A New Family Tradition: Making Dinner Rolls Together!

One of the best things about the EZ DOH mixer is that it is safe and fun for children and people of all ability levels to use. It enables almost anyone to actively participate in contributing to the preparation of your holiday dinner (or brunch), and it allows young and not-so-young family members to create fun recipes together.

Dinner rolls are particularly easy to make with our EZ DOH, and here's a recipe for making a soft, light dinner roll that is not only a crowd-pleaser at mealtime, but is excellent for making little sandwiches from your leftover ham or turkey. And, they freeze and reheat well.

Soft Dinner Rolls

Yield: 12 or 16
 

Ingredients:

1 packet yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 cup flour

Directions: 

Combine all the dry ingredients in the EZ DOH container, using a whisk to mix everything evenly.

Beat the egg first, then add it to the container along with the water, milk, and olive oil.

Start turning your crank handle (most young people enjoy doing this) and in about 4 minutes you will have transformed these ingredients into a nice dough.

Remove the side knobs from the EZ DOH, and wipe down the dough hook as needed when you remove the mixer assembly from the container. Take out the dough, and spray some cooking spray into the container (or just coat the inside of the container with some olive oil). Note: coating your hands with flour before handling the dough helps minimize the dough sticking to your hands. Form the dough into a round shape and place it back into the container. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise for about an hour in a warm place, which will allow it to nearly double in size.

After the dough has risen, 'punch' it down (again, fun for youngsters). Divide the dough into either 12 (for larger rolls) or 16 (for average size) equal size pieces and shape them by hand before putting them into a greased muffin tin. Allow the dough to rise again for about 30 minutes before baking in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10 -15 minutes (when the tops are golden brown and/or when the internal temperature is 200 - 205 degrees F, remove them from the oven and serve them while they're still nice and warm).

Kids will learn a lot from the whole process. They learn to measure, handle fractions, organize, and keep track of each step as they follow the directions. While the dough is rising, you can research together how the yeast works and read about the countless ways to make all sorts of rolls and breads, as well as fun things like pretzels and pizza dough. The whole process allows different generations to have fun together and 'make bread together, break bread together'.

A New Family Tradition: Making Dinner Rolls Together!

Apple Bread

Apples are in season and can be used in countless ways. Make this delicious apple bread for dessert or breakfast using your favorite type of apple - we used Jonathan apples in ours.

Ingredients

For the dough:

1/4 cup warm water
1 package Red Star Platinum Instant Yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons softened butter
3 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon

For the filling:

3 apples (cored, sliced thinly, and then cut each slice in half)
Place apple pieces in a bowl and mix with:
3 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons cinnamon sugar

For the icing:

Combine in a small bowl:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoon milk
1/4 Teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Add the warm water and yeast in the EZ DOH container and stir to dissolve. Let rest one minute.

Add the warmed milk, then the remaining dough ingredients. Attach the EZ DOH hand crank and mix for about 4 minutes until the dough is smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.

Remove the dough from container and shape it loosely into a ball. Spray the container with cooking spray to avoid sticking, then place the dough back in the container, cover, and let rise until doubled in size.

Remove the risen dough from the container and divide it in half. Roll each half into an  8"x11" rectangle, and then cut into 9 equal strips.

Grease two 8" round pans. Starting in the center, create a coil with the first strip of dough. Continue to add pieces to the spiral, pinching the ends of the strips together and adding apple pieces between each spiral. Repeat the same process with the second pan.

Cover both pans and let them rise for 40 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 365 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.

While the bread is baking, make the icing.

Remove the pans from the oven. Gently turn each pan upside down to remove the apple bread and place each on a cooling rack.

After the bread has cooled, add your icing and you're ready to enjoy your apples in a different way.

Apple Bread

Peach Brunch Bread

Fresh peaches are readily available at this time of year, and here's a great way to feature them in this peachy brunch bread recipe. But, as with most fruity baked things, it's great for breakfast, too. Or brunch. Or at 3 p.m. Or... whenever! And you can freeze it and enjoy peachy goodness long after peach season is over. Even after freezing and defrosting, the rich texture of the bread remains intact.

We used our EZ DOH mixer to simplify the process of making the dough.

Ingredients

Dough

3 1/2 c. flour
1 package Red Star Yeast (or your preferred yeast brand)
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 c. whole milk
1/2 c. melted butter (one stick of butter)
1 large egg

Filling

2 c. peeled and cubed fresh peaches
2 Tb butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tb whole milk

Icing

Combine in a small bowl:

1 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tb milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Combine 2 cups of flour with the yeast, sugar and salt in the EZ DOH container (with mixing unit removed) and hand stir thoroughly with wooden spoon.

Heat the milk to about 125 degrees and pour into EZ DOH container. Mix the egg with the melted butter and add to the container.

Attach the mixing unit and mix for about 1 minute, then add in the other 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix the dough in the EZ DOH container for about 4 minutes (as needed, add a tablespoon or two of flour). Mixing with EZ DOH replaces the kneading step in bread recipes, with much less mess.

Remove the dough and place it onto a floured surface, coat the inside of the container with olive oil and then return the dough to the container, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size. Then, press down the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the peaches and filling.

Peel the peaches and cut into bite-sized pieces - enough to get 2 cups of peaches.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and milk in a saucepan and heat on low until melted and smooth.

Spray a 10-inch tube pan to avoid sticking, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the "rested" dough on a floured surface and cut into 20 pieces. Take these 20 pieces and form each into a ball, placing them into the tube pan - about 14 on the bottom layer and the rest on top of them. Place the peaches on top of the dough balls and then drizzle the mixture from the saucepan over the peaches.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again in a warm area. The dough should double again in size in about 40 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees in a pre-heated oven. After 20-25 minutes, place a tent of foil over the top of the pan to prevent over-browning, then continue baking for 15 more minutes total of 35. Check with a toothpick to make sure it is done (it should come out clean). Remove from the oven and cool for a full 30 minutes before removing the sides of the tube pan. Then wait another 30 minutes before removing the bottom of the tube pan.

Finally, ice the top by spooning the mixture into a small plastic bag, snipping off one corner of the bag and drizzling the icing on top.

Your peach dessert is ready to eat! You can get 14-16 servings from this recipe, so we had plenty to freeze and store for later.

Peach Brunch Bread

Gluten-free Pizza Made with EZ DOH

Making your own gluten-free pizza is easy with EZ DOH and the right ingredients.

Recently we tried a mix from MinusG which specializes in using non-GMO ingredients and whole grains. All their mixes are soy-free, preservative-free, and allergy-friendly.

Pizza made with MinusG Artisan Pizza Crust Mix

Gluten-free Pizza Made with EZ DOH

EZ DOH makes it easy for anyone to make PIZZA - including your kids!

Summer is here. Kids are often looking for something to do… and something to eat. Why not solve both problems at the same time by having your kids make the pizza dough?

All you need is our EZ DOH hand-crank mixer and ingredients you have in your pantry. No electricity, no motors, no noise, no mess. It's safe and fun to use.

4 Simple Ingredients:

• 1 packet of instant yeast (we used Red Star platinum. One packet contains ¼ ounce of yeast)
• 1 ½ teaspoon of salt
• 2 ½ cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup warm water

If you’ve never made pizza dough or bread before, watch our EZ DOH video for a quick tutorial on making dough with the EZ DOH mixer.

Directions:

1. Place the warm water and yeast into the EZ DOH container and stir to dissolve the yeast.
2. Let the yeast and water work together for one minute.
3. Add the flour and salt and start turning the crank handle. Turn the crank handle both ways to make the job easier, and after 3-5 minutes the dough should be smooth and soft and all ingredients should be mixed together.
4. Unscrew the side knobs and remove the mixing assembly, wiping the dough from the dough hook.
5. Remove dough from container, and spray (or wipe) the container with cooking oil. Pat and smooth the dough ball, place it back in the oiled container, cover with dish towel and let it rise until it doubles in size (our dough took 1 hour to rise).
6. Rub flour over your hands, to keep dough from sticking to you, and roll out or flatten the dough into a 12”-14” diameter circle. Place the rolled-out dough onto a pizza stone dusted with corn meal to prevent sticking. You can also use a greased pan. Top it any way you like before baking it in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

We made our own pizza sauce (recipe below), but you can use a prepared sauce or any recipe you like.

We topped ours with thinly sliced fresh mushrooms and pepperoni, with 6 oz shredded mozzarella on top - but of course you can use anything you like.

EZ DOH makes the whole process a lot easier, and allows children and people of all ability levels to enjoy the process of making their own pizza dough.

Pizza Sauce Recipe

This is enough sauce for 2 pizzas.

• One 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
• One 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of basil
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• Ground black pepper (10 turns)

EZ DOH makes it easy for anyone to make PIZZA - including your kids!

Camping and Baking

It’s summertime and you are camping because camping is glorious. Or because it’s a cheap family vacation. Either way, you’re up early because, well, everything else is. The birds, the light, the kids - it all happens quite early in the great outdoors. You unzip your tent and stand up, stretching and breathing the fresh morning air. What could be better?

Freshly baked bread and butter with your coffee, that’s what.

You can have your bread and eat it too if you remembered to bring along your EZ DOH manual dough mixer. (Otherwise your dough will pick up bits of twigs and moss while you’re kneading it on that flat rock!)

EZ DOH is a compact, lightweight container (just over one pound) with an easy-to-install hook and hand crank that mixes, kneads, and provides a perfect place for resting/rising bread dough. EZ DOH uses no electricity and has no sharp blades. And at $39.95, it's the lowest-cost product on the market.

Just follow the instructions printed on the bucket for a basic recipe, browse the blog for more recipe ideas, or make your own recipe. In 5 minutes you’ll have perfectly mixed dough, ready to rise while you build a fire, make the coffee, and change your socks.

Now for the baking. Never baked bread outdoors? No fear. It is a learning process, but once you’ve done it a couple of times, you’ll be a pro.

Campfire Baking Instructions

You’ll need:

• Dough prepared in your EZ DOH mixer
• Hot coals
• A dutch oven with legs or a covered pot and a base of bricks or rocks to keep the bottom of your pot from sitting directly on the hot coals. Your bread will cook unevenly if your pot doesn’t have a lid that can accommodate coals on top.

Instructions:

1. Start your fire - charcoal or wood; the goal is to have enough coals to put under and on top of the oven.
2. Build the base of bricks or rocks, if needed.
3. When the coals are ready, put some under the base. Put the dough in the oven, cover with the lid, and place on top of the coals.
4. Put some coals on top of the lid - you’ll want more heat on the top than the bottom.
5. Check the bread after 20 minutes, although it may take 15 or 20 minutes more. Color, smell, and feel will tell you when it’s done. The top should be golden, you should smell a nice bread smell (but not a burned smell), and the bread should sound hollow if you tap the top.
6. Remove the oven from the fire when done and let cool for several minutes.

Resources

Learn about cooking on a campfire using a dutch oven.
https://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/DutchOven/DutchOvenCooking.htm

Amazon sells a selection of dutch ovens for use on a campfire.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=camping+dutch+oven

Camping and Baking

Introducing: The New Team

This week will begin the transition from Ginny and Dave to us - the new team of John and Connie. We plan to build on the vision and achievements of the past five years, and we look forward to continuing to work with all existing suppliers and distributors.

Over time, we will expand and improve our line of products, and are developing our marketing plans to grow the business. We’ll promote how EZ DOH makes baking together fun and easy for the whole family - parents, grandparents, and children. EZ DOH is safe for young children (no motors, loud noises, or whirling blades), and children can enjoy turning the crank handle and watching the ingredients transform. It’s a fun learning experience - following recipe instructions, measuring and counting, and beginning to understand the art and science of dough preparation and baking. Finally, everyone gets to enjoy their creation, knowing that clean-up is greatly simplified by using the EZ DOH mixer.

That’s enough for now - we have a lot of work to do!

Introducing: The New Team

A New Road !

Greetings, friends of EZ DOH!

The road to "EZ DOH" has been one full of twists and turns, surprises and setbacks, burdens and blessings.......  We are grateful for all the lessons we have learned along this 6-year journey!
Best of all, it's been a road that has allowed us to meet so many wonderful, new friends along the way!

We're now at a crossroads that we started to approach in 2014 when we began caring for my ailing parents. In 2016, on the other side of that experience, Dave and I found that our priorities had changed. We still loved our product, but found we wanted to put more of ourselves into our ever-growing family, which left less time for promoting our business. I'm sure you can guess where this tale is leading........ we are selling EZ DOH.

We are very excited to report that Mr. John Dmytriw of Mentor, OH will be taking EZ DOH further down the road!

John has an extensive background in engineering and has worked with many major companies. He has decided that it’s now time to own a business for himself and will be purchasing EZ DOH. It will still be a “family business”, with his daughter and son assisting him in marketing and internet. We are convinced John is the person who can take EZ DOH to “the next level”, so it is with great anticipation that we turn things over to him in the very near future.

We started out on this road with much prayer, depending on God to guide us.....and we are now at a crossroads where we place a memorial, saying "Thus far, the Lord has helped us!" (I Samuel 7:12)  We now continue to look to Him to be our guide for "life beyond EZ DOH!" (Prov. 3:6 - In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path)

We wish you, our dear friends and customers, safe and joyful travels along this road of life! May your lives continue to be filled with tasty bread, good health and great friends!!

We pray that you, too, know the great travel Guide and will trust your journey to Him! He truly is "the Bread of Life!

A New Road !

American Irish Soda Bread!

This March, as a final "tip o' the hat" to St. Pat, I thought I would list one more recipe dedicated to the Irish. In doing a search of my previous posts, I realized that I have never shared a recipe for Irish soda bread. Now this is due, in part, to the fact that traditional soda bread has no yeast. It is a wonderful "quick bread" that depends on baking soda as leaven. It is WELL worth trying! However, there are yeasted versions of soda bread that use baking soda AND yeast to raise the bread, giving it a slightly different texture. The true Irish would probably scoff at this creation, so, to that point, I have named this recipe "American" soda bread. But, once you taste this bread, there will certainly be NO scoffing - it is tender and absolutely delightful! I took this creation to card club this month to accompany the hostess' main dish of shepherd's pie.....there were many requests for both recipes! Try it, warm out of the oven,  with a heavy dollop of Irish butter - absolutely YUMMY!!! 

American Irish Soda Bread !

1 pkg/Tbsp Red Star Platinum yeast

½ Cup warm water

1 Cup buttermilk, warmed ( you may substitute ¾ Cup milk + ¼ Cup yogurt or sour cream )

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. softened butter

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

4 Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

¾ Cup dried cranberries or raisins (a friend suggested adding walnuts, too!)

1 ½ tsp. orange zest

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.

Remove dough from bucket and form into a round loaf. Place on a greased baking sheet. Depress the loaf slightly with your palm to create a flatter round loaf. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes. With a sharp knife, slash the top of the loaf. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool. 

American Irish Soda Bread!

Celtic Brioche!

Top of the mornin' to you and Happy St. Pat's Day!! Technically, I celebrated this holiday on last week's blog with a recipe for delicious green bagels (though spinach and parmesan aren't traditional flavors of Ireland - LOL!) However, I couldn't resist sending you one more recipe in honor of St. Patrick! (Also, just FYI, there are some other wonderful recipes for this holiday on this blog from prior years- check 'em out!) 

Today's recipe intrigued me......"Celtic" definitely evokes Irish/Ireland.....but "Brioche"? Not so much. Brioche is a VERY French term for a dense, cake-like, rich bread. So...."Celtic Brioche" - what's that?  I did some brief research on the history of this delicious bread and here's what I found: There is a popular restaurant in Dublin named "Brioche", so I'm wondering if that's where this recipe originated. Also, the beautiful form of this bread is very fun and free-looking, which, to me, is the spirit of the Irish. So that's what I've got for you! Whether it's March 17 or another day of the year, this bread is worth making for ANY celebration! 

Celtic Brioche!

Dough:

1 Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

½ Cup milk, warmed

2 ½  Cups unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ Cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/3 Cup butter, softened

Brush on before baking:

1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tsp. of milk

Glaze, if desired:

½ Cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. softened butter

1-2 Tbsp. milk

½ tsp. vanilla or almond extract

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. 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 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece to a very thin sheet. Using a round 2” cookie cutter, cut circles out of the dough (I got about 6 circles out of each piece. I then combined the scraps, rolled it out and cut as many more circles as I could) . Stack three circles together and roll “jelly-roll”-style into a little cone-like form. Place, end-up, in a greased 8” cake pan. Continue until all the circles are used. The “cones” do not have to be super-close together – just fill the pan. If you have an odd amount of circles, just roll them up and tuck them in the pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Preheat oven to 350. Bake rolls for 30-35 minutes – Cover with a piece of aluminum foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Mix glaze ingredients. Remove rolls from pan and transfer to wire rack to cool. Brush hot rolls with glaze, if desired. You could also sprinkle the top of the rolls with powdered sugar as an alternative.

Celtic Brioche!

Spinach Parmesan Bagels! The Eating of the Green!

This week I'm trying to prepare for what lies ahead.......or to prepare you for what lies ahead! It occurred to me that in one week, it will be St. Patrick's Day! And if I blog about an appropriate recipe NEXT week, it will be too late for you to prepare it for the big day, so today you get a "green" recipe! 

I was very torn as to whether to do a bread with an Irish heritage or just do something that would be fun and green. Well, "fun and green" won out! And, let me add, "fun and green.. and DELICIOUS" ! If you've been reading my blog for very long, you know my penchant for boiled breads, ie: bagels and pretzels, so of course you would expect me to choose the bagel recipe, even though its not truly Irish. (I believe St. Patrick would forgive me if he would taste one of these circles of yumminess!) These probably have more of an Italian tone, but they might be quite tasty layered with the traditional Irish corned beef for an amazing sandwich.....I have just been enjoying them toasted with butter! However you eat 'em, you'll be happy to be a part of the "eating of the green" for St. Patty's Day!   

Spinach Parmesan Bagels

Dough: 

1 Cup milk, warmed

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast

½ pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and well-drained

2 Cups unbleached bread flour

1/3 Cup rice flour (if you aren’t able to find this, just use additional bread flour)

2 ½ Tbsp. brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried minced onion

2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

Additional: 

Pot of water for boiling

2 Tbsp. brown sugar for water 

Place yeast and ¼ Cup of the warmed milk in the EZ DOH bucket. Stir to dissolve. Add a tablespoon or so of the flour. Let sit while you mix the remainder of the warmed milk ( ¾ Cup) and the spinach in a blender. Blend until the mixture is very well-blended and is bright green. Add this mixture and the remaining dough ingredients to the EZ DOH bucket and EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, adding a small amount of additional flour, if necessary, to create a smooth (almost sticky, though – we don’t want a dry dough) dough. Gently remove the dough from the bucket, “smooth” it , spray the bucket with cooking spray and return the dough to the bucket and cover. Let  rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a large pan by covering it with baking parchment.  Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (12 if you would like smaller bagels). Lightly flour the working surface. Cup your hand over each portion, moving your hand in a circular motion – this will create a smooth ball. With your fingers/thumb, create a hole in the center of the bagel. Pull evenly to create a larger hole. Lay bagels on the parchment and let rise ½ hr. While rising, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 Tbsp. of brown sugar to the water. Place 3-4 bagels in the water, 30 seconds on each side. Place boiled bagels on a paper towel briefly to drain, then place them back on the baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Enjoy these savory treats!!!

Spinach Parmesan Bagels! The Eating of the Green!

Dutch Coffee Buns – Koffiebroodjes!

Last week we received the shocking news that my hubby's brother had been diagnosed with incurable cancer. Denny lived in Kentucky, so Dave began making plans to go down and visit with him, as it had been quite some time since they had seen one another. Unfortunately, the cancer moved more quickly than we could, and we got the sad phone call from his kids that Denny had passed. Dave and I packed our bags and took off to be with our nephews and niece for the funeral. We had not seen them recently, as they are located all over the midwest. In spite of that, our time together was wonderfully bittersweet - mourning together, catching up and sharing a meal along with many memories. It was worth the tiring trip to be with them to celebrate the life of this special man. 

Today's recipe is a wonderful recipe that calls for friends old and new to sit down and share their lives and their memories. Imagine a steaming cup of coffee, a plate of these delicious rolls and a long-unseen friend at your table - Sounds like a perfect recipe for joy! 

Dutch Coffee Buns – Koffiebroodjes!

Dough:

1 Tbsp./Packet Red Star Platinum yeast

1 ¼ Cup milk, warmed to the touch

3 1/3 Cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. butter, softened

4 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

Filling:

1 – 3oz. pkg. vanilla or French vanilla instant pudding

1 Cup milk

1/3 Cup sour cream
*(please note: I ended up using only about 1/2 of this mix - if you care to just divide the filling ingredients in half, you would have enough for 2 recipes) 

2/3 Cup dried cranberries, soaked in warm water and then thoroughly drained

Glaze:

2 Tbsp. apricot jam (other jams have been used, ie: strawberry. I like the “clear” look of the apricot)

1 Tbsp. water

3 Tbsp. melted butter

Place warmed 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. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. (Dough may be very close to sticky, but should still be smooth).  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, mix filling ingredients * (see recipe note)  – mix the pudding and milk thoroughly then add the sour cream and stir thoroughly.  Soak cranberries in warm water for 10-15 minutes, then drain and press dry with a paper towel. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with baking parchment or spraying with cooking spray.

Remove dough from bucket and divide in two. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half into a 12-14”x 8-9” rectangle. Spread with 1/3-1/2 cup of the filling and sprinkle ½ of the cranberries. Roll up lengthwise, jelly-roll style. Slice into 9 evenly-sized rolls. Place on baking sheet and press lightly with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly . Repeat with the remaining dough. Let the rolls rise  for 20-30 minutes (I covered them with plastic wrap and let them rise overnight in the frig.) Preheat oven to 350. Brush risen rolls with the melted butter. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. (While baking, briefly microwave the apricot jam and the water. Stir until well-blended.) When rolls are golden, remove from oven and brush with the jam mixture. Serve while warm, if possible. They are delicious reheated in the microwave for 10 seconds also! 

Adapted from a recipe on itspotluck.com

Dutch Coffee Buns – Koffiebroodjes!

Salty and Sweet Breakfast Pretzels!

Another day, another pretzel! LOL! As those who faithfully read my blog know - I LOVE SOFT PRETZELS! My apologies to those who are not so enamored by these twisted, tasty marvels, but I just can't help myself!

Dave and I had been out and about on a busy Monday. By the end of the day, I could feel "it" coming on.....a little sore throat, a little stuffy nose, a little ache, a little pain. I knew I had a meeting early the next morning and that my friends were depending on seeing something tasty on the table that morning, but UGH.....I was uninspired. All I could think was "What's easy?" Pretzels sometimes aren't the easiest things to make because of the water bath process, but I knew I had a recipe that didn't require the bath and THAT was the ticket that night. I quickly mixed them up, shaped them while we watched TV then popped them in the frig for an overnight rise. The next morning, all I had to do was "brush and bake".......and then listen to the rave reviews at the meeting! I know you'll get rave reviews for serving these delicious treats!

Salty and Sweet Breakfast Pretzels

Yield: 12 pretzels

Dough Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 package/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast 

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

 4 cups all-purpose flour

For topping:

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

Pretzel (or coarse) salt

Cinnamon Sugar

Instructions:

Place yeast and warm water in the EZ DOH bucket. Stir to dissolve yeast, then let rest for 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then remaining dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it, or traditionally knead dough, until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into 12 equally-sized balls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each piece out to approximately a 16” rope, twist ends of the ropes and then attach the ends to the dough to form a pretzel shape. Place prepared pretzels on a large baking sheet that is covered with baking parchment (or spray your sheet with cooking spray). Cover and let rise until doubled. (I covered mine and let them rise in the frig overnight)

Whisk the egg with the water to create an egg wash. Brush the risen pretzels with the egg wash. Sprinkle with pretzel salt then sprinkle lightly with a cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. 

Salty and Sweet Breakfast Pretzels!

Apricot Orange Coffeecake - Kugelhopf!

Last weekend, we took an uncharacteristic trip to Florida! It was uncharacteristic because we are not "pick-up-and-go" type people. Dave and I are homebodies. We just love to be in our environment. However, we had promised ourselves to try and break that mold and travel a bit more. With  "snowbird" friends who had invited us down.... with the winter months quickly passing away.....and with low-priced airfares slowly beginning to climb, we decided to take the plunge and take the trip. And.....IT WAS AMAZING! After leaving snowy Ohio at 10:30, we arrived in sunny Florida two hours later and I don't think we stopped smiling the whole weekend! (It's surprising what a little sunshine can do for your disposition!) Now, I'm sure I would have been satisfied and content to be at home for the weekend as well, but getting out of routine is sometimes a very, very good thing! And spending time with good friends is also a very, very good thing!

Well, this recipe has the wonderful, citrus-y taste of Florida! The sunny flavors of oranges and apricots dominate this cake-like bread. And since we're still in the midst of winter here in Ohio, those bites can sure brighten our day! This will serve quite a few, so get some friends together and celebrate the things that make you smile! 

Apricot-Orange Coffeecake (Kugelhopf)!

Dough:

¼ Cup warm water

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast

½ Cup sugar

¾ Cup softened butter

4 eggs

¾ Cup milk, warmed

1 Tbsp. orange zest

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cardamom

4 ¼ Cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1 Cup chopped, dried apricots

½ Cup toasted sliced almonds

Glaze:

1 Cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

In the EZ DOH bucket, dissolve yeast in warm water with 1 tsp. sugar. Set aside. In another bowl, cream sugar and softened butter. Beat in eggs one by one. Add one cup of flour, then creamed ingredients and remaining ingredients. “EZ DOH-it” slowly, as this is a heavy batter-like dough, continuing until all ingredients are incorporated together well – the dough will be slightly batter-like and a little sticky.  Spray a bundt pan well with cooking spray. Spoon dough into the prepared pan. Cover and let rise until doubled (Dough should reach top of pan).

Preheat oven to 375. Bake coffeecake for 45-60 minutes or until done (mine was done at 45 minutes). Remove from oven. Invert pan onto wire rack to cook. Mix glaze ingredients together and drizzle over warm coffeecake. 

Adapted from Red Star Yeast website: Apricot Orange Kugelhopf 

Apricot Orange Coffeecake - Kugelhopf!

Amazing Garlic Naan!

Welcome to another edition of "Ginny's Terrifying Adventures in the Kitchen"! Last week it was aluminum-wrapped copy paper in the oven to make bread cones. This week it's flatbread being cooked directly on the flame of my gas stove. Oh my......! This is what I get when I "breeze" through recipes, looking at the pretty pictures and ignoring some of the more questionable instructions -haha! 

This was a totally last-minute creation. I had already decided that I was NOT going to make any bread for the big game - there was enough food coming and I had selected four simple things I was going to make. Well, you probably know how this goes.......you get to working in the kitchen and things are going smoothly......you decide, "Hmmmm, I could also add -----; It's not that difficult!" Well, that was me on Sunday - Hmmmmm, wouldn't fresh hummus be tasty with these cut-up veggies? - so I made hummus. Hmmmmmm, wouldn't some fresh naan also be tasty with the hummus? - so I dug up the recipe for naan that I had wanted to try (but hadn't read thoroughly) and mixed up the dough. My comfort level dramatically changed when the dough had risen and I read the REST of the recipe.......WHAT!!!!! Place the dough directly on the flame!!!!! OKkkkkkkk........ so the adventure began! What started in great fear ended in great delight.....I LOVED the texture - my past experiments with naan had never yielded any close to a restaurant-quality product. And oh, the taste - the charred spots added that "just-like-at-the-restaurant" taste, along with all the garlic. Again, as I did last week, I advise great care as you proceed on this adventure. No doing two things at one time!! Do THIS! And then thoroughly enjoy it! 

Garlic Naan

Dough:

1 Tbsp/Packet Red Star Platinum Yeast (you can use slightly less –  1 ½-2 tsp)

½ Cup warm water

1 Cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

¾ Cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour

1 ½ Tbsp. vegetable oil

¼ Cup milk, warmed

1 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. grated garlic (1 clove peeled garlic, using a fine grate microplane)

Topping:

2 Tbsp. salted butter

1 clove garlic, minced

Fresh or dried cilantro, if desired

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. Dough may be slightly sticky – you may add additional flour, but not so much to remove all stickiness – it should be somewhere in between sticky and smooth).  Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

For the topping melt the butter and stir in the minced garlic. Set aside.  Lightly oil a 10” or 12” cast iron skillet and heat on gas stove (There are oven instructions, but I don’t think it would be as effective and I haven’t tried it that way, so I’m not including them. ). Divide the dough into 4-5 pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a 8-12” circle. Place one circle of dough onto the hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the top of the bread starts to show bubbles all over the surface. Using tongs, flip the naan and place it directly on the gas flame (on the stove grate) until the surface is slightly, delightfully charred (10-20 seconds). With the tongs, remove the naan, place it on the counter and repeat with all of the dough. Immediately brush the cooked naan with the garlic butter. Sprinkle with cilantro if desired.

 ENJOY while warm (though they’re good even when they’re cooled down!)

Recipe adapted from chefdehome.com

Amazing Garlic Naan!

Fill 'Er Up Bread Cones!

Last night I had the privilege of meeting with fellow Chamber of Commerce directors to select the honorees for the annual community awards. It is absolutely inspiring to read the award submissions for the different categories......Lifetime of Service; Businessperson of the Year; Young citizen of the Year; Educator of the Year; Community Service..... It's often surprising to discover who's been "off the radar", yet doing so much for our little city. I've been serving on the selection committee for several years and every year it is a breath of fresh air,  in the midst of all the "bad news", to hear the "good news" of GREAT people doing GREAT things! I can't wait until the banquet to see them rightly honored! 

It is tradition that our committee gathers for a meal as we discuss the selections. It's a wonderful time of laughter, discussion and gratitude. Our hostess, Deann, supplies the delicious soup and bbq ham and the rest of us kick in with drinks, dessert, salad, etc. Of course, I always bring the sandwich buns! This year, I decided to try to make the newly-popular "bread cones". They turned out spectacularly - beautiful and tasty - so this time in my blog, I'm not leaving a recipe......I'm just supplying a link. The instructions are detailed and the video is a HUGE help! HOWEVER, if you're going to try this with an EZ DOH, please read my recommendations below before making them: 

                 1. The dough is HEAVY - TAKE IT EASY when cranking the hook-avoid a breakage!!                        2. Add an additional 2-4 Tbsp. of water to the recipe
                 3. I made 10 cones rather than 8.....they were plenty big
                 4. Bake at 375 for a little longer
                 5. WATCH your oven as these bake. I'm sorry, but it still made me nervous to put paper in                        my oven, even though it was covered in aluminum. I was ready to make a quick grab if                        necessary, but it wasn't !

OK....now that you've read the MUST READS, you're ready for the link (if I haven't scared you off by now!) Thanks, Country Living Magazine for this interesting and beautiful recipe!

                        http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a37676/bread-cones/

Fill 'Er Up Bread Cones!

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels!

Do you still have the "pot boiling" from last week's pretzel bites?! Well, maybe not, but you'll still need the big pot with water in it again this week, as I've got a delicious bagel recipe for you! 

As you well know, I LOVE to make bagels and pretzels. I'm not sure what drives that passion, but it's in me and I feed it! Maybe it's the thought that I can make something that's just as beautiful and just as tasty (with no preservatives, additives, etc.!) as the bagels I find at high-end bakeries. And I can make 12 for the price of one of their bagels! Win....win.....win! And one more "win" - with an EZ DOH bread maker, it doesn't make a mess or take up too much of my time. 

I hope you'll enjoy warming up your kitchen on a cold winter morning by making these bagels. You will be glad you did! Hey, and if you DO make them, send me a pic! I'd love to post it on my Facebook page! 

CINNAMON RAISIN BAGELS!

For Dough: 

1 ½ Cups warm water for dough (some additional boiling water will be needed to plump raisins)  

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast

1 Cup dark raisins

4 tsp. cinnamon

¼ Cup light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 ¼ Cup white whole wheat flour

3 -3 ½ Cups unbleached bread flour

For brushing bagels:

1 large egg white, beaten lightly

For boiling:

6 quarts water

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 5+ minutes. Drain and blot raisins with a paper towel.

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 more flour as necessary.  Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Prepare a baking tray by lining it with parchment and spritzing lightly with cooking spray. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts, forming each one into a ball by cupping your hand over the dough and rolling it on your kitchen surface. Make a hole in the center of each ball and tug on it gently to make a quarter-sized opening. Place the bagels on prepared tray and let rise 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425. Bring  water to a boil and stir in 2 Tbsp. brown sugar. Boil a few bagels at a time, 45 seconds on each side. Remove from water and drain briefly on a paper towel. Return the bagels to the baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 17-20 minutes. Enjoy! 

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels!

Quick & Delicious Pretzel Bites!

"Card Club" has been a once-a-month occasion now for me for over 25 years ......It seems impossible to say that! It's always been a time when we get away and enjoy each other's cooking and company. Conversation has morphed over the years from kids' little league baseball games to kids' graduations to kids' marriages to kids' kids (grandkids) .......just amazing! No matter who's turn it is to host, I always offer to bring bread. Everyone knows that they are my guinea pigs (I usually bring a new recipe), but no one seems to mind.

This month, the gathering was sport-centered, with dips and pick-up foods on center stage. I decided these pretzel bites would be a nice addition, no matter what dips Lori had on hand! And....there's ALWAYS mustard in the frig, which is a natural with soft pretzels! At the end of the evening, my friends were asking for baggies to take home the leftover bites.....sooooo tasty! These would make a great addition to the upcoming football-centered parties that many of you will be hosting.....a perfect, easy-to-make snack! Go team!

Quick ‘n Delicious Pretzel Bites!

For Dough:

1 ½ Cups warm water

1 packet/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. butter, softened or melted

3 ½ - 3 ¾ Cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

For boiling:

9 Cups water

½ Cup baking soda

For application prior to baking:

1 egg, beaten

Pretzel salt or a coarse sea salt or kosher 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. (Begin with 3 ½ cups of flour and add additional flour as necessary for the dough to be smooth, not too sticky.)  Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425. Line your baking sheets with baking parchment. In a large pot, place the 9 cups of water and add the baking soda. Heat to boiling as you prepare the dough:  After dough has risen briefly, pinch it into 4 equal sections. At this point, you can decide whether to do little “rounds” or little bites: For rounds: pinch each “section” into about 10-12 (or more) pieces. “Round” each piece by cupping your hand over the piece and rotating it on the counter. This should quickly form a “round”. Do so with each piece. For “bites”: Form each “section” into a 14-18” rope and cut into equal-sized pieces (about 1-1 ½” long each).  Drop 10-12 pieces at a time into the boiling water bath for about 20-30 seconds. With a slotted spoon, remove the pieces from the bath and place on the baking sheet, making sure they are not touching. Brush each piece with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with the pretzel salt. Bake for about 13-15 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction: Soft Pretzel Bites 

Quick & Delicious Pretzel Bites!

Long-Rise Cheddar Table Bread!

My brother and sister-in-law, who live in Maryland, visited us last week for a belated Christmas. It was a delightful end to a wonderful holiday season......it stretched things out a bit for all the grandkids and was a final opportunity to tear into Christmas presents; we adults all enjoyed catching up with one another around a hearty meal of sauerkraut, pork, dumplings, kielbasa and mashed potatoes (we all got to open some Christmas presents too!) It had been well over a year since we had all been together, so the fellowship was a good as the food we shared! We ended the evening vowing that it would not be so long between visits in the future!

One thing I admire about my brother is that he is quite disciplined.....a few years ago, he discovered that he was pre-diabetic, so he immediately took action by going on a very strict diet. Now several years (and 40lbs.!) later, he is no longer in that medical category. Yay, Carl! He has had to make sacrifices for that victory, however......Carl is also a baker of bread and his new lifestyle (Atkins diet)  doesn't allow carbohydrates - Ugh! I'm afraid I'd have to find another diet...........especially when there's delicious bread like this on the table. 

Don't let the title of the bread put you off......It's SOOOOO easy! Mix it up as you hang out in the evening......place it in the frig before you head to bed.......an hour before you're ready to bake, shape the bread, then BAKE......then ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely Delish! 

 Long-rise Cheddar Table Bread

1 ½ Cups warm water

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast

3 ¼ Cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

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, until all ingredients are incorporated. (Dough will be a little sticky) . Let dough rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours (cover with a tea towel or plate).  Cover and let rise until doubled. Refrigerate dough overnight. (The dough can be left in the refrigerator for up to 7 days).

When you’re ready to bake, dust your working surface with flour and scrape dough out of bucket and on to the counter. Dust the dough with flour. Quickly shape the dough into a “round”, pulling lightly at the base of the dough and tucking it under. Move the loaf to a parchment-lined baking sheet and let rise for one hour. After 30 minutes (of the hour), preheat your oven to 430. Trim the parchment around the loaf. Sprinkle the loaf with flour and slash the top with a very sharp serrated knife. Place baking sheet in oven after the hour is complete. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Cool on a wire rack before slicing. 



Recipe adapted from "New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day", Vermont Cheddar Bread

Long-Rise Cheddar Table Bread!

Turkish Soft Bagels!

Each January, as I welcome a New Year, I become more and more humbled when I survey the year past ......its hopes, realized and disappointed.......its trials, strengthening and stretching.......its joys, expected and surprising......  Through it all, the verse "In everything, give thanks" rings in my heart. Perhaps age puts this lens on the "everyday".... It fills me with gratitude for the family and friends that surround me, happy for all the moments we have shared, and looking forward to the coming year and what we have yet to share together. My prayer for your 2017 would be that your heart would sing with gratitude through your days! 

I think these yummy Turkish Soft Bagels will make you sing, too! Because it's a richer dough, the rising time is a little longer, but they are worth the wait. Enjoy these with a friend as you discuss your plans for 2017! 

Turkish Soft Bagels!

Dough:

½ Cup warm milk

¼ Cup warm water

1 Tbsp./ Packet Red Star Platinum yeast

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. softened butter

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 ½ - 3 unbleached all-purpose flour

Toppings:

1 egg yolk, beaten w/ 1 tsp. water

Sesame seeds, if desired

Place warm water, 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. 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 and separate into golf ball-sized pieces. Pinch each “golf ball” in half. Roll each half out into a 12” rope. Pinch the ropes together at the top, then twist together. Pinch ends together and form a ring. Repeat with remaining dough pieces, placing finished shapes on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush lightly with the egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds (using black and white sesame seeds make a beautiful bagel! I only had white….) Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, till golden.

Turkish Soft Bagels!