Classic Dinner Rolls

Recipe and photo courtesy of Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed
• 1 envelope Fleischmann's(R) RapidRise Yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter OR margarine

Directions

1. Combine 3/4 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees F). Add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. 
2. 
   
3. Add 1/4 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
4. 
   
5. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; shape into balls. Place in greased 8-inch round pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
6. 
   
7. Bake in preheated 375 degrees F oven for 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; brush with additional melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.

No Fail French Bread

Recipe courtesy of Hayley VanBeever
Photo courtesy of Barefoot and Baking

In a large bowl mix:

2 cups very hot water
2 T sugar
1 T salt
1/3 cup oil

In a small bowl mix:
½ c warm water
1 T sugar
2 T yeast

Add 3 cups flour to large bowl and mix well. Add small bowl mixture to large bowl and add 3 more cups flour. Mix until smooth. Knead a bit every 10 minutes for 1 hour. Divide and shape into 2 loaves. (You don't need to let it rise again!) I just make free form loaves and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350’ for 30-35 minutes.

Gorilla Bread

Recipe courtesy of Paula Dean, Modified
Read Recipe as Written

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 (7 1/2-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count each)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8X8 dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the baking dish.  Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside.

Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with the cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Roll the ball in the cinnamon sugar.

Place the prepared biscuits in a single layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle with a light dusting of the cinnamon sugar (you won't use it all), pour the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on the remaining nuts. Bake for 30 minutes, or until rolls (especially in the middle) are baked through. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe courtesy of Our Best Bites
Modified

INGREDIENTS
Dough
1 T active dry yeast
1/2 C warm water
4 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1t salt
4 large eggs
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, at room temp

Filling
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) butter at room temp, divided
1 1/4 C packed brown sugar
1 1/2 T cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water, allow to bloom for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/2 C of the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.

Add the eggs, sugar, butter, salt, and remaining 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead on medium speed until smooth 10-12 minutes. Add a bit more flour to reduce stickiness if needed.

Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm spot and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

While dough is rising, prepare filling. Take 2 T of the butter and set aside. Beat remaining butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until combined and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute. It will be rather thick.

Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Roll out into a rectangle about 15x10 in. Spread filling onto dough. Use a spoon (or an off-set spatula) to spread it out evenly and then roll up length-wise.

First score the rolls so you know you're going to cut evenly. Then slide a thin piece of thread or dental floss underneath the rolls, cross over the top and pull. You'll get razor sharp cuts without smashing your pretty dough.

You can cut the rolls to your liking. This will make 12 small rolls, 10 medium ones, or 8 large rolls.

Place cut side up in baking dish. Melt the reserved 2 T butter and brush on top of rolls. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

(You can also freeze them at this point. Flash freeze them individually, then store them in a freezer bag. Place the frozen rolls in a baking dish the day before you plan to bake them, cover with plastic wrap, and move them to the fridge. Proceed as follows.)

The next morning, remove from refrigerator and let rise until half again as high, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then spread glaze or icing over them and serve.

Use:
Cinnabon Copycat Icing
OR
Basic Cinnamon Roll Glaze

French Toast

I thought I didn't like french toast. Then I tried this recipe...

Recipe Courtesy of Alton Brown

INGREDIENTS
1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS
In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. (I also add a sprinkling of cinnamon.) You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

Lisa's Breadsticks (and Pizza Dough)

Recipe Courtesy of: Kate's (OBB) friend, Lisa

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl.

Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

For Breadsticks:

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly.

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.

When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with powdery Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.

For Pizza Dough:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. While oven is heating, punch down dough and shape into a disc. Spray your work surface, rolling pin, and pizza stone (or pan) with non-stick cooking spray. Place dough disc onto work surface. Roll and shape into a circle. Very gently transfer the dough onto your pizza stone and continue to shape up to the edges of the stone.

Using a fork, prick several holes in the crust. Drizzle crust with a little olive oil...and brush all the way up to the edges. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Both oiling and garlic salting the crust help crisp it up, give it a great flavor, and keep it from getting soggy in the middle.

Bake crust in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven.

Top with sauce, toppings, and cheese and bake for another 10-12 minutes.