Caramel-Pecan Rolls

I searched high and low for the perfect recipe for caramel-pecan rolls. My mom makes these delicious rolls but her habit of not baking or cooking according to a recipe made it a little difficult to follow. I finally ran across the Better Homes and Gardens recipe from the 30's. I made a couple of adjustments to the original and now they have become a regular Sunday night indulgence.

I've tried recipes using frozen dough but making the bread from scratch is so much better. The rolls are best when warm out of the oven.

Ingredients:
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup milk (preferably 2% or whole)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
2/3 cup chopped pecans (I've also used walnuts in a pinch)

1. In mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour and yeast; set aside. In saucepan, heat and stir milk, the 1/3 cup sugar, the 1/3 cup butter and salt just until warm (120-130 degrees, I always use a thermometer!). Add to the flour mixture along with eggs. Beat with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds (use paddle attachment if using Kitchenaid stand mixer), scraping bowl as needed. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.

(At this point, switch to dough hook attachment if using Kitchenaid stand mixer.) Stir in remaining flour. Knead dough until it is smooth and elastic (3-5 minutes). Shape into a ball. Place dough in lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover and let rise in warm place until double (about 1 hour).

Punch down dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

In small saucepan heat and stir 2/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup until combined. Divide topping between two 9" round baking pans. Sprinkle pecans in pan; set aside.


Roll each dough portion into a 12x8" rectangle. Smear 1 tablespoon of butter per each rectangle portion.


Combine the 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over buttered dough. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from a long side; seal seam. Cut each into 12 slices. Place in prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double (about 30 minutes).

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden. While baking, place aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Once rolls are done baking, immediately invert baked rolls from pans.

Dill Batter Bread

I found this gem of a recipe in the instruction booklet for my KitchenAid. So, the instructions are tailored for a KitchenAid. I'm sure that you could make this without the KitchenAid - it might be a little more difficult but it could be done. I had high hopes for this bread and they were met. It's a simple recipe and definitely worth the trip to the store for the few random ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
4 tablespoons honey, divided
2 cups large curd cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated fresh onion
4 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons dill seed
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
3-31/2 cups all-purpose flour

First, warm up your mixer bowl. If it's sunny outside, stick your bowl next to window in the sun and it will warm up in a few minutes. The warmed bowl just helps the yeast along. Dissolve yeast in warm water in the warmed mixer bowl. Add 1 tablespoon honey and let stand for five minutes.

Add cottage cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons honey, onion, butter, dill seed, salt and baking soda. Using the flat beater (not the dough hook) turn to Stir Speed and mix for about 30 seconds. Add eggs. Continuing on Stir Speed, mix about 15 seconds. It is pretty wet and looks like this:

Add whole wheat flour and 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Turn to Speed 3 and mix about 2 minutes, or until combined. Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour, a litle at a time and mix until dough forms a stiff batter (scrape bowl as necessary). Continuing on Speed 2, mix about 2 minutes longer. Dough will be rather sticky and look like this:


Cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Usually the warmest place in my house is next to the furnace in my laundry room but I got lucky with a sunny afternoon (albeit snowy).


Don't be alarmed if it doesn't look like your typical bread dough - it is very sticky. Stir down the dough and spoon into two well-greased baking pans or casserole dishes (1 1/2 to 2 quarts). Notice, I've used both because well, I'm poor and it's all I've got.


Cover. Let rise in warm place for an additional 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. My bread was done in 30 minutes but I haven't yet purchased an oven thermometer as Casey recommends and I'm sure that the temperature in my oven is off.

Remove bread from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.


If you can, serve warm because let me just tell you - it's fantastic. Conversation with my husband after eating the warm dill batter bread is as follows:

Brandon: Oh, man, this is good.
Anna: Thanks.
Brandon: No, it's really good.
Anna: Thanks.
Brandon: I mean it. This is so good.
Anna: Thanks
(repeated every two minutes for thirty minutes)

Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 2 dozen rolls plus two small loaves of monkey bread.
Start to Finish: About three hours.
Ingredients:

Dough

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt (you can use regular table salt but sea salt tastes better, better yet, it tastes less.)
2 large eggs
3 envelopes yeast (Or a wee bit less than three tablespoons)
7-8 cups of flour (I use 7 in Utah (drier climate) and 7 3/4 in Indiana)
2 1/4 cups of very warm water (120-130 degrees)

Filling/Topping

2 sticks (one cup) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
6 tablespoons cinnamon

Frosting

1 stick butter
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 1/2 lbs. powdered sugar (about 3/4 of a 2 lb. bag)
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
a couple of teaspoons of milk

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter, sugar and salt for 3 to 4 minutes until lightened and creamy. Mix in eggs. Scrape bowl as needed until mixed well.


In large bowl stir together 4 cups of flour with yeast and add to butter/egg mixture. Then add warm water and stir until combined. Scrape bowl as needed. Add the rest of the flour one cup at time until mixture starts to build up on paddle.



Scrape the paddle and switch to the dough hook and continue adding flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft and not overly sticky.

Dump dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth. (The mat I'm using is called a RoulPat, a SilPat's older brother, both are silicone baking mats that are oven safe, if you make bread all that often a RoulPat is one of THE BEST investments you can make.)

Place dough in large greased bowl to raise for half to one hour (cover with clean towel) in a warm place.

While dough is raising add all ingredients for filling/topping to the bowl of a large food processor.

Pulse to combine and until the mixture resembles moist, course crumbs. Set to the side.

When dough has doubled in size,

divide in half and roll out first half on a well floured surface to a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. (Stainless steel silicone rolling pin, another excellent investment)

Cover dough with 1/3 of cinnamon/butter mix

and roll up tight like a jelly roll.

Cut off first few inches with sharp serrated knife and set to the side. Cut 12 rolls and place a few inches apart on a jelly roll pan covered in parchment.

Set aside remaining end of dough. Cover with towel and allow to raise until doubled in size (30-60 minutes) Repeat for other half of dough.

With the four remaining ends of dough, cut into small pieces and loosely place in a small bread pan, add a few bits of the cinnamon mixture throughout. Cover and allow to raise.

When the rolls have raised, preheat oven to 325 degrees and sprinkle remaining cinnamon/butter mixture over the rolls.

Bake for 15-20 minutes (WATCH CLOSELY PLEASE. With all that butter and sugar these babies can go from gooey and delicious to burnt mess in moments. Trust me.)

While the rolls are baking, cream together one stick of butter, 8 oz. of cream cheese, a teaspoon of vanilla and a dash of salt.

When mixture is fluffy and creamy (2-3 minutes, with bowl scraping) add powdered sugar.

How much? Until it looks and tastes right, trust your instincts. But it's usually about 3/4 of a bag. If it gets a little thick add milk a teaspoon at a time until it is somewhat thick and fluffy. (You'll be spreading it on the hot rolls so you want a little substance to it)

Frost while warm, eat while warm.


Yum right?

Bake the little monkey breads for 20-25 minutes at 325 after the rolls are done baking.

Spread a little frosting on them, oh baby.



Questions? Comments? Email me...mooshinindy*at*gmail*dot*com

Pumpkin Waffles

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Preparation:
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (flour through cloves) in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (milk through egg) in a bowl, and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter per waffle onto hot waffle iron, spreading the batter to the edges. Cook 5 to 7 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat procedure with remaining batter.

Orange Rolls

These rolls take a bit of work but they are amazing. The original recipe came from Cooking Light but I adapted the glaze a tiny bit.

Ingredients

Dough:
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons grated orange rind

Glaze:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Juice from one orange
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Preparation
To prepare dough, dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons softened butter, salt, and egg, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. 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, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour and 15 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough in half. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll each portion of dough into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. Brush surface of each circle with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Combine 3/4 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 sides down, in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Uncover dough. Bake at 350º for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

While rolls bake, prepare the glaze. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, and orange juice in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in 1/4 cup sour cream. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls; let stand 20 minutes before serving.

Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 roll)

Macaroni Grill Bread

I found this on someone's blog, and it really does taste just like the bread at the Macaroni Grill. You can leave out the rosemary and it taste just as good, a little bland, but still really good. And REALLY easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 T. Dry Yeast
1 T. Sugar
1 Cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
2 1/2 Cup white flour
1 t. salt
2 T FRESH ROSEMARY, chopped
1 T. canola oil, peanut oil or olive oil
nonstick cooking spray
2 T. butter

Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly. Mix in 2 cups of flour and the salt. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 30 seconds until smooth and elastic. Add flour if necessary.

Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 – 10 minutes.
Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves. Melt margarine or butter. Brush over the top of the loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly sprinkle course salt over the loaves.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until lightly browned.

Makes 2 loaves.

Dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or don't, it's good either way!