Sacred Holy Orange Rolls

Sacred Holy Orange Rolls:

From a well-used notecard

2 Cups milk

1/2 cups shortening (yikes! It was good with butter)

1/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1/4 tsp sugar

3 beaten eggs

2 teaspoons salt

5 3/4 cups flour

 1 grated orange rind

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

 1/4 cup melted butter for the tops

 Here's the instructions as they're written in my mom's handwriting:

"Melt shortening, sugar and milk (scalded)-- cool, soak yeast in water and sugar-- combine milk yeast eggs in big bowl-- stir in salt and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth and glossy. Add rest of flour, mix well. Cover and let double [about 45 minutes] (quite sticky)-- punch down-- roll out to 1/3 inch rectangle (let the rectangle rest if it won't roll out again)."

 Combine the orange rind, 1/2 cup sugar and butter. Spread orange rind mixture on rectangle.

Roll the rectangle up. Cut rolled dough into 3/4 inch slices, and twist them into knots or blobs or bows. Place them in greased muffin tins or on a greased sheet, and let them rise for half an hour. Drizzle melted butter over the top. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.

Artisan Olive Oil Dough

Olive Oil Dough
From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
The recipe is introduced with: "This versatile, rich dough works nicely in pizza, focaccia, or olive bread. The fruitier the olive oil, the better the flavor."

2 3/4 c. lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
6 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour (okay, I'll confess. I subbed in two cups of whole wheat flour-- I just can't make an all-white-flour recipe! It seems like a sin or something. Anyway, it turned out wonderful.)

Mix everything but the flour together in a big bowl, then add the flour using a spoon, and finishing with your wet hands.
Cover (not airtight) and let it rest at room temp for 2 hours, or until the dough rises and collapses.
Use right away, or refrigerate covered for 12 days.
To make a pizza, preheat the oven to 500, dust the surface of the dough with flour, cut off a chunk of dough (orange to grapefruit sized), dust with more flour and shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball as you go.
Flatten the dough into an 1/8th inch thick round (or square, if you're into that).
Quickly add the toppings, (herbs, fancy cheese, chopped garlic and olive oil (with possibly some sneakily grated cabbage) throw the thing in the oven (on a pizza stone is good, but I don't have one so I just use a greased cookie sheet and it works for me) and cook it for about 8 or 10 minutes. Drizzle it with balsamic vinegar. Enjoy. You're welcome.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

I checked this book out from the library last year and after three days I had made a small mountain of carmel-crusted, fluffy crumbed toothsome baked goods. Two olive-oil soaked flatbreads, three loaves of crackly wholesome wheat and oat bread, and a pizza dinner later... I was convinced. I promptly returned the library book before all the pages got gummed together and Amazoned myself my own copy, now floured and gummed without fear of library fines.
I love that the authors streamlined the bread-baking event-- which I LOVE in any form-- but this just gives me an excuse to do it even more. Nearly every recipe I've tried has been show stopping, even with my piddly dink no-flash camera.
And the "five minutes" thing-- it's a teeny bit exaggerated. What it really means that the recipes are all no-knead and can be made in big batches, stored in the fridge, and baked up easily one loaf at a time. A beautiful ideal-- suggesting a life of daily fresh baked breads and pastries. The cookbook also includes other recipes that make the breads into complete meals-- soups and salads and savory grilled meats. I recommend you keep a hankie on hand as you read this book to mop up all the drool.

Aunty Adele Loo's Shockingly Delicious Bread Pudding

The name says it all, folks:
Aunty Adele Loo's Shockingly Delicious Bread Pudding

2 c. warm milk
5 c. bread cubes
2 beaten eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. raisins (optional)
3 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 300. Pour warm milk over bread cubes in a large bowl. Add and mix together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and raisins. Pour into a greased 8" pan. Top with dots of butter and bake for 45 minutes until knife comes out clean.
Aunty Adele adds in all caps, "Please note, I usually double the recipe and bake in a 9x13" pan"

Rating: A slobbery and infatuated A+
Notes: Aunty Adele brought this to a potluck and knocked all the other ladies on their butts. She finally acquiesced to our begging for the recipe by bringing about 50 printed copies to church. My copy, crunchy now with butter and milk stains, is folded cozily into the jacket of my Joy. But I figured I should put it here for safe-keeping, too. Thanks Aunty!

Joy's Quick Coffee Cake

Joy's Quick Coffee Cake

1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/4-1/2 c. sugar
1 large egg
2/3 c. milk
1/2 tsp vanilla or 1 tsp lemon zest

Struesel:
combine until crumbly:

1/3 c. sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon,
1/4-1/2 c. ground nuts

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a pan-- cake or cupcake. Sift together the flour, powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and add the sugar till fluffy. Add the egg and milk. Add the dry ingredients and the vanilla. Stir until smooth. Spread in the greased pan. Top with the Struesel. Bake about 25 minutes

Rating: A. Why do I bother with these ratings? If I put it on here, I thought it was delicious. So. A. So good, so buttery-- in fact, maybe (dare I say this blasphemy?) a little too buttery. Next time I might halve the butter. But amazing with tea for a Sunday brunch.

Joy's All-Whole-Wheat Bread Cockaigne

Joy's All-Whole-Wheat Bread Cockaigne
Combine in a large bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes

1/4 c. warm water
2.25 tsp yeast
1 tbsp brown sugar

combine:

6 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c. dry milk powder

combine, and then add to the yeast mixture:

2 cups warm water or miolk
1 tsp salt
1-3 tbsp melted butter or bacon fat
4-6 tbsp molasses or honey

Gradually add the flour to the yeast and butter mixture. Knead briefly. Allow dough to rise covered until doubled, and once in greased loaf pans, about an hour each.
preheat the oven to 350, bake about 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and bottom sounds hollow. Cool completely on a rack.
Rating: B Good, but not really inspiring. I like that it's all-wheat, though...

Roy's Basic Pizza Dough

Roy's Basic Pizza Dough

3/4 tsp yeast
3/4 c. warm water
1 tbsp honey
2-2.5 c. flour
pinch salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over the water, add honey and whisk. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add yeast mixture to flour in a large bowl. Mix and then knead until the dough looks smooth and satiny, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover til doubled in bulk (45 minutes). Divide into 4, knead each portion 1 or 2 minutes, then shape into balls. Let rest for 15 minutes. Roll out into 6-7" rounds with slightly raised edges.
Preheat oven to 425.
Add toppings, and bake for 15 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

Note: I like to quadruple the recipe and freeze partially baked shells for easy homemade pizza nights. Rating: A+