Pepperoni Parmesan Loaf!

Well, we're coming down to the wire here......the big auction of my parents' household is happening in less than two weeks. A lot of work has gone into this sale and, honestly, we're anxious to have it over with. However, it also means a huge change in our lives. Even though my folks have been gone for months now, going down to their house and working every day has somehow maintained some degree of "normal"....even though they're not there, they're there in a sense......anyone know what I mean? That will all be over soon. The "stuff" will go here and there and the house will belong to someone else.....and a chapter will be closed. 

We are blessed, though, to have had a chance to get to know the buyers of the house. They are AMAZING folks and have some AMAZING plans for the place. Even though it's not theirs yet, they stop in and visit regularly. We know their story, they know ours  -  and we're thrilled to now call them friends!  Though there may be a sense of "loss" in the next few weeks, there is a greater sense of "gain", due to the bonding we've experienced with them...and we are grateful! 

I made this bread for work on Wednesday, but there was some left over, so I shared several slices with Marcia, our house-buyer! I had some, too. It was so tender and flavorful!! I hope you enjoy it. 

Pepperoni-Parmesan Loaf

¾ Cup warm water

1 Tbsp./ Packet Red Star Platinum yeast

2 Cups all-purpose, unbleached flour

1 Cup unbleached bread flour (You may use all-purpose flour for all the flour in the recipe, if you like)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. fennel seed, crushed

¼ Cup shredded parmesan cheese

¼ Cup chopped green pepper

½ Cup finely chopped pepperoni

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional  ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Remove dough from bucket and roll into a rectangle. Roll the rectangle up, cinnamon-roll style, and then pinch the edges to seal. You may fold the ends in and use a  greased 9x5 loaf or you may bake it on a lightly greased cookie sheet as a French-shaped loaf (that’s what I did). Let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes, until golden. ENJOY!!!  This would make a tremendous grilled cheese sandwich! 

Pepperoni Parmesan Loaf!

Maple Pecan Twists!

Life's been crazy....as I'm sure everyone can relate to! Sometimes I feel like I use that craziness as an excuse to not do some of the things that really should take places of higher priority on my "get-er-done" list. For instance, I have two dear friends who are both 89-years-old. They are both AMAZING ladies- funny, pleasant, good conversationalists,sweet.......and they are both house-bound. I used to see Opal weekly on my Meals-On-Wheels route. She was my favorite client....we'd laugh and chat until I checked the clock, then out the door I'd run to make it to my other deliveries on time! Lois, my other friend, has been a part of my life since childhood. She and her hubby had been my parents' bosom buddies. She taught me in Sunday School. Her kids grew up with me and my brother....I just love her.

But in my "craziness", both of these ladies had fallen off my radar. Opal stopped receiving Meals-On-Wheels and Lois just wasn't "front and center" in my mind. After all, I was "busy"......How sad! Thankfully, that still, small voice within me brought them back to my attention. So yesterday, I EZ DOH-ed up some rolls first thing in the morning and made enough to take to both of them. It was such a delight to visit with them! And though the time I spent with each of them wasn't long, it was sweet.......Just like these rolls! 

Why don't you take a moment to sweeten someone's life today?! 

Maple Pecan Twists!

Dough:

1 Cup warm water

1 packet/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum Yeast

2 Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 ½ Cup unbleached bread flour (You can use all all-purpose flour – the bread flour makes a slightly lighter dough)

¼ Cup butter, softened

1 egg

1/3 Cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

Pecan Filling :

¼ Cup finely chopped pecans

2 Tbsp. maple syrup (or maple-flavored syrup)

2 Tbsp. softened butter

½ tsp. cinnamon

(Mix ingredients together)

Maple Icing:

1 Cup powdered sugar

½ Tbsp. softened butter

¼ tsp. maple flavoring

1-2 Tbsp. milk

(Mix ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle – I like to put mine in a sandwich bag and pipe it on to the rolls)

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled. Prepare pecan filling while dough is rising.

Remove dough from bucket. Roll dough into a 16x10” rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread half of the filling down the center of the dough. Fold one outer third of the dough over the filling and spread the remaining filling over the folded dough. Then fold the remaining dough over the filling. Pinch the seams to seal.  Cut the rectangle into 16 – 1” strips. Twist each strip and place one inch apart in a greased 13x9” pan. Form 2 rows of eight strips each. Cover and let rise until almost double. Bake at 360 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan. Drizzle with maple icing. ENJOY!!! 

Adapted from a recipe in "Betty Crocker Best Bread Machine Cookbook" 

Visit http://www.wildyeastblog.com/yeastspotting/ for more delicious breads 

Maple Pecan Twists!

Tender Corn Bread!

Well, I almost feel guilty posting this bread recipe ......it's another sort-of "boring" (ie loaves, rolls), as opposed to some beautiful sweet rolls I've posted in the past. However, this bread is just TOOOOOO good not to post! 

Last Monday, we celebrated my grandson's first birthday - the theme of his party was "Lumberjack!". They were serving different types of chili for the meal, so I was asked to bring bread (no brainer -LOL!).  I ended up making two different kinds of cornbread, so we had LOTS of cornbread. I hadn't tried either recipe before, so I did a little snacking on the bread as I sliced it and put it on the trays. One recipe had corn and cheese in it.....I really anticipated liking that one the best.....and it was good...HOWEVER......The "simple" recipe turned out to be fabulous. As far as traditional cornbread goes, it wasn't that (there's still a big place in my heart -and stomach- for that!). It was soft with just a little bit of texture- someone remarked it would make amazing french toast. Since it was "boring", I was really hoping there would be some left over to take home....but there wasn't!  I guess everyone liked it....and I  guess I'll just have to make myself MORE!!! No problem! 

Just on a side note: Isn't my Amos a cute little guy?!! I hope you're enjoying the loving relationships in your family as much as I enjoy mine!!   

Tender Corn Bread

1 pkg/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum Yeast

1 ¼ Cups warm water

2 ½-2 ¾ Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 Cup yellow cornmeal

3 Tbsp buttermilk powder (original recipe called for ¼ Cup nonfat dry milk powder)

3 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 ½ tsp. salt

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated, adding enough flour so that the dough is not sticky. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Remove dough from bucket. Roll out into a rectangle, then roll up (jelly-roll fashion) and pinch seam shut. Place in a greased loaf pan (I LOVE my hearth loaf pan, which measures 12”x5 ½”x 2 ¼”, for this loaf……if you don’t have a similar pan, it can be baked in a 9x5” loaf pan with a longer baking time, or just shape it into a loaf measuring the size above and bake it on a greased baking sheet) . Let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Brush the top of the loaf with butter. 

Ginny's note:" I've become a big fan of using buttermilk powder in bread recipes. It helps give a very tender crumb." 

Adapted from a recipe at "Taste of Home"
 Visit http://www.wildyeastblog.com/yeastspotting/ for more delicious breads 

Tender Corn Bread!

Sky-High Dinner Rolls!!

Mmmmmmm.......All I can say is "Mmmmmmm" .......We had a young couple over for dinner last night to do some pre-wedding discussion with them -my hubby is marrying them later this month. Though my plans for the meal weren't  fancy, I was in the mood to try a new dinner roll. I had filed this dinner roll recipe in my "to-try" file, so last night was the night. There were a thousand other things happening yesterday, so I raced in the house at 4pm, knowing everyone was arriving at 6 for dinner. First thing on the list was mixing up the rolls, then everything else followed. By 6, the house was tidy, the table was set and I was pulling the meal, including the rolls ,out of the oven. If I might say so myself, these rolls were fabulous - soft and beautiful and sky-high! What I also found is that they were just as tender and tasty on Day 2, when I enjoyed this egg salad sandwich on these rolls (leftover eggs from our Easter celebrations, you know!). If you'd like to try a simple, beautiful and tasty roll recipe, this is it!

Sky-High Dinner Rolls

1 pkg/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

1 cup warmed milk

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbsp. vegetable shortening

2 ½-3 Cups all-purpose flour

Melted butter for tops of rolls

Place warm milk and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients, adding flour as needed to produce a silky dough.  EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled. *

Punch dough down and divide the dough into 12 equal balls, pulling the dough to give each “ball” a smooth top. Place rolls in a 9” round baking pan, or singly on a baking sheet or in greased muffin tins. Cover with a dish towel and let rise. Brush the risen rolls gently with melted butter before placing in a 350 oven. Bake for 20- 30 minutes or until rolls are golden. Brush rolls again with melted butter. Remove from pan and let cool slightly on a wire rack. Enjoy warm or cooled!

*A note about rising the dough: If I'm in a hurry, I'll often heat a cup of water in my microwave for one minute to warm up the environment there....then I'll place the covered dough in the microwave. It loves how cozy it is and usually rises rapidly (Thanks, too, to the wonderful Red Star Platinum yeast). The microwave acts as a "proofing box" for the dough!

     Visit http://www.wildyeastblog.com/yeastspotting/ for more delicious breads 

Sky-High Dinner Rolls!!

Simple Bread !

I was tempted to "skip" leaving  a bread post today......after all, it's the Easter holiday and a lot is going on, right? The past three weeks of bread recipes have showcased rich, fanciful breads that are a joy to make, to view, to give and to eat. How do you top that?  However, in the spirit of the Easter season.....a season of simple and somber, yet joyful and jubilant, remembrance of the great gifts (and the Greatest Gift) we have been given, I wanted to send you a recipe that is satisfying and beautiful in its simplicity....This recipe comes with my sincere hope that your heart would be joyful and full as the world celebrates the risen Bread of Life! Happy Easter! 

Simple Bread

1/4 Cup warm water

1 Tbsp./Packet Red Star Platinum yeast

3/4 Cup milk, warmed

1 Tbsp. sugar or honey

1 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat flour

1 1/2 Cup Unbleached, all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. salt 

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece out into an 8-10" strand. Join the two strands together at one end and then twist together. Pinch the ends together and  place the "twist" in a loaf pan and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes, or until the loaf is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. You may brush butter on the top for a softened crust. Enjoy!  

Simple Bread !