Category Archives: Bread

Sweet Dough

I’ve been using this recipe for about 6 months now and it hasn’t failed me yet.  I got it from my mom’s friend Bernice (who got it from a neighbor when her kids were little … and they are about my age).  I love it!  One note I would like to make:  I have tried substituting Splenda for all (and then part) of the sugar.  They just weren’t the same.  Splenda doesn’t have the same “bite” as sugar.  So, if you can’t have any sugar, just don’t make these.  I haven’t used whole grains yet.  Now that I’m more comfortable with the recipe, I’ll start branching out and maybe substitute some for the all-purpose flour but today I’m making these for other people (a memorial for my dear friend’s mother).

Recipe Card

Sweet Dough

Difficulty: Intermediate

Description

For pastries, cinnamon rolls, anything sweet.

Ingredients

Instructions

Basic Dough Instructions

  1. Basic Dough Instructions

     

    In a small bowl, mix yeast and water.  Let sit while preparing the milk mixture.

    In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, butter, salt and milk.  Heat just until the butter and sugar melt (stirring continually to prevent scorching).  Pour into a large bowl.  Once lukewarm, beat in the egg and the yeast mixture.  Now, mix in the flour, a cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.  Pour out onto a floured surface and knead until it’s fairly smooth (I don’t knead this as much as bread dough).

    Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm place until doubled (about an hour).  Now, form into whatever you decide to make, let rise another hour, then bake at 350 degrees F until slightly brown (about 15 to 20 minutes).

    A friend of mine just suggested this dough could be used to make kolaches.

For Cinnamon Rolls:

  1. For Cinnamon Rolls:

    You need

    • room temperature butter
    • brown sugar
    • cinnamon

    Roll out the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick (the thinner it is, the more sugary-cinnamony goodness your rolls will have).  Spread with butter (I use a rubber spatula so I don’t stick the dough).  Do not spread the butter all the way to the edge (leave about 1/4 inch gap).  Now, sprinkle with brown sugar.  I think the first time I did this I used about 1/2 cup packed brown sugar.  Now, I just go by look (I want it everywhere).  Then, sprinkle with cinnamon.  I use a lot.  I make sure all the sugar/butter has a dusting of cinnamon.

    Starting at a long side, slowly start rolling the dough tightly (I can’t emphasize this more … the first time I made these I didn’t roll tight enough and they unrolled while baking … tasted great, looked awful).  Once you get the the end, pinch the ends of the dough together (or, they will unroll).  Slice across the dough, making your rolls about and inch or more thick.  Place in a well greased 13X9 pan, cover, and let stand u

For Fruit Danishes:

  1. For Fruit Danishes:

    You need

    • room temperature butter
    • sugar
    • jam (I’ve used blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, grape, apricot-pineapple)

    Now, this one’s trickier.  Roll out the dough just like you are making the cinnamon rolls above.  I got the technique from Joe Pastry (http://www.joepastry.com/category/pastry/danish-pastry/).  He describes it much better than I do (and he has great pictures) so go there and read how he does it.  He also has other pastry ideas that this dough would be perfect for.  I originally made it like he does, with pastry cream.  Well, I don’t have any today so I’m just going to spread the dough with butter and sprinkle sugar on it (I’m wondering if brown sugar would be

For Icing:

  1. For Icing:

    • Powdered Sugar
    • Milk

    For a double recipe of sweet goodness, I use about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, then slowly add the milk until it’s the consistency I like.  If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar.  See in the picture on Joe Pastry’s web page of the icing?  That’s how it should look after you mix it.  Still white (can’t see through it) but liquid enough so it will stream a bit off a fork (I tried using a spoon and a tiny whisk but ended up with giant blobs of icing).

Keywords: pastry, dough, sweet, danish, cinnamon, roll,

Baking Powder Biscuits

These are by far the best biscuits I have ever made! I only use butter and work really fast to keep the butter from melting. Don’t roll these too thin (or you will have hockey pucks) and to get the best, flakiest biscuits, us a cutter (I use cleaned cans (cheaper than buying a biscuit cutter).

Baking Powder Biscuits

Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Grate the frozen butter into the flour and, using a fork, coat the butter with the flour. Add the buttermilk and mix until almost all of the flour in incorporated (do not mix too much or the biscuits will be dense).

    Sprinkle flour on your countertop and scoop out the biscuit dough. Gently fold the dough until it becomes more solid (roughly 20 times), only adding flour to prevent it sticking to your hands or countertop. Pat flat so the dough is at least 1/2 inch thick.

    If you want circles, cut with any item that is at least 2 inches round (a biscuit cutter, a drinking glass, an empty food can, etc.). If you want squares, just cut with a knife. Place biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet an bake for 8 to 12 minutes (until the edges start to brown). Let cool a few minutes, then split with a fork (use the tines of a fork to split the biscuit instead of a knife). Serve.

  1. Kraft Kitchens Tips

     

    Great Substitute
    Substitute shortening or butter for the margarine.

    Larger Biscuits
    If using a 3-inch cookie cutter, you will be able to cut out 8 biscuits.
    Bake as directed. Makes 8 servings, 1 biscuit each.

    Crustier Biscuits
    For a crustier biscuit, roll dough 1/4-inch-thickness; cut with 2-1/4-inch cutter. Continue as directed, increasing baking time to 12 minutes.

    Makes about 8 servings, 3 biscuits each.

Ma’s Banana Nut Bread

Ma’s Banana Nut Bread

My son requested this today. It’s the recipe my mom has been using forever. It’s from a set of Women’s Day cookbooks from the late 60’s? Anyway, thought you might enjoy (I’ve tried other recipes but still go back to this one).

Mas Banana Nut Bread

Dry Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 1 loaf pan. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix thoroughly.

    Pour into loaf pan. Bake for about 60 minutes (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Let cool for about 5 minutes then remove from pan. Try to let cool, though this never happens in my house.

    I usually double the recipe because I actually have people give me bananas just to make them some of this bread.

Oat Bread and New Mexico Chile Verde

I have been so busy with playing Call of Duty Black Ops that I keep forgetting to post some of my latest concoctions! 🙂

While I love specialty breads (I still haven’t found a good-enough-for-me recipe for jalapeño cheese bread) I have been wanting to find a good every day bread and I think I found it! Why do I like this recipe so much? Well, this is the first one I found without brown sugar, honey, or molasses. Also, it’s not too dense but heavy enough to not break apart when spreading natural peanut butter on it. This makes fantastic sandwiches, toast, french toast, etc.

Oat Bread

Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Combine 3 cups flour, oats, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl and mix well.

    In a small saucepan, heat milk, water, and butter until very warm (just until butter is melted). Add to flour mixture and blend on low speed of mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the medium speed and beat for 3 minutes (I did this by hand and it was not fun).

    By hand, stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto floured surface and knead in the rest of the flour for about 5 to 8 minutes.

    Shape into ball, cover with bowl (or in an oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap) and let rise until doubled (about an hour). Punch down and let rest for 10 minutes.

    Divide dough in half and shape into loaves. Place in greased bread pans. Cover and let rise until almost doubled (recipe said 15 minutes but I let it go for 30).

    Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes, or until dark golden brown. Remove from pans and let cool before slicing (which I can never do!).

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Last (but not least) was dinner last night. I found a recipe in another cookbook (The Border Cookbook) that was similar to this one but I did it the lazy way. I just added a 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes and a 28 ounce can of diced Ortega chiles. I also let it cook for 6 hours. Served with rice and heated flour tortillas, this was a fantastic meal!

http://www.simply-best-recipes.com/recipes-beef-pork-dishes.html

Chile Verde (Green Chile and Pork Stew)

Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Toast chiles in a cast-iron skillet (griddle, or over an open flame) until blackened. Wrap in damp paper towel and place in plastic bag for about 20 minutes to steam. Peel off blackened skin (with a spoon or the flat side of a knife) and remove stems and seeds. Chop all chiles. 

    If using pork shoulder, remove fat from shoulder and chop into small pieces. Render fat in large pot and then remove fat pieces. If you don’t use the pork fat, use 2 tablespoons oil or lard. Heat over medium-high heat and brown pork pieces well. Don’t crowd pot; brown in batches, if needed.

    Add the onions and garlic and stir well, cooking until onions are soft. Add the chopped chiles, spices (if using) and crushed tomatoes. Stir well and cook for about 2 minutes until well-blended. Add water or broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 1-½ to 2 hours until pork is very tender. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary.

    Serve with rice and beans, and warm soft tortillas.

Buttermilk Recipes

For years, I have been told that the perfect replacement for buttermilk is milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar added to it. That’s all I had been using in recipes that require buttermilk. I never knew there was a difference because I did not have anything to compare it to. The first time I tasted buttermilk was when I was 4 years old (the flavor left that large of an impression). I decided from that day on I would never have buttermilk in my house.

So, 37 years later I’m surfing the internet looking for the “perfect” pancake recipe. I found this one:

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 9 Estimated Cost: $ 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat electric griddle to 375° (or medium heat for a non-electric griddle). Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.

    Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.

    Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

    Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

Note

Keywords: buttermilk, pancake, breakfast, quick, bread,

How could I go wrong with a recipe from a website called “Perfect Pancake”? So, I made the recipe with my tried and (what I thought was) true buttermilk replacement. The batter was so thin I ended up adding at least one more cup of flour and the resulting pancakes were too ‘flour-y’. I thought I was just doomed to not have good pancakes (since I refuse to buy pancake mix).

Then, my husband broke down and bought some buttermilk. His mother always cooked with buttermilk but I can be one stubborn woman. I hate buying one item (or ingredient) that will only be used for one recipe.

So, we made the recipe as written and wouldn’t you know these were/are the best pancakes I have ever made! They also make the best waffles! So, I have been on a buttermilk kick!

I had never understood what buttermilk was. I know traditionally it was the milk left over from the process of making butter but also knew that is not what we buy in the store. That’s when I found this web page:

Making Buttermilk:

Thanks to this web page, I have made one and a half gallons (it would have been even more but we needed to have waffles last night before the latest batch was finished … had to use 3 cups of the store bought buttermilk for the recipe) from a half gallon container.

So now I am hunting around for recipes that call for buttermilk. I found one that I just had to try:

From “Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book – Revised and Enlarged” circa 1958:

“Delicately soft and cake-like” is the perfect description for these cookies. They are VERY soft and have the consistency of a flattened cupcake. They are also very mildly flavored. I’m not sure what I expected prior to making this recipe but know I did not get what I wanted. I did not like the cinnamon on top but I’m not sure what I could have replaced it with so I would really like these cookies. I will not make this recipe again but thought I would share … I’m sure some will like this recipe.

I will not give up my search for buttermilk recipes! I’ll share more as I find them!

Bread Frenzy

Well, it all started when one person (Tracy) posted some links. That’s all it took. Now, I am on a bread making binge!

Our all around favorite is Bretzel Rolls (made two batches just today). There is no corned beef or pastrami sandwich better than one on these rolls!

Bretzel Rolls

Difficulty: Intermediate
Estimated Cost: $ 1

Note

  • http://theteacherlearnstocook.blogspot.com/2008/06/bretzel-rolls.html
  • (For step-by-step pictures, go to her page)
  • Bretzel Rolls (adapted from Recipezaar.com)
    2 hours start to finish – Makes 8 sandwich size rolls

    • 4 cups all-purpose flour

    • 2 teaspoons instant yeast (or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast which will need proofing)

    • 1 1/3 cups warm water

    • 2 tablespoons warm milk

    • 2 tablespoons melted butter

    • 1/3 cup light brown sugar

    • 2 quarts of water

    • 1/2 cup baking soda

    • kosher salt

    • spray oil (I really like this stuff, the high heat canola is great)

    1. Mix the flour and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl)
    2. Melt the butter and warm the milk
    3. Combine the butter, milk, water, and brown sugar in a separate bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved
    4. Add the butter mixture to the flour and stir until all the flour is hydrated and you have a firm, pliable dough ball
    5. Using the dough hook, knead the dough for 2 minutes, or if you’re kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes
    6. Round the dough into a ball and cut it in half with a bench scraper or chef knife
    7. Continue rounding and cutting 2 more times until you have 8 even dough balls
    8. Arrange the balls on a lightly floured surface, cover with a damp cloth, and allow them to rest for 10 minutes
    9. Pat the dough balls into rolls by slightly flattening them (you should have a semi-flat disc about3 to 4 inches in diameter)
    10. Arrange the rolls on a lightly floured surface about 1 inch apart, cover them with lightly oiled plastic wrap, and allow them to rest for 30 minutes
    11. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, line one large 3/4 sheet pan, or two 1/2 sheets with parchment paper, spray the paper lightly with oil
    12. In a large stockpot, bring the water to a rolling boil and add the baking soda (make sure the pot is deep enough that it doesn’t boil over when you add the baking soda, you may also want to add the baking soda slowly to lessen the chance of boil over)
    13. Drop 2 rolls into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds, turning once
    14. Remove the rolls from the water with a slotted spoon, drain them, place them on the prepared sheet pans, and sprinkle lightly with salt
    15. Once all the rolls have been boiled, bake on the upper and middle rack of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the rolls are nicely browned all over, shifting the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through cooking
    16. Remove the rolls and transfer them to a wire rack
    17. Serve warm or at room temperature
Keywords: bretzel, pretzel, roll, dinner, bread,

These I am making now because my husband came home from work wanting a French Dip sandwich and we did not think the Pretzel Rolls would be the same:

French Bread Rolls to Die For

Difficulty: Intermediate
Servings: 16

Description

“Simply delicious French bread rolls with a crisp crust and chewy texture.”

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

    To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

    Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

    Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

     

    ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 9/2/2008
Keywords: bread, French, roll, rolls

With this Quick Au Jus:

Quick Au Jus

Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan, combine the water, bouillon, pepper, garlic salt, and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes.

Keywords: beef, au, jus, dip, broth

Though next time I will try making some from scratch.

HOMEMADE AU JUS

Difficulty: Intermediate
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Season the stew meat with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

    Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the stew meat and brown well on all sides. When the meat is well-browned, add the onion, reduce heat to low and cook until the onions are tender and beginning to caramelize around the edges, about 10 minutes.

    Add the garlic clove and tomato paste and continue cooking for 5 minutes more. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire and bay leaf, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to medium and simmer for another 25 minutes or until reduced to 3 cups.

    Taste broth and add as much of the remaining salt as is necessary to give a deep salty-beefy flavor. Remove bay leaf and meat, and pour into cups. Serve with French Dip Sandwiches.

Keywords: beef, au, jus, sauce, dip

Sourdough Sunday

Today was my day to deal with my sourdough starter. It had been sitting in the refrigerator for what feels like 6 months being ignored. I stored it in a gallon mason jar, and needed the room, so three days ago I took it out. I poured it all into a bowl, added 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. I mixed it well, let it sit, and it was still alive! I’m telling you, I love this starter!

After my starter resurrected, I began my search for recipes. I have made bread and pancakes but knew there had to be more out there for me to do with sourdough starter. In addition to these first two recipes, I made two loaves of bread, except one I kneaded 2 teaspoons of minced garlic into the dough just before the final rise.

The best website I have found for anything sourdough is King Arthur Flour. They have the largest variety of recipes (with commercial yeast and without).

Well, this is what I came up with:

The big hit of the day was this Cherry Sourdough Coffee Cake from Better Homes and Gardens “New Cook Book”:

Cherry Sourdough Coffee Cake

Difficulty: Intermediate
Estimated Cost: $ 1

Note

Cherry Filling (or use a can of cherry pie filling)

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened pitted tart red cherries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Water to cover

Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used about half white and half wheat flour)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup Sourdough Starter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped nuts

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

For Filling

Bring cherries to boil; reduce heat. cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Combine sugar and cornstarch; add to cherry mixture. Cook and stir until bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Cool completely.

For dough:

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Mix Sourdough Starter, egg, and vanilla; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Spread half of the batter into greased 9X9X2-inch baking pan. Spread Cherry Filling on top. Drop remaining batter in small mounds over filling.

For topping:

Mix oats, brown sugar, nuts and flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over batter. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Serves 9.

Keywords: cherry, coffee, cake, dessert, sourdough

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Next is the Sourdough Chocolate Cake. Now, I will share a recipe with you but it’s not the one I cooked. The one I cooked was not chocolate-y enough. So I searched and found this one. I won’t make it tonight…have to find someone who will eat the first one (I might have my husband take it to work…they eat anything! LOL!):

Sweet Sorrow Sourdough Chocolate Cake

Sweet Sorrow Sourdough Chocolate Cake

Difficulty: Intermediate
Estimated Cost: $ 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. Grease and flour your baking pan (s).

  3. Cream shortening and sugar; beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in the starter.

  4. Sift flour, measure, and sift again with other dry ingredients. Add to shortening mixture alternating with water and vanilla. Mix at low speed.

  5. Pour into baking pan and bake at 350 degrees (for two 9” cake pans, bake 35 minutes; for one 9” square pan, bake 60 minutes).

Keywords: cherry, chocolate, sourdough, cake, dessert,

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Now, for the recipes I will try. Looking around online I found some wonderful recipes. These are the ones I am dying to try, once I am finished with my baking frenzy today.

https://gnowfglins.com/food-preparation/recipes/nut-butter-sourdough-cookies/

This one I will make once I have a supply of homemade candied fruits and peels:

Alaskan Russian Sourdough Fruit Cake

Banana Sourdough Bread

Figure 3 Ranch Cowboy Morning Sourdough Biscuits

Mendenhall Sourdough Gingerbread

Old West Sourdough Biscuits

Streusel-Filled Sourdough Cake

Strawberry Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Sugar Cookies

Sourdough Sticky Buns

Sourdough Squash Brownies

Sourdough Spice Cookies with Maple Frosting

Sourdough Sopapillas

Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies

Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies

Sourdough Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

Sourdough Fresh Fruit Cobbler

Sourdough Cornbread

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

And

Sourdough Potato Bread

This page has so many recipes, I’m not sure you want me to list them all (but I will):

SOURDOUGH RECIPES from Richard Packham
:

EVERYDAY SOURDOUGH BREAD (for five loaves)
SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD
HAMBURGER BUNS
SOURDOUGH MUFFINS
SOURDOUGH BISCUITS
SOURDOUGH BAGELS
SOURDOUGH PIZZA
SOURDOUGH CINNAMON ROLLS
SOURDOUGH DEEP-FRY BATTER
SOURDOUGH PANCAKES
SOURDOUGH BELGIAN WAFFLES
MIKE’S QUICK BLENDER WAFFLES
SOURDOUGH CARROT CAKE
SOURDOUGH GINGERBREAD CAKE
SOURDOUGH CROISSANTS (makes one dozen)
SOURDOUGH PUMPERNICKEL BREAD
SOURDOUGH PASTRY (PIE CRUST)