Salted Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls!

The delivery girls! 

I'm loving summer! How about you? What I especially like is having the

grandkids around a little more, since they don't have to spend most of the day at school! It's fun to include them in some of my everyday routines, since those routines aren't so "everyday" to them. The grandgirls have begun to help me do my Meals-On-Wheels route on Thursdays. Cana checks off names, tells me who's next and delivers the cold meals. Corinne bravely carries the "hot" meals to the clients. My "regulars" just love seeing these little faces......and these little girls are learning to love to serve. 

After we came home from the route this week, Cana stayed a while with me. Earlier that morning, I had baked some new sweet rolls for an eight-o-clock meeting and the leftovers were sitting on the counter......  When Cana came in the back door, she eyed them hungrily. I was saving four to take to a neighbor, but I decided that my neighbor would be just as happy with three. So.....I offered "C" (Cana's nickname) a roll. It was gone in a flash! Pecans, apples and all! That speaks to the tender deliciousness of these rolls. I'm sure your family will enjoy them as much as Cana did! 

Salted Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:

1 pkg/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum Yeast

½ Cup plus 1 Tbsp. warm water

2 ¼ Cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 egg

¼ Cup butter, softened

Fillings:

Apple filling -

1 large apple, peeled and chopped

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Brown sugar filling –

2 Tbsp. butter, softened

¼ Cup brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. Cinnamon

½ Cup chopped pecans

Topping:

¼ cup caramel apple dip

Coarse sea 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 (you may have to add a small amount of additional flour. You can expect the dough to be almost sticky.) Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

While the dough is rising, heat the “apple filling” ingredients together in a skillet. Heat for 7+ minutes, until moisture has evaporated and apples are softened and caramelized. Cool.

When dough is risen, remove it from the bucket and place it on a floured surface. Gently roll into a 14”x 9” rectangle (This dough will stick to your surface if you press too hard). Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Spread the softened butter on the rectangle. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on the butter. Top with apple mixture, then with chopped pecans. Roll up from the long side. Cut the log into 9-10 rolls. Place in a greased 9x9” pan. Cover and let rise till doubled (I let mine rise overnight in the frig- remove ½ hour before baking) . Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until golden. Brush the tops with melted butter. Cool slightly . Microwave the caramel apple dip for 8 seconds. Drizzle over the rolls. Sprinkle with a small amount of coarse sea salt. ENJOY!! 

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Salted Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls!

Yeasted Banana Bread!

Today's recipe is nice for those summer days when you're hungry for something tasty and homemade, but don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen prepping .....(but isn't that almost EVERY EZ DOH recipe? Tee-hee!)  It's great, too, because it's a twist on a popular favorite - banana bread! I always have ripened bananas on hand at the Perkins' homestead.....I just throw those too-ripe bananas into a bag in the freezer and pull them out to thaw when I'm hungry for banana bread (or for the banana sweet rolls that I've blogged about in the past...) And, as an added bonus, this bread makes super-duper toast!! Especially if you decide to add the "optional" toasted walnuts......Yummm!   Hmmmmm.......I'm also thinking that a substitution of a cup of white whole wheat flour would also be QUITE good in this bread......I just may have to make it again.......very soon! 

Yeasted Banana Bread!

1 Tbsp./packet Red Star Platinum yeast

¼ Cup warm water

¼ Cup milk, warmed

3 Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour 

3 Tbsp. butter, softened

1/3 Cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

1 egg

2/3 Cup ripened banana, mashed

½ Cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

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, clean the hook,  spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled. 

Remove dough from bucket, shape into a loaf and place in a greased 9x5” loaf pan (you may also "free form" this loaf as a round loaf - no loaf pan required. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until the loaf tests done. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Yeasted Banana Bread!

Asiago Kaiser Rolls!

Sunday is Father's Day! I have so many men to celebrate on this special day - My dear hubby who has been an amazing companion to me  and good father to our three kids......My crazy son, who, in spite of his craziness, has grown to become a super husband to his wife and excellent father to their two little boys.......Chris, my son-in-law, who is an outstanding husband to our eldest daughter and a loving dad to their two daughters.......Brian, my other son-in-law, who is a caring hubby to our youngest daughter and a soon-to-be dad to their child in the womb......My dad, who was an outstanding example of giving to one's community......My father-in-law, who was a character in his own right, but a terrific guy........  I hope you can single out a few men in your life to celebrate this Father's Day! 

Perhaps you're doing the "grill-thing" for your celebration......These burger buns are AMAZING! Rarely does my hubby rave about my bread (I get "This is very good" a lot, but raves do not come often!) , but this one got RAVES!!! In fact, he told me he could eat the whole batch himself! This is doubtful, but it does speak to the tastiness of these wonderful rolls! Enjoy!! 

Asiago Kaiser Rolls!

Dough:

1 packet/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum Yeast

1 cup warm water

3 Cups unbleached bread flour (you may substitute unbleached all-purpose flour)

¼  Cup asiago cheese, finely grated

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. shortening

1 Egg white, beaten  

For topping:

1 egg white beaten with 2 tsp. cold water

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds (or seeds of your preference)

2 Tbsp. asiago cheese, finely grated

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 in a warm place until doubled.

Deflate dough and remove from the bucket. Divide it into 8 equal pieces, shaping each piece into a 12” rope. To form each “rope” into a roll: Tie the rope into a very loose knot with 3” “tails” on either side. Take the top “tail” and tuck it underneath the knot, then gently push it up through the center hole. Bring the other “tail” over the top and gently push it down through the center. Place finished knots on a large greased cookie, leaving 2-3 inches between rolls.  Cover with a tea towel and let rise until puffy. Preheat oven to 400. When rolls are risen, brush the tops with the beaten egg white and sprinkle each roll with poppy seeds and a little asiago cheese. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until the rolls are golden. 

Find more delicious breads at yeastspotting.com 

Adapted from chowhound.com - parmesan kaiser rolls 

Asiago Kaiser Rolls!

Maple Bacon English Muffins!

Seems silly for a bread blogger to post, but I've been so hungry for bread! Things have been so busy that baking seems to have taken a back seat to the rest of life. I am a little stubborn in that I rarely break down and buy a loaf of bread at the grocery store.....I keep reminding myself how easy it is to make at home and how much better that bread is for me! So at times like this, I end up with no bread in the house. 

I finally decided that this was ridiculous. It was time to make some bread! I chose something quick and easy.....English muffins! Then, I decided to switch my regular recipe up a bit and added maple syrup and some chopped bacon bits to the batter. This all turned out to be a very tasty decision! These simple English muffins are satisfying and full of flavor....and nice to make for a summer breakfast, since you don't have to heat up the kitchen! Try serving these toasted and buttered, with a drizzle of maple syrup - oh my! Enjoy! 

Maple Bacon English Muffins

1/3 Warm water

1 Tbsp./ packet Red Star Platinum yeast

½ Cup instant dry milk

1 Cup hot water

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. shortening

½ Cup cooked bacon bits

2 Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

(3" metal rings are nice to have for this recipe - I found them at our local cooking store for $.89/ring)

In EZ DOH bucket, dissolve yeast in the 1/3 cup warm water. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to activate yeast. In a separate bowl, dissolve powdered milk in remaining 1 cup warm water. Add maple syrup, salt and shortening - stir to dissolve all. Add 1 cup of flour and powdered milk mixture, to the yeast mixture in the EZ DOH bucket, along with the bacon pieces. EZ DOH-it until well mixed – mixture will be batter-like. Cover and let rise for ½ hour or until doubled.

Preheat an electric griddle on low (300 degrees) or heat a skillet on the stove. Place English muffin rings (3” metal rings) on griddle and spray lightly with cooking spray. Fill each ring halfway full with dough mixture. Cover (use a a pot lid or a metal baking bowl) and let cook 5-6 minutes. Remove the lid, flip the muffins and replace the lid, cooking for another 5-6 minutes, until golden. Carefully remove muffins from the griddle with tongs and place on a cooling rack. Remove rings, if you have not already done so. Repeat with remaining batter. Cool on a wire rack. To serve, pierce sides of the muffins with a fork and gently pull apart, then toast. You might try serving with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup - YUM!!  Makes 8-10. 

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Maple Bacon English Muffins!

Pineapple Cream Cheese Braids!

Well, it's been a while since I've posted something sweet, so I

thought I'd better give that some attention! I haven't baked something "new" and sweet for a while, so I thought I'd take a peek through my family archives of favorite bread recipes and see what there could possibly be that I haven't already posted. Unbelievably,  I came across this recipe almost immediately! This is one of my hubby's absolute favorites, so I was surprised that I hadn't already posted it! Here's just a little tasty personal history on this bread: 

Dave has been in car sales on and off throughout our married life. Any sales team he was on LOVED him - mostly because of who he is and partly because he has a wife who sends baked goods to his friends regularly! One fellow at the last dealership Dave worked at was a particularly good friend. He was funny, tough-as-nails and no-nonsense. Other sales staff members had a difficult time with him, but somehow Dave made inroads into his heart. Dave hasn't been at the dealership for a few years now, but he still occasionally makes a trip there to visit his friend......and of course, he has one of these coffee cakes in hand for his old pal! Though its one of Dave's favorites, he doesn't mind sharing.....because he knows there's a second one at home! 

Though the process looks long, don't let it put you off. It really isn't bad, and since it makes two, it's well worth your time! As always, you can make it up through the formation of the braids, cover them with saran and pop them in the frig overnight. Bake in the am, and you have a WONDERFUL morning treat!! 

Pineapple Cream Cheese Braid

(Makes 2)

Dough:

2 pkgs./Tbsp. Red Star Platinum Yeast

1 Cup warm water

½ Cup butter, softened

5 Tbsp. sugar

2 eggs

½ tsp. salt

4 ¼- 4 ½ Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

Pineapple Filling:

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, NOT drained

½ Cup sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Cream Cheese Filling:

2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1/3 Cup sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

½ tsp. vanilla

Icing:

1 Cup powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp. milk

For dough: 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 dough is rising, prepare fillings:

Pineapple: Combine pineapple filling ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cook, stirring until thickened. Let cool.

Cream cheese: Combine ingredients and mix well.

When dough is risen, divide dough in half. Roll each piece into a 15x9” rectangle. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread ½ of the cream cheese filling down the center third, lengthwise,  of each rectangle. Spread ½ of the pineapple filling on top of the cream cheese fillings. On the long sides, cut 1” wide strips approximately 3” into the center. Starting at an end, fold the strips alternately at an angle over the filling. Seal the ends by pinching and tucking under. Cover with a light tea towel and let rise for 20-30 minutes. Remove tea towel and bake at 375 for 20-30, until golden. Remove to a rack to cool. If desired, combine icing ingredients and drizzle over each braid. Enjoy!! 

Adapted from a Taste of Home recipe 

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Pineapple Cream Cheese Braids!