Buttery Rolls

I made these rolls for Thanksgiving and will make them again for Christmas.  They will be my standard go-to roll recipe from now on because they had such a great buttery flavor and held their shape and texture so well.  

3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour or bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons potato flour or 1/4 cup instant potato flakes
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons soft butter
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm milk

Topping
2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large bowl, and mix and knead — using your hands, a stand mixer, or a bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a soft, smooth dough.

If you use your hands or a mixer instead of a bread machine - place the dough in a lightly greased container — an 8-cup measure works well here. Cover the container, and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it's just about doubled in bulk.

Take the dough from the container or bread machine and gently deflate the dough. Transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball.

Lightly grease with butter or cooking spray two 8" round cake pans. Space 8 rolls each pan. You can use use 9" round cake pans or a 9" x 13" pan, but, the rolls won't be spaced as close together, so their sides will be a bit more baked.

Cover the pans, and allow the rolls to rise till they're crowded against one another and puffy, about 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Uncover the buns, and bake them for 22 to 24 minutes, until they're golden brown on top and the edges of the center roll spring back lightly when you touch it. 

Remove the buns from the oven, and brush with the melted butter. After a couple of minutes, turn them out of the pan onto a cooling rack.

Serve warm. Store leftovers well-wrapped, at room temperature.

Yield: 16 buns.

Hoagie Rolls

It seems I have been making rolls about once a week this summer.  We like sandwich type meals in the summer time. I use the rolls for hamburgers, brats, Italian sausages with peppers and onions, Philly cheese steaks, steak torta, pulled pork or chicken,  deli lunch meat and just every type of sandwich under the sun. 

Recently I had a roast in the freezer I wanted to get rid of it.  I threw it into the crockpot with a whole onion chopped and several cups of beef broth.  When it got tender and just ready to fall apart, I took 2 forks and shredded it and then we had it on hoagie rolls with cheese. I used the liquid in the crockpot as an au jus to dunk our sandwiches in.  It was a nice way to have a roast in the summer. 


I use this recipe to make hamburger buns as well as hoagies. 

Rolls
Recipe adapted from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons instant potato flakes
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour 
2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast (or 1 1/4 teaspoons SAF yeast)

Optional:
2 tablespoons herbs



1. Place ingredients in machine according to the manufacturers instructions. Program with Dough cycle.

2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or spray with cooking spray. When the cycle ends, press Stop and unplug the machine. Immediately turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With a knife, divide into 8-12 equal portions depending on size you want your rolls. For hamburger dough form each into tight rounds. For long hotdog buns or hoagie rolls, flatten each portion into an oval about 6-inches long and rolling tightly from a long end to form a cylinder. Place rolls on to the baking sheet at least 1-inch apart. Press with your palm to flatten each roll slightly. Cover loosely with plastic wrap that is coated with cooking spray and let rest for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

4. Bake for 15 to 22 minutes, depending on the size of roll until lightly browned. Remove the roll from the baking sheet with a spatula and let cool on a rack. Slice horizontally to serve.


My Notes:
*My bread machine has a timer that goes off when you can add in items such as herbs.  So I add it in there. If you have one that doesn't, just add it in when you would add in sugar and salt.  My favorite to add is basil - fresh or dried - either is great. 

* I like making the hoagies slightly smaller than a traditional hoagie but that allows me to have 2 instead of one. Just easier to handle when eating also. 

Simple yet Delicious Breakast

This morning I was looking through my pantry to see what I could possibly feed everyone for breakfast, as it is slim pickings on pantry items right now in our home.  My girls got up far too early (insert before the birds chirp) so breakfast came very early as well (it's not even 8am while I type this and they have eaten breakfast and I have cleaned it up!)


I realized I had just enough ingredients to make popovers.

I couldn't remember the ingredients for them so I wound up using this recipe from the food network website.



Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 teaspoon room temperature for pan
4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup whole milk, room temperature


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease a 6-cup popover pan with the 1 teaspoon of butter.
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the cups of the popover pan, each should be about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the popovers to a cooling rack and pierce each in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape. Serve warm.

**note**  I was too lazy to break out my food processor so early in the morning so I used a wire disk and everything came out just great!  

We served the popovers with warm honey butter and fresh berries from the farm.  Everyone ate and no one complained!  That's a WIN at our house.

The added benefit of popovers is they are a great addition for any meal.  Serve with fruit for a light breakfast, or serve as a savory bread dish instead of a dinner roll with a nice dinner.  Or stuff them filled with some lunch meat or veggies for a quick on the go lunch.

Enjoy  :)

Breakfast Pockets

I made the recipe without many changes, but when I make them next time I would like to try another dough recipe as 1/2 cup vegetable oil seems like a lot to me. But the dough baked nice and an even better trait of the dough was when they were reheated in the microwave straight from the freezer they seem to keep moisture and not become dried out.  Sometimes bread can dry out coming straight from the freezer to microwave. These were a hit and nice to just warm up in the morning - especially when on the go.

Ingredients

Dough
1 1/2 tblsp yeast
1/2 c warm water (110 degrees)
3/4 c evaporated milk (110 degrees)
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 c flour

Filling
1 lb bulk breakfast sausage
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed
1/4 cup bell peppers, chopped
1/4 cup mushrooms
7 large eggs
3 tblsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

Dough:
In a bowl, dissolve yeast in the water. Add milk, oil, sugar, egg, salt, and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough flour until it makes a soft dough but do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  (OR add ingredients in order manufacturer recommends to bread machine and select dough setting. Take out, put in bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.)

Filling:
Cook the sausage and onion over medium heat until almost browned. Add bell pepper and mushrooms. Cook until sausage is browned and veggies are tender.  Drain. Add the hashbrowns, eggs, milk, and spices. Cook and stir until set. Sprinkle with cheese and keep warm.

Assembling the pockets:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Punch down the dough and cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into 7 in circle on a floured surface. Top with 1/3 c filling, fold, and pinch shut. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

To freeze:
Allow to cool on the baking sheet. Once cooled, place in the freezer until frozen. Store in a ziploc bag in the freezer for 3-6 months. To reheat, place on a paper towel and microwave for 1 1/2-2 minutes.

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Freezer Breakfast Muffins

These are great muffins to have on hand so that a great grab and go type breakfast. They are savory and not sweet. 

Makes 12 jumbo muffins or 24 regular muffins

1 lb chorizo sausage or bulk breakfast sausage

2 cups Bisquick - I used heart healthy Bisquick

1 cup cornmeal

3 eggs

1 3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup chopped bell peppers

1/3 cup finely minced onion

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese - I have used cheddar one time and monterey jack another - both were good

Directions:

Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

Crumble, brown sausage.  Add in peppers and onion and cook until tender. Drain off grease.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  

Mix together bisquick, cornmeal, eggs, garlic powder and milk.  Add drained sausage mixture and cheese. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. 

Ladle the filling into the prepared muffin tins, filling almost to top. 

Bake for 10 to 15 mins.  Allow to cool completely. 

To Freeze:

Remove all paper liners before placing in freezer. The moisture from the frost and then thawing make the muffins stick to the liner.  For easily peeling of the liners - make sure they are completely cooled down before removing.  Store in large airtight container or ziplock. Or place one jumbo or 2 regular in sandwich bags and then place in large container or ziplock so that you can just pull out easily for a breakfast. 

To Serve and Eat:
Microwave straight from freezer on high for approximately 90 seconds. Each microwave is different so you will have to find that right time for yourself.

Naan

One of our favorite items around here is fresh naan.

The base recipe is the master bread (no knead) recipe adapted from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007).

Base Recipe:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough

1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks.

For Naan:

1. Because the dough is damp, so sprinkle a bit of flour onto the dough before using scissors to snip off a ball about the size of lemon. If you want larger Naan, cut a ball of dough about the size of peach.
   

2. Sprinkle your board and your rolling pin with flour, and roll the dough to about 1/8” thickness. Make sure your cast iron pan is super hot. Add about a teaspoon of butter and swirl across the pan to coat. Drop in the dough.
   

3. Cover the pan. My skillet doesn’t have a lid, so I use a cookie sheet. Take a peek after about a minute. If you see dough bulging up, it’s ready to turn. Cook the other side for a similar amount of time.
   

4. You can use a portion of the dough, or if you’re feeding a crowd, all of it. Whatever you don’t use, just recover your bowl with plastic wrap (leaving just a smidge of an opening to allow gas to escape) and stick it back in your refrigerator.

Maple Cinnamon Oat Bread

I love this bread! It smells amazing and tastes just as wonderful. This bread is great in just a regular loaf pan and toasted. But this time I was wanting to use it to make Creme Brulee French Toast. (And that recipe will come in my next post.) So I made this into 2 long loafs that I cooked in my French Bread pan. The bread looks almost like it is wheat bread but it is the maple syrup and brown sugar that given it the nice light brown color.



1 1/4 cup warm milk
3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup oats
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 teaspoon bread machine yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer.
Recommended cycle: basic/white bread cycle; light color setting. But I did it on the dough as I wanted to make creme brulee French toast. This bread though is good all on its own or as toast.

If using dough setting. Shape and then let rise until doubled. Time will depend on the warmth of your kitchen - about 33-45 minutes. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350.

NOTES
* I have used powdered milk and fat free half-n-half when didn't have milk on hand and it tasted just as good.

* I have also used sugar free maple syrup and it tasted good still but didn't have as strong of maple flavor.

* I am sure this recipe could be made just as is by hand also if you don't have a bread machine.

Homemade Hamburger/Hotdog Buns

I have always wanted to make hamburger and hotdog buns so I finally did using a recipe that I found in The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook.

These pictures were from the first time I made hotdog buns and I don't think they turned out too bad. Not all the exact same size but that comes with practice.



If you are just starting to use a bread machine this book is the book to get. It goes in great length about troubleshooting. And I so wish I had it when I first started working with a bread machine. I had never even made bread so I just had no knowledge and often worked without guidance and just playing. This book would have saved me lots of heart-ache and frustration. It even has a section on high altitude baking which is what I really needed.

If you aren't new to the bread machine this book is still a great cookbook as it has every type of recipe you would ever want to make with your bread machine. A few of my favorites: Anadama Quick Bread that has buttermilk, molasses, whole wheat flour and corn meal, Cardamom Tea Bread with of course cardamom which is a favorite spice of mine, buttermilk and sour cream both and Mountain Herb bread with basil, tarragon, marjoram, dill weed and thyme. Really this book is huge and full of one good recipe after another. I think Beth Hensperger is really good at explaining bread to those that feel they wouldn't ever be able to make bread. I have read several of her books and I always come away feeling more confident to try recipes I thought I would never try.



So on to the recipe for the buns...this is for a 1 1/2 pound machine and makes about 8 hamburger/hotdog buns. These buns are great for sandwiches, sloppy joes or brats. And brats are the reason I started making them as we have them quite a bit during summertime grilling.

Hamburger/Hotdog Buns
Recipe from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

1 cup water
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk
2 tablespoons instant potato flakes
1 tablespoon gluten*
1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast (or 1 1/4 teaspoons SAF yeast)

Optional:
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for glaze
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds for sprinkling


1. Place ingredients in machine according to the manufacturers instructions. Program with Dough cycle.

2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or spray with cooking spray. When the cycle ends, press Stop and unplug the machine. Immediately turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With a knife, divide into 8 equal portions. For hamburger dough form each into tight rounds. For long hotdog buns, flatten each portion into an oval about 6-inches long and rolling tightly from a long end to form a cylinder. Place rolls on to the baking sheet at least 1-inch apart. Press with your palm to flatten each roll slightly. Cover loosely with plastic wrap that is coated with cooking spray and let rest for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

4. Brush the eggs with the glaze and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake for 15 to 22 minutes, depending on the size of roll until lightly browned. Remove the roll from the baking sheet with a spatula and let cool on a rack. Slice horizontally to serve.


My Notes:
* I didn't use the gluten. Most of author's recipes include gluten but I don't use it as it is just harder to find here in my smaller town.

* I didn't do the optional glaze and seeds obviously from my pictures. But would like to try it sometime.