sourdough recipes that your family will love!

All of these bread recipes work with either the Superstone® La Cloche, the Superstone® Loaf Pan, or the Superstone® Baguette Baker.

Sourdough Starter Bread Recipes

Whole Wheat Sourdough Ciabatta–– this simple recipe by HolyCowVegan uses sourdough starter and is a "a healthier, wholegrain version" of your favorite Italian Ciabatta bread. This recipes works great with the Superstone® La Cloche.

French Country Bread–– this recipe by Food.com uses sourdough starter, sea salt, and whole wheat flour to make a really tasty loaf of bread, works great with the Superstone® La Cloche.

Sourdough Bread Bowls–– Not just for clam chowder! These sourdough bread bowls by My Cultured Palate are great for various thick soups , as well as chili. You make can several loaves at a time in the Superstone® La Cloche.

Double Chocolate Sourdough Loaf–– this recipe by SuzyandCo uses sourdough starter, cocoa, and chocolate chips, plus it fits perfectly in our Superstone® Loaf Pan.

Sourdough Baguettes–– this recipe by Allrecipes uses sourdough starter and works with our Superstone® Baguette Baker, available in six glazed colors.

serve it up

if you need accessories for cutting and serving, look no further–– sassafras® has a wood-handled spatula and a silicone-handled spatula for all your baking and bread carving needs.

Save that sourdough starter

remember, leftover starter has so many uses, so don't throw it away–– if you try any of these recipes, be sure to give us feedback, and tag and share your photos using sassafras® products on social media. happy baking!

The kids still have a few more weeks of summer left, so let's make the most of it! You definitely want toys and products that encourage them to get some fresh air and exercise, and Sassafras® has got you covered.

outdoor games for kids

one way to keep the kids entertained is with the Frog Bowling Pin Set and the Owl Bowling Pin Set from sassafras®. great for fun, skilled exercise and keeping the kids in the yard where you can keep an eye on them. these are just a few of the many Outdoor Fun toys we have to offer. these activities should keep the kids occupied for the rest of the summer.

Chinese Jump Ropes are a great way to keep kids engaged and in shape. this stretchy jumprope requires two players to string around their ankles, while a third player criss-crosses the elastic cord with all sorts of configurations! Our Flower Pastel Jump Rope is for kids that want to jump rope alone––

LifeHack.org wrote an article 9 Benefits of Jumping Rope You Probably Don’t Know that will back up the decision to get some colorful jump ropes or other Outdoor Fun products from Sassafras!

gardening for kids

Our blog article, The Benefits of Gardening with Your Kids, is helpful and informative about why your kids should get into gardening.

Our Garden section has plenty of tools that your kids will love, including the Gardener in Training Apron Set and also the Paint-Your-Own Terrarium is a way to Paint-Your-Own Birdbath, as well as our other Paint-Your-Own figures and coin banks, with paints and brush, will cater to your kids' creative and nurturing nature.

music for kids

We recently wrote a blog article, The Importance of Music for Your Kids that goes in depth about how learning music develops and strengthens your children's developmental skills.

If you have little ones and you want to get them started on the musical journey, our Musical Instruments has so many cute and fun products that will teach as well entertain,  like our bee bells, our bright stripe xylophone, and our ladybug, fish and frog castanets - click and clack a ladybug, fish and frog castanet–– get them individually or as a set of three!

With so many resources available, you simply can't go wrong. As the summer season ends, we hope that you and your kids have fun and stay safe.