CARAMEL STICKY BUNS

If you have a sweet tooth, or if you want to really impress your breakfast guests (or potluck friends), this is the recipe for you. It is completely decadent and one of those recipes that you will find yourself going back to again and again.

 

BUNS
3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 envelopes dry yeast (I use 2 scant tablespoons)
1 cup very warm milk (not hot)
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1 egg

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and yeast.  Add warm milk, soft butter and egg. Beat with electric mixer on low for one minute, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently, then beat on medium speed for another minute.

Add the rest of the flour (1/2 cup at a time), beating well in between each addition. The recipe calls for 3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour. I got a beautiful dough, easy to handle at 3 1/2 cups. Knead the dough by hand (or machine) for five minutes.

Grease (I use cooking spray) the bowl and put the dough back in. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot for 1 1/2 hours or until dough is double in size.

While your dough is rising, make the filling and caramel topping.

FILLING
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
Mix the sugar and cinnamon and set aside the butter.

CARAMEL TOPPING
1 cup brown sugar (I use dark brown, but light brown is ok too)
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup pecans roughly chopped (optional)

Put the brown sugar and butter in a saucepan and bring it to a boil (stirring constantly). Remove mixture from heat immediately and stir in light corn syrup, set aside.

After dough has risen, turn out onto counter and pat all the air out of it. Gently roll into a 10x15 rectangle and spread with the reserved 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar filling and roll up, starting with longest side. Pinch seam together and cut into 1" slices.

Pour the caramel topping into a 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with pecans if you are using them. Top with sliced dough sections (not too close together). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes. The dough will rise quite a bit, so don't crowd the slices. 

Bake in preheated 350° oven for 30 to 35 minutes (my electric oven took 28 minutes), or till golden.

Remove from oven and let sit in pan for 2 minutes. Turn over onto heat proof plate and DON'T REMOVE THE PAN FOR 3 MINUTES (this gives the caramel sauce time to drizzle back down over the buns).

Remove pan and serve warm.  Makes 15 rolls.

ENJOY !!!

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD

Do you have a lot of zucchini this summer? If so, this is a great way to use it. This treat is super chocolate-y, super moist (in fact it gets even more moist on day two), super easy to make and freezes very well.

(2) one ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate (melted)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 cups shredded zucchini (squeezed dry then measured)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 + 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Things to do first:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°
2. Toss the chocolate chips into the measured flour to get them well coated,that way they won't sink to the bottom of the bread as it cooks.
3. Grease two large (9" x 5") loaf pans. I lined mine with parchment and then greased the parchment (this bread tries to stick to the pan if you go light on this step, but with the parchment paper, the zucchini bread tips right out.

4. Shred the zucchini then squeeze some of the water out of it (with your hands) before you measure it.

Directions:

In large mixing bowl (I used my stand mixer), combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix until smooth.

Next, add flour (that you've stirred the chocolate chips into), cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until well combined, smooth and shiny (just takes a 30 seconds or so).

Pour batter into 2 well greased large loaf pans and bake at 350­° for 60 to 70 minutes (my electric oven takes exactly 60 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into tallest part of the bread comes out clean. Don't over cook.

Cool in pans on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pans. Wrap the bread in plastic wrap while they are still hot.  This keeps a lot of the moisture inside of the zucchini bread as it cools.  Don't slice the bread until it cools down completely.

If you are going to freeze them, cool completely, then double wrap them or wrap them in plastic wrap and put in a Ziploc freezer bag.

FUN TIP: If your children are picky eaters, just peel the zucchini before you shred them, that way you won't hear "Mom, what are these green specs?" They won't even know that the zucchini is in there!!

ENJOY !!

SUPER EASY FLOUR TORTILLAS

I throw away a lot of tortillas, do you? I use 5 or 6 out of a package and freeze the rest with good intentions of using them later, but I never do. Before long they are covered with ice crystals and hiding in a dark corner in the freezer.

So I recently decided to teach myself how to make flour tortillas.
I was pleased to discover that they are very easy to make in the food processor and very inexpensive as well. They also taste worlds better than the ones from the store, I promise!! It is like the difference between store bread and bread out of the oven.

This recipe makes (8) 8" tortillas

1+3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil (see note below)
1/2 cup of hot tap water

In a food processor, place the flour, baking powder, salt and vegetable oil.  Pulse several times until it looks like coarse corn meal.

While the food process is still running, stream in the hot water (it doesn't have to be super hot, just hot right from the sink). When dough starts to form a ball, stop the food processor and dump the mixture out on the counter.

Knead it together with your hands a few times until it makes a  nice smooth ball (only takes a minute or so). Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball (cover them and only roll out and cook one at a time).

Using a rolling pin, roll each ball (I don't use extra flour, but some people do) out into a large circle. Roll it as thin as you can, then roll it even more. My rule of thumb is to roll them thin enough so you can see the color of your counter just a little........well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but not by much (wink) the thinner the better

DO NOT WORRY IF THEY ARE NOT PERFECTLY ROUND,

THAT WILL COME WITH EXPERIENCE

One at a time, cook on hot UNGREASED pan (I use my electric griddle at 375F, for about one minute a side or until bubbles start to appear like this

 

 

 

As the bubbles appear, very gently press them down a little with a spatula. After it has cooked for about a minute (peak under and make sure that there are little golden brown spots on the underside), then flip it over and cook the other side for another minute. Keep them warm inside of a clean dish towel until you get them all cooked.

These tortillas are truly delicious.  Now, if you want to live really dangerously, you can replace the heart healthy canola oil with un-healthy but over-the-top delicious bacon fat.  Talk about WOW!!  I don't recommend this very often, but on a special occasion, you just have to try it with the bacon fat, it is excellent. (Note: on the days I fry bacon, I put the bacon fat into a clean jam jar and keep it in the fridge or freezer).

ENJOY !!

YEAST BREAD FOR BEGINNERS

Come On Be Brave

You CAN Succeed at Bread Making !!

I've been making this bread recipe for nearly 40 years and it has never failed me. It is a basic white bread that goes together in minutes (I make this recipe about once a week). It is nearly fool proof and a great recipe for beginning bread makers.

 

 

OR

 

 

5 cups Better for Bread Flour (see note below about flour)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon table salt
2 envelopes of active dry yeast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2½ cups very warm water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 packets of dry active yeast (I use 2 level tablespoons because I buy it in a larger jar), 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of table salt and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I use canola oil). Stir together

NOTE: Normally, most yeast recipes tell you to dissolve the active dry yeast in water that is 110 degrees before you add it to the flour. However, 99.9% of the time I do not do it that way.

If you mix the DRY yeast into the DRY flour, you can add hotter water because the flour will cool down the water before it can damage the yeast.

That may sound complicated, but it isn't. The advantage of adding warmer water, is that it will jump start your yeast and your bread dough will raise faster using this method.

If you are nervous about doing it this way, it might be a good idea
to use an instant read thermometer with your first few batches of bread (just to reassure yourself). However, it isn't rocket science and after you make bread a couple of times, you will quickly learn what the water is supposed to feel like by holding hour hand under the running tap water.

When I mix the DRY yeast into the Dry flour, I used 120° water


Stir 2½ cups of 120 degree water into the flour mixture and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon while you pour. Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes; this will give the yeast time to activate.

Start adding the rest of the flour, half cup at a time, mixing with a sturdy spoon in between each addition. When the dough gets too stiff to mix with a spoon, attach a dough hook to your stand mixer and turn on low.

NOW HERE IS AN IMPORTANT TIP

When making dough, at this stage, something called "dough shag" is (can be) your enemy. If you add too much flour, too fast, you will get "dough shag" or dry shaggy pieces of dough.
 

Click on this next photo so you can see the dry white sections/layers next to the wet sections of dough? I call it "shag"
 

Click on the photo to see the
shag more clearly

 

 Shag is not totally a bad thing, it is just a clue that it is NOT time to add more flour. NEVER ADD MORE FLOUR IF YOU CAN SEE SHAG.

 

Here is another photo, see the shag?

 

I intentionally added the flour a little too quickly (in this next photo) so you could see what I mean by "shag".

 

Click on photo

 

 Don't panic if you see shag, just keep "kneading" with your dough hook (or by hand) and the shag will eventually incorporate into the wet dough. Don't add more flour until it looks more like this:
Eventually, you will get all 5 cups of flour into the dough. When that happens, let your machine knead the dough (gently, on a low setting) for about 6-8 minutes (or by hand for 6-8 minutes).

Stop you mixer every once in a while and pull all the dough off of the dough hook, scrape down the walls of your bowl and turn the ball of dough completely over and start the mixer again. You will have to do this a few times until the shag totally disappears and the dough clings together in a nice semi-solid "glob".

At the end of 6 to 8 minutes (exact time is not crucial), the dough should have worked itself into a smooth ball that stays on the dough hook when you raise the hook out of the bowl. The interior sides of the bowl should be fairly clean. It should look like this:

 

See how the dough ball has "cleaned" all of the little bits off of the bottom and sides of the bowl? This is what you want to see. The dough will not be sticky and it will feel like play doh when you touch it. If the dough is too soft, it will pull itself off of the dough hook. If that happens, add another quarter cup of flour and knead it a little longer.

Remove your dough from the dough hook, form it into a ball and place it in a greased bowl (I use a little vegetable spray). Spray the top of the dough with a little more, and cover it with plastic:

 

 Place this covered bowl of dough in a nice warm place in your kitchen. Room temperature is OK, but if you have a warmer place (less than 100 degrees) place it there. After an hour, your dough will have risen substantially, (hopefully doubled in size).

 

Your dough should look
like this after an hour
(doubled in size)

When the dough has fully risen, turn it out onto your counter (some people say flour the counter at this stage, but I NEVER do) and push all of the air out of the dough. Cover it with an inverted empty bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes to relax (this will make your dough much easier to work with when you try to form it).

Depending on how you want to shape your dough, follow these general directions, but use your imagination.

 

Depending on the size of your loaf pan, you will get 2 or 3 loaves.

Cut your dough into 2 or 3 pieces and roll each piece into a large rectangle. Roll the dough into a log and pinch the seams shut. Place in a greased loaf pan (I use vegetable spray) and spray a little more on the top of the formed loaf. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it raise for an hour or until it is doubled in size. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and brush top with butter (optional) and let it cool on a baking rack.

 

If you are making rolls, just pinch off pieces about the size of a golf ball and place them in a greased baking dish with sides almost touching. Spray a little vegetable oil on top and loosely cover with plastic. Let raise for an hour or until doubled in size. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and brush tops with butter (optional) and let cool on baking rack.

 

 

Hamburger Buns

 

 

Sandwich Rolls 

 

 

This bread freezes very well



 

TIPS

NOTE: Yeast comes in little envelopes ¼ ounce envelopes (2¼ teaspoons per envelope). However, I buy yeast by the jar, so I always just use a tablespoon of yeast (3 teaspoons). Any (dry active or instant or rapid rise) yeast will work; just make sure you check the expiration date (very important).

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT FLOUR:

Many first time bread bakers are stressed out about working with yeast. If the bread didn't turn out perfectly, they blame it on the yeast and that is not always the case.

The problem could EASILY be your flour. Low gluten flour, or even worse yet, OLD low gluten flour, will produce faulty bread every time. If your flour is six months old, THROW IT OUT!!

Make sure you use a HIGH GLUTEN FLOUR, this is extremely important.

I use Gold Medal Better for Bread Flour or  King Arthur Bread Flour.

 

 

I made mediocre bread for years, until I discovered these two flours; they make all the difference in the world. 

NOTE: You will have much more success in your bread making if you understand that the amount of flour that goes into a recipe varies from day to day; depending on your climate. 

Many serious bakers weigh their flour, but I find that keeping a close eye on how the flour is "behaving" works better than weighing. On a humid day it may take an extra tablespoon, on a rainy day a tablespoon less. So be stingy with that last half cup of flour until you see how the dough acts in YOUR climate. Keep in mind that too much flour makes for a DRY bread. 

NOTE: A lot of people have granite counter tops which are always cool to the touch. This will effect the length of time your bread takes to raise. I suggest that you find a warmer place to let your bowl of dough raise than on the granite.

 

I hope you give this recipe a try, it really is fun and once you

get over the "nervousness" of bread making, you can use this

recipe to make PIZZA DOUGH and a million

other things........come on, be brave!!

FLOUR TORTILLAS

I've been on a "learning how to make flour tortillas" kick all week; I don't know how many different recipes I've tried, but it has been a lot of fun and even the "least attractive" tortillas were delicious and (very much) worth the effort (they are worlds better than the ones at the store!!)

Most tortilla recipes require the same basic ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, lard or shortening and hot water. Where the recipes differ is in technique and that is something that just takes practice;I found some GREAT tortilla making tutorials on "You Tube", those people have it down to an art!!!

3½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons Crisco or lard (see note)
1+ cup very hot water (see note)

Mix the dry ingredients and cut the Crisco or lard into the flour with a pastry cutter until you get what looks like corn meal (same technique as you would for pie crust).

Make a depression in the middle of the dry ingredients and slowly add the HOT water a little at a time, mixing in the dry ingredients as you go. Stir until everything comes together then knead it by hand (or stand mixer) for 2 minutes.

Cover and let the dough rest for an hour. Shape the dough into ping pong ball size balls, cover again and let rest for 15 minutes. This will make them easier to roll out.

Roll the tortillas out on unfloured counter. It's hard to get them perfectly round at first, so don't worry about that; they taste great no matter what their shape is.

What IS frustrating is how thin you need to roll them; roll them as thin as possible. The tortillas in the photo above were rolled thin enough that I could see the color of my counter through the dough, and yet, when you cook them, they don't stay that thin; keep that in mind.

To cook them, heat a cast iron pan (I like to use my electric skillet) to about 375° to 400° DO NOT USE OIL at this stage. Put the tortilla on the hot surface. As soon as you see little bubbles appearing in the tortilla (it will depend on how thick you rolled them), turn it over. You want the little bubbles to turn light brown, so watch your heat and raise/lower it if necessary; if the tortillas super-puff up, just gently press on them with the flat of your spatula. Don't over-cook them or they will get brittle.

Place cooked tortillas in a clean warm towel. You can use them right away or wrap them well and keep them in the fridge for up to a week; you can also freeze them.

I hope I haven't scared you off because home made tortillas are seriously delicious. Your first batch won't be beautiful, but don't let that discourage you. It really is fun (get the kids to help!!) and each  batch comes out prettier than the last.

NOTE: The recipes I found called for lard or shortening (Crisco). I don't have lard in my pantry, but I had great results with butter flavored Crisco. I even made some with real BUTTER and they were great too. Some recipes call for vegetable oil, but I haven't tried that yet.

NOTE: Don't be afraid to add a little extra hot water to get a nice smooth dough. I live in a very dry climate and I had to add almost an extra 1/4 cup of hot water. You want your final dough to feel soft and pliable but not sticky.

NOTE: Recipe makes 8 burrito size tortillas or 12 regular/small size tortillas.

NOTE: I like the idea of making little tortillas for our youngest grandchildren!!