Garlic Knots

Now that I magically can make bread all of a sudden without it being a complete disaster, I have been trying lots of recipes! This one is a definate keeper. It is from My Kitchen Cafe.

Garlic Knots

1 recipe French Bread Rolls

4-6 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Mix butter and garlic together in a small bowl and let sit while making the rolls (I put the garlic-butter mixture on top of the stove while the oven is on to bake the rolls so the butter stays warm and melted). Follow the recipe for the French Bread Rolls, the only change being that instead of shaping them into balls, roll each piece into a four to six-inch rope and form into a knot, tucking the loose ends under into the center of the knot. Immediately after the rolls come out of the oven brush the butter/garlic mixture over the rolls. These are best eaten warm!

Easter Breakfast Rolls

These were so fun to serve on Easter morning! The marshmallow on the inside melts while cooking making the inside hollow - just like the Empty tomb on Easter morning. They were easy and quick and very sweet! I found the recipe at The Sisters Cafe

Easter Breakfast Rolls

1 package frozen bread or roll dough, thawed (or homemade roll dough)
6 TB sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 bag large marshmallows
1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set

aside. Divide the dough into individual roll sized portions. Press each portion into a flat circle. Place 1 large marshmallow in the center of each roll. Pinch roll dough very firmly around the marshmallow. Roll each into a seamless, or nearly seamless, ball with your hands. Brush rolls with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over rolls. Cover rolls with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight. On Sunday morning, preheat oven to 350°. Take rolls out of fridge and bake for 15 minutes until rolls are golden brown. Be careful not to over bake. (These may also be baked without sitting overnight. After wrapping the marshmallow in them, let them rise for about an hour or so and then bake them as usual.)

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

The were so yummy and quick to make. The Bisquick makes it come together really quickly. There is a version of this on the back of the Bisquick box, but I actually got it from The Sisters Cafe.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
2 c Bisquick mix
2/3 c milk1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c butter, melted
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp dried parsley

Mix together Bisquick and milk just until moistened. Fold in cheese. Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine melted butter with garlic salt and parsley and brush over each biscuit. Serve immediately.

Honey Butter

This recipe also comes from my "Christmas Recipes from the Lion House" cookbook. It was paired with the Lion House Crescent Rolls. I made it tonight to go with our cornbread and it was very yummy. Not so much "light and fluffy" as gooey, but very delicious. It made about 2 cups worth, so we have lots of left-overs.

Honey Butter

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 egg yolk

1 cup honey

Whip Butter. Add vanilla and egg yolk. Gradually whip in honey until light and fluffy.

Lion House Crescent Rolls

I have a cookbook with Christmas Recipes from the Lion House and that is where these rolls come from. They were so yummy! They were soft and fluffy and buttery. Deseret Book sells these and I always thought they were divine! I was excited to see that I actually had the recipe in my cupboard!

The only adjustment I made was with the cooking time. It says to bake for 15 minutes, but mine were done after 12.

So, I think I'm getting the hang of this bread thing. I've been having success lately. I've been wondering what could be the difference and I think it is the yeast I'm using. It is a brand called SAF and I keep it in the freezer. Before, I always used the individual packets and kept them in the fridge. So, if anyone is having trouble with their different breads rising, try that kind. All I know is that I sure am happy with the way my loaves and rolls are turning out lately!

Lion House Crescent Rolls

2 Tbs. yeast

2 cups warm water

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening, margarine or butter

2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk

1 egg

5-6 cups flour

Melted butter or margarine

Mix yeast and water and let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, salt, dry milk, egg, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat together until smooth. Gradually add remaining flour until soft dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. (Or, mix in a mixer and let that do the kneading for you for about 5 or 6 minutes.) Place in a greased bowl; cover and let rise until double in bulk. Punch down; divide into thirds. Roll each third into a circle and cut into 8 or 12 pie-shaped pieces. (the more pieces, the smaller the rolls.) Starting at the wide end, roll each piece into crescent. Place on a greased baking sheet with the point on the bottom. Repeat with the remainder of dough. Brush tops with melted butter. Let rise until double. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy with Honey Butter!

Irish Soda Bread

I'd never had Soda Bread before I tried this recipe for St. Patrick's Day. The texture is like cornbread, and was a little sweet and very yummy! We'll be having it again for sure. It was great paired with soup. It was easy to whip together - but I went a little short on the baking time so the middle was a bit gooey. Make sure you bake it until it is nice and golden (more than mine!) - 50 - 60 minutes! I got this recipe from Allrecipes.

Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round (flatten it out just a touch) and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes Continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes. (I did it every 10 minutes)

We paired this bread with Irish Stew for St. Patrick's Day. Here's a picture and a link. It was good and we'll probably have it again next year, but it wasn't amazing enough for me to feature it here. I did use lamb, leeks and parsnips for the first time though! It needed a lot more salt than the recipe called for. If you're a whiz at knowing what spices would make something taste perfect, then maybe you can tell me what else the soup could use. I just follow the recipes!

Here's a link to the recipe on Allrecipes if you want it. Irish Stew

Glazed Lemon Scones

These are delicious! The instructions say to use mostly your hands, and while other tools would work (say, a spoon, for instance) it was so much fun to roll up my sleeves and get my hands working with this dough! I have made the glaze with lemon juice from a bottle before, but this time, I actually squeezed the lemon myself, and the taste was amazing! Great with the bottled juice, but a whole new level with fresh juice! This is a really girly food, so it is a big hit at brunches! They take about 40 minutes to make and make 8-12 scones.
(Disclaimer: Scones, to me, are big, fluffy fried pastries covered in butter and cinnamon sugar from county fairs, but every magazine calls these scones, so what do I know?! They are more like a glorified biscuit. - I had to add that for Ian, we debated the name while he ate them!)


Glazed Lemon Scones from Family Fun Magazine

Scones:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbs. cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup heavy or whipping cream, plus a little for brushing
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Lemon Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1Tbs. melted butter
2 Tbs heavy or whipping cream

Heat oven to 400.
Grease a large baking sheet (preferably not a dark one)
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add lemon zest and toss with your hands, zestfully :)
Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Mix together the cream, egg yolk, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix just until the dough holds together.
Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and, with floured hands, knead the dough 3 or 4 times to form a ball.
Flatten it to about 3/4 inch thick.
Cut it into 8-12 pieces as you would a pie.
Transfer the pieces to the baking sheet leaving at least 1/4 inch between them.
Brush the tops with a little cream.
Bake for 16-18 minutes until slightly brown.
Let cool for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
While the scones cool, mix the ingredients together for the glaze with a whisk until smooth. If necessary, thin the glaze with water 1/2 tsp. at a time.
When the scones have cooled for 10 minutes on the rack, drizzle them with the glaze and serve!

Grandmothers Buttermilk Cornbread

This is the best cornbread I have ever had. I LOVE it. I could eat an entire pan. Just the picture makes my mouth water. It is so very moist and yummy. Mmmmmmm...cornbread...

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread (from Allrecipes)

1/4 pound of butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375. Grease an 8 inch square pan.
Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended.
Combine buttermilk and baking soda. Stir into sugar mixture. Add cornmeal, flour and salt and mix until blended, but a few lumps remain. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If you double the recipe, use a 9x13 pan and bake for 40 minutes.

French Bread Rolls

I made these rolls last night to go with our Chicken and Corn Chowder and they were yummy. More importantly, however, THEY WORKED!! I have no luck with bread, as I've mentioned before, but these rose beautifully. I loved kneading them. I'm sure it would've worked to knead them in my Bosch Mixer, but I did everything by hand. (It was very stress-relieving with the rhythmic motion!) They can be made when you have few ingredients on hand and for people who can't have milk or eggs.

These were easy to make and took about 2 hours from start to finish. They had the crunchy exterior and the soft interior like a loaf of french bread. I love that it made only one dozen - just right for our family dinner with a couple left over.

French Bread Rolls (yet another wonderful recipe from My Kitchen Cafe)

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

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 12 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 (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. (Mine were ready after 10 minutes)

Have a taste with some homemade strawberry jam and you will be in heaven!

Basic Sweet Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

I actually got up at 5:30 this morning to make these for Ian to take to work for his team. I love this recipe and the cream cheese frosting makes these cinnamon rolls
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!




It took me 2 hours from start to drool (wish I could eat them!).




Basic Sweet Rolls (from Bosch)



1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 pound butter or margarine
6 cups flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. SAF yeast (heaping)
aprox. half stick of butter or margarine, melted
brown sugar
cinnamon
Frosting (see below)


In small saucepan, melt butter with milk and water over low heat. Put into mixing bowl and add 4 cups flour, eggs, sugar and salt. Mix well. Add 2 cups flour and yeast. Mix well. Scrape down sides of bowl and then mix in more flour until sides of the bowl come clean.


Knead for 3-4 minutes.Place dough in greased bowl and let raise until doubled (about 30-40 minutes).


Punch down and turn out onto oiled counter. Roll out 3/4 inch thick (about 12"x24"), spread with melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.


Start at longer edge and roll. Cut into 24 rolls and place in 2 9x13 pans (greased).

Let rise for additional 30 minutes and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.





Cream Cheese Frosting ( from My Kitchen Cafe)



8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk

Combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency.

Best Bread Recipe EVER!

OK, it is The Best Recipe for me because it is the only one that hasn't ever failed! (Yes, even Laurie's "Never Fail Rolls" don't rise for me!)

I've gotten a lot of requests for it lately, so here you go. There are different quantities for 6 loaves, 4 loaves and 2 loaves. Ian likes this bread better with whole wheat flour. I am currently trying to use up white flour that is in our food storage, and it almost feels sinful! It is very yummy! It is great both ways.

This only takes me about 1 hour 15 minutes from start to scrumptious!



Bosch Basic Bread Recipe (4 loaves)
4 cups hot water
6 cups flour
2/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup Gluten
2 Tbs. Dough Enhancer
3 Tbs. SAF Yeast
2 cups flour
1 Tbs. salt
additional flour


Pour hot water in mixing bowl. Add 6 cups flour, oil, honey, gluten, dough enhancer and yeast. Mix well. Add 2 cups flour and salt and mix in. Within about 1 minute, add additional flour (1/2 cup to 2 cups) a little at a time.


**Tip** STOP adding flour as soon as the sides of the bowl come clean. If you add more, the bread will be heavier and denser. Be warned - it is a sticky dough!


When appropriate amount of flour has been added, knead for 8-10 minutes. Turn out onto oiled (not floured) counter top. (Oil your hands to work with the dough - then it won't stick to you.)
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Let rise for 30 minutes.


Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.


I follow the directions exactly! I'm too scared of failure not to! Maybe one day I'll add lemon juice instead of gluten and applesauce for oil. Actually, why don't one of you do that and let me know how it turns out! I can't risk it!

Ingredients for 2 loaves:
2 1/2 cups hot water
4 cups flour
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbs. Gluten
1 Tbs. Dough Enhancer
2 Tbs. yeast
1 cup flour
1 Tbs. Salt.
Additional flour as needed.

Ingredients for 6 loaves:
6 cups hot water
8 cups flour
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup Gluten
2 Tbs. Dough Enhancer
4 Tbs. yeast
4 cups flour
2 Tbs. salt
Additional flour as needed.