Sunday Dinner Rolls

. . . or Monday, or Tuesday, or . . . This is another fairly simple roll recipe that is worth trying. Maybe take a day and make all the roll recipes we found and see what's best, or make a few dozen dozen and eat nonstop. Bread is good. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 pinch white sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

In a large bowl, stir yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and a pinch of sugar.

In another bowl, beat eggs in 1 cup warm water; add oil and salt. Mix egg mixture into yeast, and add sugar. Gradually add flour. Cover with a damp cloth, and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour, then place in the refrigerator and allow to rise overnight. This dough is rather sticky, and will raise to at least twice it's size.

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each section out into a circle on a floured board or wax paper. Cut into pizza slice shapes, and roll slices large end to small end. Place on greased flat baking pans, and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 minutes.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sunday-Dinner-Rolls/Detail.aspx

Sweet Dinner Rolls

So, we were looking for dinner rolls and found like a million recipes. Here is a sweet version that tastes great with any meal needing a roll. The recipe is made for a bread machine, but a stand mixer does well, too. --Mark

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened

Instructions:

Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.

When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Dinner-Rolls/Detail.aspx

Double Quick Dinner Rolls

Breads use to intimidate us but we're finding the more we bake the easier it gets. I know, duh! We're pleased with ourselves. Anything that is quick and delicious gets high marks around here. These rolls are great. --Mark

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/4 cup dry potato flakes
2 T white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
2 T vegetable oil
3/4 tsp onion powder
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add potato flakes, sugar, salt, egg, vegetable oil, onion powder, and 1cup of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour. Continue stirring until smooth, scraping batter from sides of bowl.

Cover and let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Punch down dough. Spoon dough into 12 greased muffin cups, filling each half full. Let rise until batter reaches tops of cups, or about 20 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree F(200 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Double-Quick-Dinner-Rolls/Detail.aspx

Mama D's Italian Bread

Thank you, Mama D, wherever you are! This Italian bread is AWESOME! It takes a little tweaking depending on the weather, but it turns out so well every time. It has that nice artisan look that makes you look like a bread genius. Make this often. --Mark

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tsp white sugar
1 T active dry yeast
1 T salt
7 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water and let proof.

Stir in 4 cups of flour and beat until smooth. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Beat in the salt and then add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Knead until as soft and smooth as a bambino's behind. Turn in a greased bowl, cover, and let double in size. (I put it in the oven with the light on - perfect rising temperature.)

Once doubled, punch down and divide into three. Place back in the bowl, cover, and let rise.

Once doubled again, punch down and form into three fat "footballs." Grease heavy cookie sheets and sprinkle with corn meal. Place the bread on the sheets, cover with a towel, and let rise.

Once risen, mist with water and place in a preheated 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven. Mist loaves with water and turn occasionally while they bake. Bread is done when golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Notes:

Add about 1 T oil to dough. Put pan of water in oven with bread. Score it. Mist every 2-3 minutes for first 10 minutes. Bake about half hour. Use bread flour for some of it. Use LOTS more flour on humid days.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mama-Ds-Italian-Bread/Detail.aspx

Buttery Rolls

Rolls with the buttery flavor already baked in? Yeah, those are worth eating. We are definite bread novices on our way to beginners, and we pulled these off pretty well. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 cup warm milk (70 to 80 degrees F)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Directions:

In bread machine pan, place all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).

When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 24 portions; shape into balls. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes:

Substitute one cup of wheat flour. YUM! Even better!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Buttery-Rolls/Detail.aspx

Buttery Soft Pretzels

Oh. My. Gosh. Stop going to the mall and buying those awesome pretzels. This recipe is simple to follow and doesn't take that much time to make. And, they rule! We make them more often than we should and eat them more quickly than is reasonable. Get the Kosher salt for these. So delicious. --Mark

Ingredients:

4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 T vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

Instructions:

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.

When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

Notes:

DELICIOUS! And so buttery! 4 cups of flour, about a cup and a half of water (add as necessary to moisten dough). Let rise for a couple of hours. Brush with melted butter when it comes out of the oven to help keep it soft. YUM! We often make pretzel nuggets rather than full pretzels. You can make about 3 nuggets to each regular pretzel.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Buttery-Soft-Pretzels/Detail.aspx

Popovers II

We love breads and all bread-related items. Popovers are so great to eat with a roast or some heavier meal. This particular recipe doesn't use butter so it's even lighter than other popovers we've made. Enjoy at your own peril. --Mark

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F . Grease and flour six 6-ounce custard cups.

In a medium bowl beat eggs slightly, Beat in flour, milk and salt until just smooth; being careful not to overbeat. Fill custard cups 1/2 full.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes more. Immediately remove from cups and serve piping hot.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Popovers/Detail.aspx

Bread Sticks

I don't remember where this recipe came from but I do remember making it and liking it. I mean, who doesn't like bread sticks? --Mark

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk

Instructions:

Mix dry ingredients and add milk. Stir with a fork until the dough is soft. Knead 10-12 times on a floured surface. Roll out to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut into strips. Brush with butter and bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Popovers

Popovers are like Yorkshire Pudding in a muffin shape. They are the perfect combination of crispy and moist, ideal for any meal. --Mark

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 T butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Mix all in a bowl and mix thoroughly without over-beating. Half-fill buttered muffin pans. Put them in a cold oven. Set the heat at 450 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Irish Soda Bread

We love the bread machine, and this is a great soda bread recipe. I now prefer making a more tradional recipe, but if you want to "set it and forget it" Ron Popeil style, this is a good recipe to use. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 1/4 T vinegar
1 1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 T canola oil
2 1/2 T sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp yeast

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients per the instructions for your bread machine.

Notes:

You can alternatively use 1 1/2 cups buttermilk instead of the vinegar/milk substitution.

Focaccia Bread

Focaccia bread? Why not? This is a simple bread machine recipe that actually tastes pretty good. In the absence of a truly authentic Italian bistro, this bread will fill in nicely. --Mark

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 T olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 tsp basil or rosemary
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp yeast

For topping
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 T olive oil
2 tsp basil or rosemary
1 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

Combine ingredients per machine instructions. Use dough setting. Flatten into pizza pan or baking sheet. Let rise for 30 minutes. Brush with garlic/basil mixture. Bake at 375 degrees. for 30 minutes.

El Torito Sweet Corn Cake

This was one of Stacy's favorite things on the plate whenever she went to El Torito for sour cream and chicken enchiladas. I honestly didn't notice the corn cake when I was stuffing my face with chimichangas in an El Torito 3,000 miles away. Either way, these are great. --Mark

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
2 T shortening
1/2 cup masa harina
3 T cold water
10 oz. frozen corn
3 T cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 T whipping cream
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Whip butter and shortening in a mixing bowl until fluffy and creamy. Add masa harina gradually and mix thoroughly. Add water gradually, mixing well. Blend corn until coarsely chopped. Stir into masa mixture.

Mix cornmeal, sugar, whipping cream, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter-masa mixture; mix until blended. Pour into a greased 8" baking pan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until corn cake is firm, 40-50 minutes. allow to stand at room temperature 15 minutes before cutting into squares. You can also use an ice cream scoop to serve.

Honey Wheat Rolls

We made these rolls for our first book club meeting when we read "Secret Life of Bees." We ate them with local honey, but they are great with cheese, as sandwich bread, or just plain. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups warm milk
1 egg, beaten
2 T butter
1/4 cup honey
3/4 tsp salt
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp yeast
2 T melted butter (optional)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients, except melted butter, in the bread machine. Use dough setting.

Knead dough an additional 2-3 times. Roll to 3/4 inch thick. Cut with 3-4 inch biscuit cutter. Place on greased cookie sheets. Let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 10-15 minutes. Brush with melted butter if desired. Cool on baking racks.

Crescent Dinner Rolls

We've gotten a lot of recipes from college friends. These rolls come from Melissa and are a great way to make chicken salad sandwiches. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 pkg (1 T) yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk
3 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar

Instructions:

Dissolve yeast in water. In a separate bowl, combine milk, sugar, butter, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups flour. Beat in yeast and the egg. Gradually add the rest of the flour until a soft dough is formed. Place in an oil bowl, turn, cover, and let rise until doubled (1 1/2 to 2 hours). Roll out dough into a circle and cut into wedges. Roll into crescents. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Notes:

Makes 1 dozen large rolls or 1 1/2 dozen medium rolls.

Sweet Rolls

Here is another great recipe that came from one of Stacy's college roommates, Katie. These are simple sweet rolls, but very good. --Mark

Ingredients:

2 pkg yeast (about 2 T)
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
4 3/4 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten

Filling
butter
cinnamon
sugar

Glaze
1/2 stick butter, softened
powdered sugar
milk
1 tsp vanilla

Ingredients:

Mix yeast and water. Set aside.

Heat the milk and add the sugar, oil, and salt. Allow to cool and then add 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Add the yeast and 2 beaten eggs. Beat again until smooth. Add the remaining flour slowly. Once the dough is smooth, allow to rise until doubled.

Spread out the dough into a large rectangle. Spread butter over the dough and fill with cinnamon and sugar. Roll and cut into rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Mix glaze ingredients until smooth, adding sugar and milk as necessary. When rolls are baked top with glaze and allow to cool.

Bolos Levedos Acorianos (Azorean Muffins)

This is the best recipe for these tasty treats. I couldn't believe how much they tasted like bolos levedos from Tony's the first time I made them. I've got to make these again soon. . . . --Mark

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature
1/2 cup + 1 sugar
2-1/2 tsp instant yeast
4-1/3 cups unbleached bread flour
2 eggs, beaten
9 T sweet butter, softened
1/2 tsp zest of lemon, grated then minced fine
2 T vodka (or Portuguese moonshine if you can get it)
1/8 tsp salt
water as necessary

Instructions:

Mix the instant yeast into the warm milk and set aside.

Sift the flour and sugar into a large bowl.

Form a well in the middle of the flour/sugar combination add the milk/yeast combination and mix it in a little. Add the eggs, butter, lemon zest, vodka and salt. Mix together until it forms a rough dough ball. If you need to add a few drops of water to make it gather into a ball, do so in small increments. Once the ball forms, cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. This allows the dough to hydrate evenly.

Turn the dough ball out on to a floured surface and knead for 12 minutes. If you need instruction on kneading refer to the instructions on kneading in the homemade naan recipe here.

After kneading cover the dough with plastic film and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Gently form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled container that will allow it to increase to twice its size. Press the dough down gently and then cover with the container cover or plastic wrap. Mark the container with tape where the dough is and allow it to rise to twice its size (30 minutes to 4 hours).

Turn the dough back out onto your floured surface and divide in to 9 equal sized pieces. Gently form each piece into a smooth ball and cover with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes.

Pat each ball into flat patty. Let rest 15 minutes covered with plastic wrap.

Place a flat griddle over medium-low flame and allow it to heat up.

Flatten and expand each piece of dough again. Let rest 15 minutes or more covered with plastic wrap. You want it to rise a little bit again.

When they are ready, place a patty on the heated griddle. Cook it SLOWLY on medium-low heat, or the outside will burn before the inside is cooked properly. Turn over when nicely browned, remove when evenly browned on both sides and cooked through. It'll take a little testing at first but is easy once you sort it out. Eventually, if your griddle is large enough you can cook four at a time.

Notes:

I used Irish whiskey since I had that on hand and it worked quite well. My mother-in-law tells me it smells the same anyway.

Recipe from Foodbuzz.

Bolos Levedos (Portuguese Sweet Muffins)

If you've never had fresh bolos levedos from Fall River, you really haven't had a really good muffin. Here is a recipe from Stacy's mother, originally given in the traditional Portuguese style. --Mark

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 pkg yeast in warm water
milk
lemon rind (optional)

Instructions:

Proof the yeast for about 10 minutes. Mix all ingredients and knead the dough. Add milk or flour to the desired consistency. Let rise until it doubles. Roll out the dough until thin and then cut large circles. Cook over a hot skillet until browned on both sides.

Portuguese Sweet Bread

We discovered this masa recipe when we went too long between visits to Massachusetts to replenish our supplies. When done right, it tastes just like the real thing. --Mark

Ingredients:

2/3 cup milk
1 1/3 eggs
1 1/8 T butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to your bread machine according to the directions. Bake on sweet bread setting if available.

Notes:

This makes a 1 1/2 lb loaf. We use a large farm-fresh egg instead of trying to measure out 1/3 of an egg, although we've done it that way, too.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

We don't make this often, but this is a great quick bread. It can also be made into muffins. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
chocolate chips
1 cup ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Instructions:

Mix all together. Dust the bottom of a bread loaf pan with flour. Pour in the batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

Notes:

Bake 12 muffins for 24-27 minutes. Bake mini muffins for about 18 minutes.

Orange Rolls

These beauties are courtesy of Tauna, one of Stacy's college roommates. Well, they are her mother's recipe, but whoever concocted these is a genius. They take some work, but are so worth it. --Mark

Ingredients:

Dough
1 oz. yeast cake
1 T sugar
1 stick butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Filling
2 T orange rind
3/4 stick soft butter
1/2 cup sugar

Glaze
juice of 1 orange
1 lb box powdered sugar

Instructions:

Crumble yeast cake and sprinkle sugar on top. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. melt one stick of butter and pour the milk over it. Heat to a lukewarm temperature. Pour over the yeast and sugar and set aside.

Beat eggs and 1/4 cup sugar. Add to the yeast mixture and mix. Add salt and flour (one cup at a time) and mix until a smooth dough is formed. Store in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Knead. Let rise for 3 hours.

Mix the ingredients for the filling and set aside.

Divide dough into 2 balls and roll into circles for crescents. Spread filling evenly over the two circles. Cut them into triangles, like pizza. Roll each triangle from the edge to the point, forming a crescent. Let rise until they double in size.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Watch them carefully.

Mix juice and powdered sugar to make the glaze. Top the baked rolls with the glaze.