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Quick & EasyBy Beverly Barbour
Breads-Just like mother used to make (almost)Nothing is just like mother used to make, is it? Partly because we usually remember the bread or pudding or roast pork as being better than it probably was, not having stretched our tastebuds much as children. The second reason is that so many of our ingredients have changed through the years. Flour is a good example. My Mom had a flour bin built into her kitchen cabinets and a 50 pound bag of flour was emptied into that bin anytime the supply ran low. Can you imagine that in today’s kitchen? Yesterday’s flour was great for yeast breads if you lived in the North where the hard wheat was raised (the high protein “hard” wheat made strong gluten which allowed bread to rise high without the strings of gluten breaking and the dough falling). If you lived in the South the flour had less protein, hence less gluten. It wasn’t as good for bread but it made wonderful soft biscuits and other quick breads, and cake, too. Today we can buy all-purpose flour, bread flour, cake flour, gluten free flour, high gluten flour (for pasta products), flours made with endless varieties of grains and blends. Here are some new fangled recipes that may be even better than an old family favorite. Long, Skinny, Crisp Breadsticks
Delicious with soup, salads, wrapped with prosciutto as an appetizer, or just munched. Expensive to buy, but easy and fun to make these keep forever and a day in a dry place. No rolling required, you cut the dough into long pieces and stretch into rustically, irregular, skinny breadsticks. Season Italian-style with rosemary or roll in kosher salt or chili powder with cornmeal before baking. 1 package active dry yeast Grease 3 large baking sheets. Combine yeast, water and sugar; let stand until yeast is softened, about 5 minutes. Add lemon peel, salt, rosemary, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat with heavy spoon or mixer until dough is stretchy. Mix in enough additional flour to make a soft dough, about 1 cup. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and springy, about 10 minutes; add flour as needed to prevent sticking to the board. Generously flour clean work surface. Set dough on floured area and pat into a 6-inch square. Brush dough with 1 teaspoon oil, lightly cover and let stand until puffy, about 45 minutes. Gently rub dough with 2 tablespoons flour. With a sharp knife, cut dough lengthwise into quarters. Working with 1 section at a time, cut lengthwise again into 8 equal pieces. Pick up 1 piece and stretch it to the length of the pan. Repeat to make each stick; arrange at least 1/2 inch apart. Bake in preheated 350 F oven until crisp to bite, 20 to 25 minutes. If using 1 oven, chill 1 pan of sticks while baking the other two. Switch pan positions halfway through baking. Remove sticks from pans and cool on racks. They keep well and freeze well. Makes 32. Perfectly Easy Dinner Rolls
Don’t use quick-rising dry yeast, since it is designed to raise breads quickly and this is a refrigerator dough that does not require kneading. 1 cup warm water (105 to 115 F) Combine water and yeast in large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes, until yeast is foamy. Stir in butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough is too stiff to mix (more flour may be needed). Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 4 days. Grease 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll each into a smooth round ball; place balls in even rows in prepared pan. Cover and let dough balls rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake until rolls are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Brush warm rolls with melted butter if you like a soft crust. Makes 2 dozen. Orange Rolls with Sour Cream
When I was a child a restaurant in our little town served orange rolls once a week instead of their usual cinnamon rolls. They were a very special treat. The cook used grated rind instead of cinnamon when the dough was buttered and sugared before it was rolled up and cut into rounds. The baker used to put butter, white sugar, a little white corn syrup, and more grated rind in the bottom of the baking pan. I thought they were the best treat ever. This is a different, but equally delicious, orange roll recipe. Dough: Glaze: Dough: Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl, let stand 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons softened butter, salt, and egg; beat with mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add 2 cups flour to yeast mixture; beat until smooth. Add 1 cup flour to yeast mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add enough remaining flour, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky). Place in large bowl coated with cooking spray or oil, turning to cover all of the surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place. (I put mine in the cold oven with a cake pan filled with very hot water on the lower shelf.) Leave until doubled in size. Gently press 2 fingers into dough if indentation remains, dough has risen enough. Punch down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough in half. Working with 1 at a time, roll each into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. Brush each circle with melted butter. Combine l/4 cup sugar and rind. Sprinkle half of sugar mixture over each circle. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge tightly, beginning at wide end. Place rolls, point side down in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 15 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake rolls for 25 minutes or until golden brown. While rolls bake, prepare the glaze. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons butter and orange juice in small saucepan; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls; let stand 20 minutes before serving. Makes 2 dozen. Cheese Bread
If you look at the above recipes you can probably make this bread without a food processor, but you then must knead the dough by hand for 8 to 10 minutes. 1 package active dry yeast Combine yeast and sugar with water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Insert shredding disc into food processor and shred cheese using light pressure. Leave in bowl. Remove shredding disc and insert dough blade or hook. Add flour, butter and salt; process to combine, about 20 seconds. Add milk to yeast mixture. With machine running on dough speed, pour milk mixture through feed tube as fast as the flour absorbs it and process until dough cleans the sides of the work bowl. Then process for 45 seconds to knead dough (or knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until very elastic and bubbles form under the skin). Place dough in lightly floured plastic food storage bag and seal top (or place in sprayed bowl and cover with plastic wrap). Let rise in warm place (see recipe above) until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. It is ready when 2 fingers pressed lightly into dough leave holes that do not close. Spray 2 bread loaf pans with vegetable oil spray. Place dough on floured surface and punch down. Let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half and roll each half into an 8- by 4-inch rectangle. Beginning with a short end, roll up dough jellyroll fashion. Pinch the seam and ends tightly to seal. Place in greased pans and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake breads until top is well browned and loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on rack. Makes 2 loaves. Your breads can be as good as Mom’s—maybe even better!
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