Basil and Garlic Italian Bread

We had Italian Food again the other night,  it's a toss up whether we like Italian or Mexican better.  There are so many good recipes out there so you really have an endless supply of things to try.  Of course with putting your own twist on them makes it even better.

This is the bread I  made.  It's my simple go to recipe that can be changed to suit your likings.  This time I did basil and garlic.  I have fresh basil in my herb pot so what better to make than BREAD.   The family love it too.

This recipe only has 1 rise so you can have bread within 1 1/2 hours or less.  Fresh hot and tasty right out of your own oven.

Ingredients:
2 pkgs instant yeast
2 TBL sugar
2 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/4 - 4 1/2 cups ap flour  (you could use 1/2 whole wheat)
1 3/4 cup warm water
2 TBL veg. oil
2 tsp garlic powder
2 - 3 TBL fresh chopped basil
egg for wash on top

Directions:
In large bowl of mixer add the yeast, sugar, salt and 2 cups of flour.  Mix with paddle attachment until combined.  Add the water and oil and on medium speed beat the mixture for 3 minutes.  Change to the dough hook and 1/2 cup at a time add the remaining flour.  You may need more or less depending on the weather.  Mix for 6 minutes until you have a soft dough, it should not be sticky.  Remove from bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes.  It will rise a little, punch down then form you loaves.  This makes 3 large loaves so this recipe would be perfect for making and then freezing 2 loaves for your next Italian meal.  (I always wrap mine in aluminum foil then in freezer wrap, fresh bread every time.  Just pop in the oven for 5 minutes, be sure the bread is defrosted.
Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things YOU Love.
Donna

crusty Italian bread

This is one of the easiest breads I've ever made.  You can add spices and cheeses to it if you so desire.  Once you'll make this you'll wonder why you've never tried making bread before.  I made this the night I made the spinach stuffed shells with Vodka Cream Sauce, which I will post very soon.

2cups-ap flour
1 tsp salt
1heaping tsp yeast
2cps warm water

Directions
Mix dry Ingredients then add water, stir.  Cover with towel and let rise for 4 hours.   Preheat oven to 500 and have a couple of cups of water hot water in an oven proof pan on the bottom rack of oven.  Flour surface really well and try not to overwork dough, it will take the gases out .  Also be sure your hands are well floured because the dough is really sticky.  On a parchment lined cookie sheet shape your loaves or use a bread sleeve.  Place in oven and spray some water inside before closing.  In 5 minutes spray again.....this makes for a wonderful crusty exterior and a great crumb inside.  Bake for about 30 minutes but keep an eye on the bread that it does not over brown.   Enjoy.
Thanks for taking time from you busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Angel Biscuits

I found this recipe on pinterest and decided to give them a try. I made them for Easter Dinner.   You will need to plan ahead because this recipe takes 24 + hours because you put your dough in the fridge overnight.  It's not a fussy recipe just a waiting recipe. 
I made these with a combination of white whole wheat flour and regular AP flour.  Personally I think they would have been much better with just the white flour.  They seemed a bit heavy to me.  Everyone liked them even though.
Printable 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons warm water
one (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast (if using bulk 2 1/4 tsp)
1 teaspoon sugar, plus ¼ cup
5 cups self-rising flour (can make own **)
¾ cup vegetable shortening
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken (can make own see below **)
all-purpose flour, for shaping and rolling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing the tops

Instructions:

Place the water in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the yeast and stir in 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand until frothy, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup sugar with the flour. Using a pastry blender, cut the shortening and butter into the flour until the mixture is the size of peas. Add the yeast mixture and buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together. Sprinkle over a tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour over the dough and gently knead until the dough is soft (add more flour as necessary). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. With floured hands, pinch off a small amount of dough and lightly roll into a smooth 2-inch ball; place on the prepared baking sheets. Cover the biscuits loosely with buttered (or use cooking spray) plastic and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 2 hours or more.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tops of the biscuits with some melted butter and bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and upcoming weekend and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things You Love.
Donna

White Whole Wheat Sesame Braids

This is a yummy bread and easy to make.  It look wonderful when it comes out of the oven, as you can see.  Makes a great presentation also.  You could make this into a regular loaf or rolls so it's also very versatile. Oh yeah makes a great sandwich too.

2 pkgs (4½ tsp) active dry yeast
1¼ cups warm water (110° to 115°)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
4½ to 5 cups flour
1 egg yolk
1 Tbl cold water
1 Tbl sesame seeds
In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add oil, sugar, salt, eggs, and 3 cups flour.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).  Knead until smooth and elastic. Place in bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top.  Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface, divide into six equal pieces. Shape each portion into a 20-in. rope. Place all six ropes parallel to each other on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  This makes two long loaves.
Working with three ropes side-by-side, start braid at center of loaf, yes, center.  Place right rope over center rope, left rope over center rope, continue to the end, pinch ends together and tuck under.  Turn baking sheet around to work other side so unbraided ropes face you.  This side place center rope over right rope, then center rope over left rope, continue to the end, pinch ends together and tuck under.
Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.  Beat egg yolk and cold water; brush over braids.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake at 350° 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

 Hope you try this bread, think it will become one of your favorites.  Thanks for taking time to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Semolina Sandwich Rolls

I just love making bread and experimenting with all sorts of flour combinations.  Today I tried using one of my Italian bread recipes and adapted it to make these sandwich rolls.  This is my go to recipe so why not try and do another version of it.  My friends recently went to an Amish Store in Missouri and picked me up some different types of flours.  I had them get me Potato Flour, Cake Flour, Semolina Flour and Rye-Pumpernickel flour.  They also bought me some Cocoanut Oil which makes delicious french fries and awesome popcorn.  It was way cheaper from that store than getting the from the grocery store.  I might add their white popcorn is wonderful, will have to get more of than next time they go.
Ok back to these rolls.  My egg person brought me eggs last week so I thought I would make some more bread for them.  I gave them a loaf of the orange spice bread and these rolls.

After tasting these, they are very good, but I would like a little more sweetness so maybe next time I will increase the sugar to at least 4 TBL maybe a bit more, but they taste great as a sandwich the way they are, the sweetness would be nice when you're just eating them with butter.

Ingredients:
2 pkgs instant yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 TBL sugar
2 TBL vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semolina flour
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cup AP flour
1 TBL poppy seeds (optional)
egg whites for wash on top

Directions:
In bowl of mixer whisk the yeast, salt, sugar and 1 cup of semolina flour and 1 cup of AP flour, add oil and with beater blade on mixer mix on low adding the water, when all water is added increase the speed to med and mix for 3 minutes.  When done change to dough hook and slowly add 1/2 cup semolina flour and the rest of the AP flour.  You may need more you may need less.  Knead with the machine for 6 1/2 minutes until dough comes away from the sides and gets smooth.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Divide into 12 rolls, cut a slash on top with a serrated knife, cover and let rest for 30-45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees, brush with egg whites and sprinkle poppy seeds (optional) when placing in the oven spritz oven with water before closing the door.  (this helps give the rolls and bit of crusty crust)  Bake for 25 minutes.  Enjoy

Revised King Arhtur Sandwich Rye

I have been trying and trying to make a rye bread that would be good for sandwiches, well let me restate that. I have made rye bread that is great for sandwiches but it never is very big, soooooooooooooo you have to have several to make a decent lunch. Guess if you're on a diet the small loaves would be great for portion control. Ok back to this test. I have been searching and trying recipes with no luck......Until today, WOW look at this bread. I'm so pleased with myself and this bread. Now as to the flavor YUM, the bread is soft but has a good crumb, great for sandwiches.  So guess this is the new rye bread I will make when I don't make the No knead one.  Both are delicious.

Printable
Ingredients:
1 heaping TBL instant yeast
2/3 cup warm water + more if needed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup dill pickle juice
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp dill weed
1 TBL mustard (I used a sweet mustard with herbs)
1/4 cup potato flour
2 1/2 cups high gluten flour or bread flour
1 1/3 cups rye-pumpernickel flour
4 tsp wheat gluten
Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remaining ingredients, and mix till clumps form; the dough may seem dry at this point. Let it rest for 20 minutes, for the flour to start to absorb the liquid.

Knead the dough—by mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—to make a stiff, but fairly smooth dough. It'll take about 7 minutes in a stand mixer at second speed, using the dough hook. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl; if it doesn't sprinkle in a bit more all-purpose flour. We don't recommend kneading this dough by hand, as it's hard to develop the gluten sufficiently. If you DO knead by hand, realize that the dough will take longer to rise, and won't rise as high.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise till it's puffy, about 1 to 2 hours. It may or may not have doubled in bulk, but it definitely will have expanded.

Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into a log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan (for a stiffer dough), or 9" x 5" loaf pan (for a slacker dough). Press it to the edges of the pan, and flatten the top.

Tent the pan with greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaf to rise till it's crowned about 1" to 1 1/2" over the edge of the pan, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the bread for 20 minutes. Tent it lightly with foil, and bake for an additional 20 minutes. When done the bread will be golden brown, and its internal temperature will register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the bread from the oven, wait 5 minutes, remove it from the pan, and allow it to cool completely on a rack before slicing. Store for up to a week at cool room temperature. 

Thanks for taking time to stop by, leave a comment if you're so inclined.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Ham and Provolone Braid

This is another fairly easy dinner  or party idea.  Just make your dough and fill it with your choice of meats and cheese.  I used deli have and provolone cheese in this one, I have made some with salami and cheese, meatballs and cheese but I think you choices are endless.

Dough

2 Pkgs rapid rise or instant yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water 115-125
2 TBL sugar
2 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/4 - 4 3/4 cups flour *I used 2 cups bread flour 2 1/2 cups ap flour*
2 TBL vegetable oil
Direction:
In the large bowl of mixer, place yeast, sugar, salt and two cups of flour. (I used 1 cup AP flour 1 cup bread flour) Mix to blend and add the 130 degree F water and oil. Mix on medium speed with regular beater for 3 minutes. Insert dough hook and beat for another 6:30 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep dough from being sticky.
Place dough on a floured board, cover with a cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch down dough and form into two long narrow loaves. Roll out dough to about 15x20 and place meat down the center, then cheese, then another layer of meat.  Cut stripes on each side then criss cross to make a braid. Place loaves on a greased pan or parchment lined, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.  You can brush you loaves with an eggs wash and put seeds on top if you like.

Above is a picture of how you bread should look.  And this one is when it's braided.

Hope you give these a try.  I would love to hear if you try them.  Thanks for taking time from your busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful Day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all, hope your day and the coming years are filled with lots of Love, Happiness and Good Health.

Cheddar Basil Whole Wheat Buns

I made these the other night for dinner.  My daughter likes to have most of her bread made with whole wheat (healthier you know!)  I didn't want to make the old usual plain ones so thought I'd add some cheddar and basil  Great combination in all sorts of foods.  These are light with a slight crust.  They are worth the time to make.  You and your family will love them.  So please give them a try.

printable
Ingredients:
2 Pkgs rapid rise or instant yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water 115-125
2 TBL sugar
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups AP flour
2 1/2 cups whole what flour
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 TBL basil (fresh or dried) if fresh finely chopped
2 TBL vegetable oil
In the large bowl of mixer, place yeast, sugar, salt and two cups of flour. (I used 1 cup AP flour 1 cup bread flour) Mix to blend and add the 130 degree F water and oil. Mix on medium speed with regular beater for 3 minutes.  Add cheese and basil, insert dough hook and beat for another 6:30 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep dough from being sticky.
Place dough on a floured board, cover with a cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch down dough and form into rolls.  With a sharp serrated knife cut a slit on the top of each roll.  Place rolls  on a greased pan or parchment lined, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Before placing rolls in oven, brush tops with egg whites  Place loaves in oven, with a spray mister mist oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.  Enjoy

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Remember to Find the Time to Do All the Things YOU Love.
Donna

Italian Herb and Basil Bread

The main part of the bread recipe is from my Italian Bread and I just changed it up a bit my adding spices before I rolled them to rise.  Simple, quick and delicious with your favorite Pasta Dish.  These breads were were served with the braised beef and pasta dish in the previous post.
The bread on the right is my normal Italian Bread recipe, the one in the middle has 2 TBL of Italian herb and garlic spices added to the dough and on top, the one on the left has chopped basil and cheese mixed in the dough.   All started with this recipe, so you see your possibilities for this dough are endless and just up to your imagination. 
Ingredients:
2 Pkgs rapid rise or instant yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water 115-125
2 TBL sugar
2 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/4 - 4 3/4 cups flour *I used 2 cups bread flour 2 1/2 cups ap flour*
2 TBL vegetable oil
In the large bowl of mixer, place yeast, sugar, salt and two cups of flour. (I used 1 cup AP flour 1 cup bread flour) Mix to blend and add the 130 degree F water and oil. Mix on medium speed with regular beater for 3 minutes. Insert dough hook and beat for another 6:30 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep dough from being sticky.
Place dough on a floured board, cover with a cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch down dough and form into two long narrow loaves. Place loaves on a greased pan or parchment lined, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Before placing loaves in oven, brush tops with egg whites and sprinkle sesame seeds on top . Cut three to five slashes in the top with a serrated knife. Place loaves in oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

 

This recipe has become my go to when I want fresh baked bread and rolls.  I need to try this recipe in a loaf pan.  When I do I will share how it came out.

Thanks for taking time from you busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU love.

Donna

Italian Bread

I adapted this recipe from a site I found the other day here and boy am I glad I did. This bread is wonderful. It's the kind that you want to eat the whole loaf.
I served this with the new Chicken Parmesan recipe I saw on "Best Thing I ever Ate" It was something Emeril had in NYC. I'll post that soon.

Printable
Ingredients:
2 Pkgs rapid rise or instant yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water 115-125
2 TBL sugar
2 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/4 - 4 3/4 cups flour *I used 2 cups bread flour 2 1/2 cups ap flour*
2 TBL vegetable oil
In the large bowl of mixer, place yeast, sugar, salt and two cups of flour. (I used 1 cup AP flour 1 cup bread flour) Mix to blend and add the 130 degree F water and oil. Mix on medium speed with regular beater for 3 minutes. Insert dough hook and beat for another 6:30 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep dough from being sticky.
Place dough on a floured board, cover with a cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch down dough and form into two long narrow loaves. Place loaves on a greased pan or parchment lined, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Before placing loaves in oven, brush tops with egg whites and sprinkle sesame seeds on top . Cut three to five slashes in the top with a serrated knife. Place loaves in oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Hope you take the time to try this bread you won't be sorry. Also thanks for taking time to stop by. Remember to find the time to do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

Soft Rye

I made this bread because my friend in Maine....(hi Orm..waving) wrote me and said he had trouble with the recipe. I told him I would try it and see how mine came out.
We did discover, however, that he had used both whole wheat and rye flour and more than likely that is why is bread didn't rise.
The recipe is adapted from here. I used everything except the gluten additive. And I decided to make I larger loaf.

Ingredients:
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups white rye, medium rye or pumpernickel flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup sour cream (low-fat is fine)
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Directions:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar, rye flour and yeast, mixing to form a shaggy dough. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, and mix and knead the dough together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till it's fairly smooth. (Remember, the nature of rye dough is to be sticky, so don't be tempted to add too much flour.) Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Gently deflate the dough, knead it briefly, and shape it into two smooth oval loaves. Place the loaves on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them, and let them rise until they're almost doubled, about 1 hour. Gently slash the tops of the loaves in two or three places just before baking.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 190 to 200. Remove the bread from the oven, and allow it to cool on a wire rack. Yield: 2 loaves.This is a nice soft tasty bread. Give it a try. Thanks for stopping by and Remember to Find the time to Do All the things You love.
Donna

Potato Roll (new recipe)

Last month a one of the weekly get together' s with my friends (we play a game called Settlers of Catan) my friend Patsy made a turkey..YUM I always try to bring bread of some kind and a dessert. Well I tried these new pototao rolls and all I can say is "Just Wonderful". They are so easy and will freeze well. I think I will experiment with one cooked and one just the dough. Will let you know the outcome. The sandwich above I had the next day with some turkey Pasty sent home with me. I had some dough in the refrigerator that I had not taken to her house so I made these three rolls. So you see you could leave the dough in the refrigerator more than 24 hours, don't think I would go much past 2 days. But that in itself is good to know. Around the holidays you could make these ahead of time, what a time saver. Or if you're a working person you could do them on the weekend and have nice fresh rolls during the week. Food for thought.

adapted from here
Printable
Ingredients:

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 (¼ ounce) package active dry yeast
1 ½ cups water ( 105 to 115 F)
½ cup mashed potatoes
¹⁄₃ cup butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In large bowl combine 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. In small mixing bowl combine warm water, potatoes, butter, sugar and salt. Add to dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer for 30 seconds on low, scraping side of bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour with a dough hook (or knead by hand), as needed (with most bread recipes the actual amount of flour required depends on humidity, etc. so add slowly until dough pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball). Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. Punch dough down. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Grease 13x9-inch baking pan. Shape dough into 24 rolls. Make balls by holding dough in both hands and gently smoothing by pushing the edges towards the back. Place rolls in prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size (about 40 minutes) Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (until golden brown).

Here are the rolls before they were baked. As you can see I had made them fairly good size so they would be good for a sandwich.
The ones I made at Patsy's were more a dinner size roll.

Finished just came out of the oven.

Sliced and ready to make my sandwich.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to do ALL the things You Love.
Donna

Sopapillas

My daughter made these a couple of weeks ago.  These are wonderful.  I found this recipe here, she has some wonderful recipes to share so please take the time to look around.
Sopapillas
Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon of butter, melted
1 tablespoon of sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil
sugar
cinnamon
honey

Method:
Mix the yeast with the warm water and let it sit for five minutes.
Combine the flour and salt.
Add the butter and sugar to the yeast/water mixture and then slowly add to the flour and salt.
Knead for two minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. We use the Kitchen Aide Mixer for this.
Rise in a covered, greased bowl for one hour or until dough is doubled in size.
After dough has risen, punch it down, and on a floured surface, roll it out into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle.
Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut out 3 inch squares, and then cut squares on the diagonal into triangles.
Heat up three inches of oil in a big pot to 375 degrees.
Fry two triangles of dough at a time in the oil for one minute on each side. The dough should puff when it hits the oil.
Drain, and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Serve hot with honey.
Makes about 18 sopapillas, depending on how big you make them.
Thanks for stopping by.  Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I was on a baking frenzy when I made this.  It was one of those days when you just wanted to make things.  I find that since I  have retired I just love to try and make new things.  This bread was not new to me but one of the things I did make that day.
I have been craving cinnamon raisin bread so I pulled out my recipe that I found on All recipes and did some changes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk 1 cup warm water (110 Degrees F/45 degrees C) 2 (.25 ounce) packages Active dry yeast 3 eggs 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup raisins 8 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons milk 3/4 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons ground Cinnamon 2 tablespoons butter, Melted

Directions:

	Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.
	Dissolve yeast in warm water, and set aside until yeast is frothy. Mix in eggs, sugar, butter or margarine, salt, and raisins. Stir in cooled milk. Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.
	Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Place in a large, greased, mixing bowl, and turn to grease the surface of the dough. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled.
	Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Moisten dough with 2 tablespoons milk. Mix together 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top of  moistened dough.  Roll up tightly, starting at longest end.  Cut into thirds and be sure to tuck under the ends.  Put loaves into well greased pans 9 x 5 pans, lightly grease the tops or brush with just a little butter.  Let rise again for about an hour.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the tops are nicely browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.  Place on cooling rack on their sides for about 5 or so minutes.  Then remove from pan and brush tops with some butter.  Slice when cooled. (if you can wait.)        This also makes wonderful french toast. Have a wonderful day, and Remember to Find the time to DO all the Things YOU love.

Potatoe Rolls

I made these on St. Patty's Day to go with our meal.  These are no yummy.

Ingredients
1 large potato, cooked and mashed (you need 1/2 cup mashed potato)
1/4 cup of the potato water
3/4 cup butter, soft
1 egg
1/2 cup of warm milk (110-115) *I used half and half ....1/2 milk 1/2 water*
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/8 tsp yeast
2 1/2 - 3 cups AP flour

In a stand mixer combine the mashed potato, egg, butter, salt and the egg.  Mix with the paddle blade for about 2 minutes.  Combine the warm milk, potato water and yeast together, add to the potato mixture, mix until combined.  Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until you get a soft dough.  Switch to the dough hook and continue to add the flour until you have a soft tacky dough but not sticky.   Your flour amount will depend on the weather.  Transfer to a very lightly oiled bowl and let rise until doubled.   When they have doubled remove and punch down.  Shape into rolls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet 1 1/2 inches apart, dust lightly with flour.  Cover and let rise until doubled about 45-60 minutes.  Bake in 400 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Hope you try these, they are worth the effort.  They also make a nice bread for sandwiches.  Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to find the Time to do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

Herb Italian Bread

This is the bread I made for the  Italian Feast.  The recipe is very simple and can be made with or without these herbs or  herbs you might like to add.
The recipe was adapted from All recipes. com.
Printable Recipe

  Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached flour 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 3/4 cup grated asiago cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme 1 tsp. minced fresh sage 2 gloves of garlic mashed and made into paste 1 egg 1 tablespoon water 2 tablespoons cornmeal

Heat water to about 115 degrees, add the yeast and let proof for about 5 minutes.  Add the sugar, salt, oil, herbs, cheese and flour and mix in stand mixer .  Add more flour if needed.  Place in greased bowl until doubled. (about and hr)  Knock down and shape into loaves and place on parchment paper that was sprinkled with cornmeal and place  on a peel or cookie sheet upside down. (that way you can slide it onto the pizza stone very easily.  When ready slice the top with 3 cuts.
About 30 minutes before you're ready to cook the bread, place your pizza stone in the oven and heat to 375.  After 30 minutes put bread in, use a spray bottle and spray the inside of oven and do this again in about 3 minutes. and cook for about 30-35 minutes until gold brown.  The spraying will give your bread a wonder crust and will be tender on the inside.  Cool *if you can wait* and cut and serve.
Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the time to do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

30 minute dinner rolls

OMG this are wonderful.   Monica you've got to try these.  No kneading and yes really ready to eat in 30 minutes.  The way Jake loves bread he'll really enjoy these.   I was experimenting with a new chicken salad recipe and needed some bread to put it on.  I made this recipe into two different things.  One was these dinner rolls and the other is a cornucopia shape roll to stuff the chicken salad in.  I'll post that recipe very soon.  I found this recipe here which I found through Coleens's site.  As you can see they found it at another site.  So guess this one has made it's way around the net.

Ingredients:

1 1/8 cups plus 2 tsp. Warm water

1/3 cup oil

2 Tb yeast

1/4 cup sugar or honey

½ tsp. Salt

1 egg

3 ½ cups flour

Directions

Mix 1st 4 ingredients and let rest for 15 minutes. Add salt and eggs - gradually add flour. Shape into dinner rolls, or use in your favorite recipe that calls for dough. After shaped, let rest for 10 minutes. For rolls, Bake 10 minutes @400 degrees ‘till golden brown. 

You might want to put the first 4 ingredients in a medium sized bowl...I left mine in a 2 cup measure and look

As you can see it did go higher than the picture.  By the time I got the camera it started to deflate. 

The dough is fairly easy to work with.  If you need to just add flour to your hands when shaping the rolls.  Mine only made 7 in this picture because I used dough for the cornucopia rolls, so I would say you would probably get 12 or so good sized rolls.

I put a little milk on top and sprinkled poppy seeds on top, just because.

 

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and I sure hope you try these, you won't be disappointed.  By the time the rest of your dinner is ready so will your rolls.  Remember to find the time to Do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

Twist on an old favorite

Today I was making more English muffins and  wanted to make some cinnamon rolls.  I also had some very ripe banana's that I was going to make something with so I decided to make Banana Cinnamon Rolls.  Can't wait to taste them.  They are cooking as I am typing.  The wonderful aroma is filling the house and I know when I yell that they are done and who wants some my family will come parading down the stairs like little ants.  LOL  I used my standard recipe for the rolls, it's a fairly quick one because it only has a rest time and then the rise time once you roll out add cinnamon/butter mix and roll up.
These came out very light and moist and have a nice hint of the banana.  My daughter has just requested yet another type of cinnamon roll so when I tackle that one I shall share.
Printable recipe

 
Banana Cinnamon Rolls


1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
2 ripe banana's mashed  *(1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.) if making regular rolls use the water instead)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)*
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Cinnamon filling
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 - 5 TBL cinnamon
Melt butter and brush on 15x24 dough, then sprinkle cinnamon mixture on top and roll up.

In a large bowl or in the bowl of a 5-quart stand mixer, combine all the ingredients in the order given except the Cinnamon Filling and the Butter Frosting. Using a dough hook, mix everything together until a soft dough forms.
I used my KA and let it do all the kneading.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly-oiled surface (I use a nonstick cooking spray), and knead until elastic, approximately 10 minutes.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
  Butter a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan; set aside.

After dough has rested, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15 x 24-inch rectangle.

Roll from the long end, do not roll real tight or it will cause the roll tops to pop out when baking creating like a cone or point.  Measure your cuts and cut them about each 1 1/2 inch big, the more uniform the better they will all cook.

Place in a buttered pan and do not over crowd.  They should not be touching at this point.  As they rise they will come together and also touch the side of the pan.  Cover and let rise until doubled about 35-50 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup of confectionery sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 oz room temp. cream cheese
1/4 cup of room temp. butter
With  electric hand mixer beat until creamy
If not using right away store in refrigerator in a air tight container.

Ready for the oven

Preheat oven 350F and cook for about 20-25 minutes until tops are golden brown.  Remove and frost with cream cheese frosting.

  Then Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and hope you find the time to do all the things you Love.

Donna