Hot Pepper & Cheddar Dinner Rolls!

We had some new friends to dinner last night. Though we are "empty-nesters", we encouraged them to bring their four kids along with them. An hour prior to dinner, I drove my eldest grand-daughter to the fair to enter her crafts in the upcoming competition. On our ride home, we were chatting about the dinner and I invited her to join us in the meal. We called her home to get the "OK" from her mama, who thought Cana had invited herself. After assuring her that Cana did not, we got the go-ahead and proceeded to our house to finish meal preparations. Our company arrived promptly at 6pm, to Cana's delight. She and our other four little guests hit it off immediately. Before the evening ended, we had six children and four adults, enjoying a lovely and busy end-of-summer evening meal on the porch (Cana's sister, Corinne, didn't want to be left out of the festivities!).  You never know what kids will eat and what they won't.......however, there was one thing I was sure of - you can almost be sure that homemade bread will be popular with everyone at the table.

 

Though this bread had a little "twist", even the kids enjoyed it. Because of the children, you won't see a lot of peppers in the rolls I have pictured above. However, you can fix them "to taste"....my peppers were only mild-hot, too......you might want  something with a little bit more burn! Feel free to experiment....and enjoy!!

Hot pepper Cheddar Dinner Rolls!

½ Cup, plus 2 Tbsp. (6 oz) warm milk

2 tsp. Red Star Platinum Yeast

2 ¼ Cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. shortening

1 Tbsp. sugar

¾ tsp. salt

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup chopped mild to hot fresh peppers

 1 egg, beaten (for brushing tops of 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. If dough is too sticky, add 1-2 Tbsp. flour. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Remove the dough from the bucket and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls. Place in a greased 8” cake pan, 7 rolls on the perimeter and 1 in the center. Cover and let rise till pan is full and rolls are puffy. Brush tops of rolls with beaten egg. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until golden. Enjoy!!

 

Hot Pepper & Cheddar Dinner Rolls!

White and Wheat Swirl Bread!

A few weeks ago, we made an evening visit to a newly-opened winery with an old classmate who comes to town occasionally. Susan is a wonderful conversationalist.......we spent several hours there, enjoying her company and nibbling at a gorgeous fruit and cheese platter. When we realized how late it had become, there was no time to bicker over who was paying the bill. My hubby grabbed it. Susan protested, but Dave insisted. As we dropped her off, she stated that as "repayment" for the evening, she would prepare one of her famous barbequed pork tenderloins for all of us to enjoy on an upcoming weekend. SOLD!! We were already looking forward to her return trip!

 

Last weekend we got to enjoy her end of the bargain! It was a balmy evening, so we picnicked on our patio. She arrived about 6pm with her specially-marinated pork loin. She popped it on the grill as I finished the remainder of the dinner - a big, leafy-green salad; baked zucchini with mozzarella;  fresh-from-the-farm corn on the cob; and.....bread! There has to be homemade bread on my table!! I'd been wanting to try a white/wheat swirl for a long time....I don't know why I've put it off!  I wasn't sure it was even the right "match" for the meal we were having, but it was what I was in the mood to experiment with, so.........we enjoyed this white/wheat at our picnic!

 

I'm not sure what the "hit" of the evening was......The pork tenderloin........The bread..........or just the pleasure of being together again. I guess it was sort-of like the bread.....the "swirling" together of the different "ingredients" of the evening made everything a "hit"! Enjoy this beautiful, tasty bread!

 

White/Wheat Swirl Bread!

White Swirl Dough:

½ pkg/ 1 ½ tsp. Red Star Platinum Yeast

¼ Cup warm water

½ Cup warm milk

1 ½ Tbsp. shortening

1 ½ Tbsp. honey

¾ tsp. salt

2- 2 ¼ Cup unbleached all-purpose flour

 

 Wheat Swirl Dough:

½ pkg/ 1 ½ tsp. Red Star Platinum Yeast

¼ Cup warm water

½ Cup warm milk

1 ½ Tbsp. shortening

1 ½ Tbsp. honey

¾ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. instant coffee granules

1-1   ¼ Cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1-1   ¼ Cup whole wheat flour

 Make each dough separately, as follows: 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, or lightly greased baking bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Roll each dough out into a rectangle, approximately 8 ½ x11”. Lay one dough atop the other and roll tightly together from the 8 ½” side. Tuck ends under and place in a large (9x5”) bread pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise till at least 1” above the pan rim. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. You may brush the top with butter while warm for a softer crust, if desired. Enjoy!!


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White and Wheat Swirl Bread!

Soft Herbed Dinner Rolls!

Another busy summer week is under the belt! One of the highlights of the week was the summer steak fry that the "Joy of Christmas" committee holds each year in order to gain sponsorships for the Christmas light show that is held annually in our local park. I helped at the ticket table, wearing my Rudolph antlers, alongside of Shelley in her Santa hat. It was a great, successful evening, though it's hard to believe that we're talking about Christmas already (let alone dressing like Rudolph and Santa!) .......Just yesterday, my daughter was talking about having the family Thanksgiving celebration at her new home......Yikes.....just yikes! We just should NOT be talking about all these things yet.....

 

But, on that line.....I did take a new herb roll in to work on Wednesday and they were super-good! How good, you ask?  So good that I thought about putting them on the Thanksgiving menu this year! Yikes! Did I just say the T-word? Yes I did and yes, they are that good! And easy too! You'll be certain to enjoy them, whether it's in August or Thanksgiving.....or maybe even at your Christmas feast!

Soft Herbed Dinner Rolls!

This is an “overnight” recipe, which makes it perfect for special occasions – all the work is done the night before – all you have to do is put them in the oven the next day!

1 pkg/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum Instant Yeast

¼ Cup warm water

1 Cup warmed milk

3 ½ -4 Cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. softened butter

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 Tbsp. each: Fresh minced parsley; Fresh minced dill; Fresh minced rosemary; fresh minced chives

Topping:

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp. coarse salt (sea salt; kosher; pretzel)

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 dough into 12 equal portions and shape into rolls. Place in a greased 9 x 13” pan. Cover and place in frig and let rise overnight. Take the pan out of the frig 2 hrs. prior to baking, removing the covering,  to complete the rise (You may cover the pan lightly with a clean dishtowel so the dough doesn’t dry out)  – for best results, the rolls should fill the pan before baking. Carefully brush the risen rolls with the beaten egg, then lightly sprinkle them with the coarse salt. Bake at 375 until golden, approximately 20-30 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Soft Herbed Dinner Rolls!

Summer Peach Kuchen!

Can you believe it's August already? My blueberry and raspberry bushes are "done" (though I'm hoping the raspberries will bear again in September....); soccer practice has started up for the grandkids; my "teacher/daughter" had in-service for school last week; the evenings are actually getting cooler already; the sun is setting earlier.......Something in me would like summer to last forever, but I realize each season carries its own special blessings so I won't bemoan the fact of the summer scurrying by... I'll just embrace each day!

 

One of the tastiest things to "embrace" about August are those amazing fresh peaches that appear at the local farm stands. Love 'em.....I just love 'em. I always buy the seconds, as they're ready to eat or freeze  IMMEDIATELY. This recipe is a wonderful way to use those tasty fruits. Not only is it delicious, but it makes a beautiful presentation......just like summer itself.....bright and sunny! Enjoy the recipe! Enjoy your summer!

Summer Peach Kuchen

Dough:

¼ Cup warm water

1 Tbsp/ 1 packet Red Star Platinum Instant Yeast

2 ½ Cup unbleached bread flour

½ Cup milk, warmed

1/3 Cup sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp. softened butter

1 tsp. salt

Topping:

4 Ripe Peaches

2 Tbsp. Cinnamon sugar

Streusel:

¾  Cup flour

½ Cup sugar

½ Cup cold butter

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.

While waiting for the dough to rise, peel and slice the peaches and place in a bowl. You may want to sprinkle with some “Fruit Fresh” to keep the color of the peaches. Also, go ahead and mix up the streusel – mix the sugar and flour, then cut the butter in.

Remove the dough from the bucket and press into a greased 10” springform pan. Lay the sliced peaches on top, layering them decoratively. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar atop the peaches ( I actually didn’t measure – I probably used less than that, but the 2 Tbsp. would probably be the most you’d want to use) . Top with a desired amount of the streusel (I used about 2/3 of that recipe, though I could have easily used it all). Let rise in a warm place for about 20-30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove.

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Summer Peach Kuchen!