Focaccia

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 TB honey

2 cups lukewarm water

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, sprinkle the dry yeast over the lukewarm water. Stir in honey and let the yeast froth for about 15 minutes. Stir in salt, olive oil, and flour. Mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Cover and let rest 10-15 minutes. Wet h your hands with water and stretch and fold each of the four edges of the dough over itself. Repeat two more times after letting dough rest in between stretches. Cover and let dough rise at room temperature until double in size. Wet hands and stretch and fold the four corners again. Rub the surface of the dough lightly with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel, cloth bowl cover, or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator immediately for at least 12 hours or up to 3 days. NOTE: It is important the dough really be slicked with olive oil especially if you are using a cloth bowl cover or tea towel as opposed to plastic wrap or a hard lid. If you are using a tea towel, consider securing it with a rubber band to make a more airtight cover. If you do not slick the dough with enough oil, you risk the dough drying out and forming a crust over the top layer. 
2. Coat 9x13” pan or jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil in the center of the 9×13-inch or jelly roll pan and rub with your fingers to coat the pan. Deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it toward the center. Rotate the bowl in quarter turns as you deflate, turning the mass into a rough ball. Roll the dough ball in the oil to coat it all over. Stretch gently to fit dough to the pan. Cover and let the dough rise for 3 to 4 hours. Preheat oven to 400° F. In a cup, mix 3 TB lukewarm water with 3 TB olive oil. Pour on top of dough and rub to coat the entire surface of the dough. Rub your hands lightly in olive oil or water to coat, then using all of your fingers, press straight down to create deep dimples. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt all over the top of the dimpled dough. Let rest and rise for about 15 minutes, until the dough’s fluffy and bubbly. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process. Bake until the focaccia is golden and crisp. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. 

Mema’s White Bread

Makes 2 loaves

About 7 cups flour

2 tsp yeast

2 1/2 cups milk

3 TB butter

3 TB sugar

1 TB salt

In a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 TB sugar and 1/2 cup warm water. It’s possible to kill yeast if you use water that is too hot, so water should be slightly warmer than lukewarm (test on wrist like you would for a baby bottle). Sprinkle yeast over top of the sugar and water mixture, and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes, until dissolved and foamy. Pour remaining sugar, salt, butter, and half of the flour into a large mixing bowl (sugar on one side and salt on the other). Pour prepared yeast mixture on the sugar side. Slowly add milk and combine with fingers. Use cooking oil to grease fingers if needed. Gradually add remaining flour, only adding enough for an elastic dough. Oil a clean surface, and knead dough by hand for 8 min. and then return dough to bowl (can also leave dough in mixing bowl to knead). Cover and let rise until dough has doubled in size (about 1-1.5 hours). Use poke test to see if finger print stays. If it does, dough is ready. Return dough to clean surface. Punch down, removing air. Knead briefly and shape dough into two loaves. Pinch seams tightly. Place into well-buttered bread pans. Let loaves rise a second time. Preheat oven to 350° (325° for glass pans). Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and rub butter on tops.

No-Rise White Bread

Ingredients

• 1 TB yeast
• 2 TB melted butter
• 1 TB sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425°F (400 degrees for a glass pan). Spray a baking pan lightly with cooking spray and set aside. Place the yeast, cooled melted butter, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the water. Gradually add in the flour, stirring well to combine. Beat in egg. Once dough comes together, knead the dough, adding additional flour as necessary. Knead 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape loaf as desired and slash the top with a sharp knife. Spray top of the loaf with cooking spray.  Place pan on middle rack in oven and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rub butter on top of the hot bread.

Bread Machine White Bread

3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 TB butter
3 TB sugar
1 1/2 cups milk (fill the 1 cup all the way full and the 1/2 cup ALMOST to the top)
2 tsp bread machine yeast (place in the yeast dispenser)

Place all ingredients, except yeast, in the bread machine pan.  Place yeast in dispenser and bake on the 4 hour setting.

Mema's Heavenly Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

2 cups scalded milk (this can be done by putting milk in the microwave for about 3 min)

2/3 c. Crisco

½ c. sugar

½ c. warm water

2 TB yeast

1 ½ TB salt

2 eggs, beaten

About 6 -7 cups flour

Scald milk.  Pour milk into a large bowl and melt Crisco into the hot milk.  Add sugar.  Let cool till warm.

In a separate bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add yeast mixture to the scalded milk mixture, along with enough flour to make a thick batter (about the consistency of pancake batter--2 ½ - 3 cups flour).  Beat well until smooth.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise for about 1 hour.  Add salt, eggs, and enough flour to make a medium stiff dough (3 ½ - 4 cups flour).  Cover and let dough rise until double in size.

Roll out dough until it is 1 inch thick with rolling pin dusted with flour.  Cut dough into small circles with a cookie cutter or cup lid.  Fold circles of dough in half and pinch edges together.  Place on greased cookie sheets and coat rolls with cooking spray.  Cover rolls with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 ½ - 2 hours.  Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350° until rolls are golden brown. 

Karen's Chicken Salad Puffs

Karen made these delicious puffs for Natalie and Aaron' s reception! They were so good that they were the first thing we ran out of!

Puffs:

Bring 1 c. water and 1/2 c. butter to a rolling boil. Turn heat to low and stir in 1 c. flour; stir until mixture is like a paste. Remove from heat and add 4 eggs; beat until glossy. Place rounded teaspoons of batter on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until golden.

Chicken Salad:

2 c. finely chopped cooked chicken
1/3 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 TB. chopped onion or 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
Dash of ginger
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1/2 c.)
Chopped grapes (optional)

Mix ingredients together and spread onto cooled puffs.

Karen's Bran Muffins

Makes LOTS of muffins--may want to cut the recipe in half!

2 tsp. soda in 2 c. boiling water - set aside to cool
1 quart buttermilk
2 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
6 c. Bran Buds or Bran Flakes
5 c. flour

Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.

Cinnamon Twists/Bread sticks

This recipe is from one of Aaron's BYU professors. His wife made a fantastic dinner for his class, we were lucky to go!

Cinnamon Twists:
2 1/4 C. warm water
1 1/2 T. yeast
1/2 C. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t. salt
6 C. flour

glaze:
powder sugar
a little butter, milk & vanilla (sorry...she didn't give specifics)

Mix well together till smooth dough. Melt 1/2 C. margarine or butter into large jelly roll style pan. Roll dough into a rectangle & cut into strips (with pizza cutter). [Usually will make 30 pieces-slice lengthwise & then 14 cuts crosswise]. Dip strips in the butter & flip over placing in the pan. Sprinkle with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Let rise till doubled. Bake 10-12 mins @ 400'. *While hot, frost with glaze

Bread sticks:

SAME AS ABOVE, EXCEPT 1 T. SUGAR & NO EGG. Sprinkle with garlic & parmesan cheese.

Great Harvest Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I got this recipe from our neighbors. If any of you have been to Great Harvest, you know how amazing their breads are! I haven't tried this yet, but I'm sure it's awesome!

• 2 ½ C. White flour
• 1 C. whole wheat flour
• 3 C. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. salt
• 16 oz. cooked or canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 1 C. oil
• 4 eggs, beaten lightly
• 2/3 C. water
• 1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pre heat oven to 350’ F. Grease two (9x5”) loaf pans or three (8x4”) loaf pans. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside. Mix pumpkin, oil, eggs, and 2/3 C water together and stir into dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Place batter in prepared pans. Bake 60 or 70 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Swedish Knot Orange Buns-Posted by Natalie

Well I got this recipe back in 10th grade foods class. I decided to make them the other day and boy were they yummy!

Serves: 4 (double or triple the recipe for family or entertaining)

• 8 texas Rhodes dinner rolls (thawed)....FYI: I used the regular sized dinner rolls for some, and they were a lot smaller than the texas rolls.
  
• grated peel of 1 orange (save for juice) **side note, this was hilarious. Aaron was helping me grate the orange. He asked if he was done with the orange, and I thought he meant for the peel purposes, so I said yes. Next thing I hear this huge slurping and look and see a big smile on his face as he had practically gulped down the entire orange in literally 2 secs. I hurry and tell him, "Wait, I need the orange for fresh juice!!!" I was able to save 1/4 of the orange. We laughed so so hard!! He said the orange was just so delicious! **
• 1/2 C Sugar
• 2 T melted butter

Citrus Glaze:

• 1 C powdered sugar
• 1 T melted butter
• 2 T fresh orange juice (from orange)
  

METHOD:

• Grate orange rind (you better do this yourself if you have a hungry husband around, he he ) and mix with sugar.
• Knead 2 thawed rolls together into a 12 inch strip. Tie each strip into an overhang knot and make a loop. Put one end of dough through center and the other end of dough through the center on the opposite side (just make them look pretty..sorry if it doesn't make sense, I was 15 yrs old).
• Dip roll carefully in melted butter then coat heavily with rind and sugar mixture.
• Place on greased baking sheet. Pre heat oven to 170', then TURN OFF OVEN. Place rolls in oven for 20-25 mins until they have doubled in size.
• Turn oven on to 350' and bake for 20-25 mins.
  
• Remove, let cool on rack, then frost with citrus glaze.
  

Easy Italian Rolls

This is another awesome recipe from Kristy! Natalie made these for Sunday dinner, and she lowered the fat on some of them by using fat-free butter spray, instead of butter...They are DELICIOUS!

12 small Rhodes frozen rolls
1/2 stick butter/margarine, melted (Natalie only used about 1/2 the butter)

Mix together:
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 cup dried parsley flakes
Dash of Salad Supreme (optional)

**Preheat oven to 200 degrees
Dip frozen rolls in butter, then roll in Parmesan cheese mixture. Place all 12 rolls on one cookies sheet. Turn off oven. Let rolls rise in warm oven about 2 hours. Take rolls out of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Bake for about 15 minutes.

French Toast Bundt - posted by Melissa

A great recipe from Kristy that you can prepare ahead of time and just pop in the oven!

24 Rhoades Rolls - place about 16 frozen rolls at a time on a dinner plate and microwave 30 sec. - 1 min. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray (can use regular cake pan). Cut each roll in half. Dip each roll in the following mixture, which is well-blended, and place in pan:

2 egg whites
1/3 c. hazelnut non-dairy creamer (find it by the hot chocolate in the grocery store)
3 TB. melted butter
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/2 TB. vanilla
2 TB. sugar
1/2 TB. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger

Pour remaining mixture over rolls. Cover rolls and let rise for at least 2 hours. Can refrigerate overnight, but you will probably need to let rolls rise more the next morning. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 min. Do not under bake. Turn rolls upside down on plate. Remove pan, after rolls have cooled for 2 min.

Flour Muffins

I find they are best the day of, and if you have any left over, nuke for 10 seconds to freshen them up the next day. This recipe also forced me to buy shortning for the frist time ever in my life!

2 C flour
1/4 C sugar
3 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c shortning
1 egg
1 C milk

Method:

Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer and bake in muffin tins for 20 mins at 400F.

Bread Pudding and the Bread That is in It

**Before you read this, you should know I copied it right from my blog and I thought it was too funny not to inlude the story behind it so here you have a story, which you might, or might not find funny...too bad if you don't!

When I was little I thought I didn't like bread pudding. I guess that's because my only experience with bread pudding was seeing in on the King's Table Buffet, all old and smoldering under the heat lamps, overflowing with raisins. Not so much.

So yesterday I decided to overcome my fears and do something with the stale yet very expensive loaf of fancy bread in my bread basket. Bread pudding was my only option. And since I am a grown up (I know for some of you that is a laughable statement) and I and am the owner of several large appliances I figured I could make bread pudding as I thought I would like it....without raisins.

**(As an aside about raisins. When we were kids Grandma Pearl would always tell us that there were "raisins as a treat" in the lazy-susan. I could never get excited about this. To me raisins were punishment. And whoever said raisins are nature's chocolate chips was kidding themselves. Nature your chocolate chips suck! Really, it's the smell, the smell is just not doing it for me!!)

So I looked in my Better Homes and Gardens, cookbook and found a great recipe. You cannot go wrong with the checkerboard cookbook, you just can't, and now that I have my own, I don't have to be tempted to steal my mom's. Anyway, so when Joseph got home he asked, "What's this?" I told him bread pudding. "What's in it." I said, "bread", which he thought was hillarious!! "Ok, what else besides bread?" So here for you is the rest of the story:

Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce:

For the pudding:
4 cups approx dry bread cubes
4 beaten eggs
2 1/4 C milk
1/2 C sugar
1 t orange zest
1/3 C craisins
1/2 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
1/3 C shredded coconut (optional)

Method: Cut the bread into cubes and place in a 350F oven for about 10 mins, stir once at the 5 min mark. Pull the bread out of the oven and mix the craisins in. In a bowl mix beaten eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, coconut and vanilla. Pour this over the bread and place back into the oven and bake for 40-45 mins. When a toothpick or knife comes out clean, it's done. Pull out of the oven and allow to cool for about 10 mins and pour sauce over the pudding.

For the Sauce:
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/4 C water
1/3 C half&half or evaporated milk
2 T light corn syrup
1 T butter
1/2 t vanilla

Method: In a heavy saucepan combine brown sugar, corn syrup and cornstarch that has been pre-mixed with the water. Mix and then add in milk and butter. Cook till bubbely, remember to stir constantly. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Pour the sauce over the pudding and serve warm.

Happy eating, if you can stop, which you can't till it's gone......oh, now I have to go and unbutton my pants!

Pizza Dough - from Kristy

This is the best pizza dough recipe I've ever used. Half the recipe for 1 pizza.

2 TB. yeast
2 c. warm water
2 TB. sugar

Sprinkle yeast and sugar in warm water and let yeast dissolve. Stir in 2 c. flour and 2 tsp. salt.

Knead in 3 more cups flour. Cover with dishtowel and let raise for 20 min. Roll out dough and place in 2 greased pizza pans. Top with your favorite toppings and bake at 425 degrees for 15 min. (I baked mine at 325 degrees, rotating pizzas frequently until golden brown).