Dinner Rolls

This rolls are ahhhmazing! They are rich, soft and seriously divine. Also, they're pretty easy to make as well!

Makes 32.

Activate 2 pkgs (2 T.) dry yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water in glass bowl. Let set until ready to use.

Scald 1 1/2 c. milk in a large glass measuring cup in the microwave (about 2 mins). (Scalding is just before boiling-it will get a little skim milk on the top. If it boils, it will flood over). OR use 1 1/2 c. hot water from tap.

Pour into mixing bowl. Add 1/2 c. butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 tsp. salt. Let butter melt, milk/water should be lukewarm before adding the flour.

Mix.

Add 2 cups flour gradually. Mix. Add yeast/water. Mix. Add 2 eggs (you don't absolutely have to use eggs, but they make a richer roll). Mix.

Add rest of the flour gradually (about 5 more cups).

Mix well/use kneading attachment at the end and knead for several minutes until dough cleans the sides of the pan. (When you pinch the dough, it shouldn't be super sticky, but still feel very moist).

Let rise until "double" in size.

Punch down and knead a few more times. Let rise for about 5-10 minutes. It's easier to roll out when there is a little rise to it.

For Dinner rolls: Cut dough in half. Cut the half in half, in half, in half, in half---16 blobs. Knead each one into a smooth ball. Tip upside down in the oil and then rightside up in the pan. Leave some space between each to allow for the rise, but it's okay for them to touch. 9x13 pan.

For Crescent Rolls: Cut dough in half. Roll one piece into a circle, lift once and turn over (because it will shrink a little), roll to desired size. Spread with butter. Cut (with pizza cutter, if it won't harm your surface) into half, half, half, half (16 triangles). From wide end, roll to the point. Turn upside down on oiled pan and then right-side up with raw edge on the bottom. Use cookie pan. You don't want them to be touching when they're done.

For Bread sticks: May be made after initial short rise (if you're in a hurry) or at the roll-making point. Roll into a rectangle. Cut into strips with pizza cutter. Slightly twist before setting on oiled pan. They do tend to untwist, so do more than you want the finished product to look like. For a super hurry up, place pan in a cold oven, turn to 350-375, depending on your oven, bake until done.

Let rolls rise in the pan until your finger imprint stays. Bake in pre-heated oven 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. After baking, brush the tops with melted butter.

Enjoy!!!

Hoagie Rolls

I found this recipe over at FOOD.COM in case you like to read reviews. I needed a roll for French Dip sandwiches and found this. It worked really well and is definitely a keeper.

INGREDIENTS:
2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast (which is 5 tsp)
3 cups water, divided (110-115 degrees, hot tap water)
2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
8 -8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


Directions:

1) In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water add 1 T. sugar and then let stand about 5 minutes.
2) Add remaining water and sugar. Beat in oil, salt and 4 cups flour until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough.
3) Turn onto a floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic for about 6-8 minutes.
4) Place in a greased bowl turning once to grease the top.
5) Cover and let rise 45 minutes.
6) Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured board, divide into 18 pieces.
7) Shape into an oval.
8) Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheets.
9) With scissors cut a 1/4-inch slash across the top of each.
10) Cover and let rise 20 minutes.
11) Bake at 400° for 13-18 minutes until golden brown.
12) Remove to wire racks to cool.

Egg Rolls

2 C milk (put in microwave for 2 min. )
2 yeast cakes (2T)
(1/2 cup water, 1 t. sugar)

4 eggs
2 t salt
6 -8 C flour
½ C sugar
¾ C melted shortening (vegetable or canola oil)

Heat milk, cool, dissolve yeast and sugar and add remaining ingredients always add
liquid first. Let rise twice in a warm place. (I have found that if the counters are cold
to either put it on the dryer, or put it on a rice bag that is warmed up.) Punch down in
between.

Roll or cut for shapes.
Place on greased cookie sheets and let rise until double in bulk.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 18-22 minutes.

If you want to do wheat rolls, just replace the flour with wheat flour, and also use 1/4 C.
gluten add it to the wet ingredients before the wheat flour is added.

If you want warm rolls but not make them the day of your big event, you can make them
ahead a few days, cool completely, cover with a garbage bag, and put in the freezer.
Take out that morning that you want to use and let thaw. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle your fingers with water and flick on the rolls. Cover with tinfoil, make it like a
tent. Let warm for 12-15 min.

Pizza Rolls

1 ) Cut dough in half, roll out dough making 12X 14 Rectangle with dough being about ½ inch thick
2 ) Put soft butter on dough quite thick
3 ) Put your favorite Pizza sauce on next or ½ can tomato sauce, 1/8 t. garlic salt, and ¼ t. Italian seasoning  mixed together
4 ) Add a garlic seasoning
5 ) Sprinkle parmesan cheese
6 ) Put lots of ¼ pieces of pepperoni on
7 ) Roll up like a cinnamon roll, cut with dental floss, 1 ½ inch pieces and put on a greased cookie sheet
8 ) Bake 18-22 minutes at 350 degrees
9 ) Eat immediately, or let cool completely and then bag in baggies and freeze for another time.

Cilantro Pesto

These rolls were just a package of cresent rolls I reshaped then sprinkled with garlic salt and parsely.

I've been experimenting a lot with pestos lately and I've found a real keeper.
I used it for our green St. Patricks Day dinner tonight.

2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup pine nuts (cashews, walnuts or almonds can be used)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese (or Parmesan)
1/2 cup olive oil (I used garlic EVOO or you could just add a little garlic)

Rinse, dry and roughly chop the cilantro and parsely. Roast the nuts in a pan on the stove over medium. Once they start changing color sprinkle with the chili powder and a little salt. Put the cilantro, parsley, lime juice, nuts, salt, pepper, and grated cheese into the bowl of a food processor then stream olive oil in while pulsing until mixture is smooth, 8 to 10 pulses. If mixture is too thick, add more olive oil; if too thin, add more nuts.  Pour into 4 one-cup freezer containers. Use one container within a few days; freeze the others for later.
 
Ideas for use: I spread it over chicken breasts and baked them in the oven. On the side I made cilantro pesto rice that would be really good on a Cafe Rio type salad. Recipe is as follows...
 
1 can black beans
1 can corn
3/4 c. chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried cilantro ( I really like cilantro)
2 c. cooked rice
1 c. cilantro pesto sauce
 
Heat through, sprinkle with Asiago & serve.

Homemade Rolls

2 Tbsp. yeast
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. warm water
3 eggs beaten
1/2 c. sugar
4 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter

Soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Add remaining ingredients and 2 cups of flour. Mix until well blended, then add remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time and mix to form soft dough. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Punch down, roll out onto floured board. Cut out in circles. Dip circles in melted butter, fold in half and place on cookie sheet. Let rise again until puffy. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

I don't cut them in circles, I make little rolls and barely dip them in butter. They taste great!

Refrigerator Rolls

I got this one from my sis-n-law Emily:

3/4 C. Warm Milk

6 T. Sugar

1 t. Salt

2 pkgs. yeast (or 2 Tablespoons)

1/3 C. melted shortening ( I have used oil, or melted butter and both have also worked)

1/2 C. lukewarm water

1 egg beaten

4 1/2 c. flour

In large mixing bowl combine milk, sugar, salt, yeast, shortening and water. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Add egg and stir. Add

2 1/2 cups of flour. Stir until smooth. Add additional flour and mix well. Place dough in oiled (pam spray) bowl and turn to coat (I just spray the top of the dough). Cover and store in fridge at least 2 hours or until needed. To use, punch dough down and cut as much as desired. Form rolls and let rise until doubled. Bake rols at 400 for 10 minutes. Dough may be stored in fridge for 10 minutes. Dough may be stored in fridge for 2-3 days.

For me it makes about 15 good sized rolls. But you could make a little each night for a couple of days.

Soft Pretzel

1 1/2 tsp. live active yeast
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
4 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. 110 degree water
Dash of salt
1/4 c. warm water
Melted butter

In a large bowl, combine yeast, 1 1/2 c. water, brown sugar and salt. Add flour and mix well, then knead for 5 minutes. Put in greased bowl and cover with a damp towel (a paper towel works), place in a warm spot for 1 hour. Divide into 8 to 12 pieces (more for smaller sized pretzels, like in the picture). Roll into rope and shape into pretzel. Dip in 1/4 c. warm water that is mixed with the baking soda. Lay on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.

*Variations: brush melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or Parmesan cheese and garlic salt and serve with marinara sauce.

Note: They are not as good if you save them to eat the next day, if you have left overs don't brush with butter, leave them plain and do it the next day when you warm them up. It works well if you put them on broil for 1-2 minutes and then do the toppings. We like to cook half or a third of the batch and then put the dough in the fridge and cook it within the next few days.

Garlic Breadsticks

These are so easy and so good!

Prep time:12 min Total Time: 30-35 min

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast (quick rise yeast works best)
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup melted butter
garlic salt
grated Parmesan cheese

Combine water, sugar and yeast. Let yeast activate. Combine flour and salt and mix into yeast mixture. Pour melted butter on cookie sheet. Flatten out (I just do it with my hands, not a rolling pin) dough in big 12-14 inch circle let rise 5-10 minutes. Cut in half with pizza cutter (hamburger way through the circle) and then cut into pieces the opposite way. Put a very light layer of butter over top of dough (optional) sprinkle with garlic salt and Parmesan (shredded works best). Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes, until golden on top.


***NOTE: You can also use this same recipe for a pizza dough. Make the dough, you can use the whole ball of dough for the pizza if you like a really thick crust. (We like to split the dough in two & do one pizza & use the rest for bread sticks.) Next, poke the dough lightly with a fork, brush edges with a beaten egg mixed with a little milk-to give it that golden shiny look, add toppings & cook for another 10 minutes. After cooking, you can also turn to broil & let it really cook the top, but only for a minute!
Enjoy!!

Banana Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large bananas, mashed

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Add flour mixture, beat until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.

Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

You can also add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, tastes delicious!

Barb's Banana Bread

5 Large Ripe Bananas
4 Eggs - well beaten
1 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Sugar
3 1/2 Cups Flour
2 tsp Soda
1/2 tsp salt

-Beat Bananas till they are liquid, add to Eggs. In another bowl cream Shortening thoroughly then gradually add sugar till fluffy. Add Banana mixture. Combine Flour, Soda & Salt. Blend them together.
-Bake in 2 Large Loaf Pans at 300 degrees for 75 Minutes.