Yummy 'Easy' Breadsticks

My friend Jamie gave me this recipe. They are really tasty and look pretty too. They work perfectly with tomato based dinners or even just in place of a roll with any meal. They are my new go to breadstick recipe. They even taste great the next day if you stick them under your broiler and baste them with a little more butter. You can throw half of them into the freezer and save them for another meal. Have I ever mentioned I think everyone needs a deep freeze. I love to freeze things. In fact, I feel so strongly about it, I have had one in my bedroom (becasuse there isn't room anywhere else) for the last three years.

Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

3-4 1/2 cups flour

butter

garlic salt

parmesan cheese

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Mix in flour until dough doesn't stick to side of bowl. You can use a mixer or do this step by hand, just make sure you thouroughly mix it if you are doing it my hand. If dough seems a little sticky just use a generous amount of flour on the counter when rolling them out. Roll dough out on a floured surface. Try and make it a rectangular shape. About 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter cut dough into long strips. Fold dough in half and make into twists by braiding the two strands. Jamie had to show me how to do this. I was helping her form them one day and I thought you just folded it in half and twisted. They were not as pretty. You have to do the motion of braiding to get the pretty twisted look. Place them an inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise for an hour or until doubled in size. Cook for 7-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Baste with butter immediately after getting them out of the oven and sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Enjoy.

Easy Peasy Whole Wheat Bread

When I make bread, which I do about once every two weeks, I make one of two recipes. This is my favorite of the two because it is the fastest, easiest, tastiest, 100% whole wheat bread I have ever had. I got it from my sister-in-law Becky about two years ago, and have been making it and passing on the recipe ever since.

Bread is one of those things that take time to get right. I will be the first to let you know that I have had my share of failures in the bread department. However, this recipe is pretty hard to mess up (although I have done it -right Aubrey:).) The thing I like the best about this recipe is that you don't have to let it rise and then put it in the loaf pans and then let it rise again. You take it straight from the mixer and form it into loaves and put it in the pans. It rises for a half hour and then cooks for 23 minutes. Doesn't get much easier then that folks.

Oh, and it only has 6 ingredients. If you store wheat, this is a great way to keep it rotating.

Set your oven temp to the lowest setting *this is very important, make sure you do it before you start combining the ingredients*

Combine:

4 cups warm water

1-1/2 or 2 Tbsp yeast. The origianal recipe calls for 2. (I do 1-1/2 ,it makes it a little better for sandwiches)

Let stand 10 minutes

Add:

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup honey

1 Tbsp salt

9-12 cups wheat flour.

I start with 9 and then add more if it sticks to the sides of the bowl while it mixes. Try to NEVER add more then 10 1/2 or 11. Depending on the area you live in you may have to add a little more. I have a wheat grinder and grind my own wheat into flour. I have found that it is best to have the flour completely cooled or even refridgerated for a day before I make the bread. The dough tends to be stickier if you add warm flour and then you end up adding more flour.

To Mix:

put all ingredients as listed into a Bosch or Kitchen-aid mixer. Turn onto lowest setting and as soon as the dough is together and not sticking to the sides, time it for 5 minutes. During that time if the dough starts sticking badly slowly shake a little more flour around the edges a little at a time to defer the sticking. Your bread will still work even if your dough is really sticky, it will just be harder to work with.

Once the dough is done, pour a tablespoon or two of oil onto a clean, flat surface. Your counter should work great. Spread the oil around and then dump the dough out onto it. Knead it with your hands for a minute and then divide it into four equal sections. Flatten out each section one at a time. This helps smash out any air bubbles. Then roll it up like you would cinnomon rolls and squish the ends and form it into a loaf. Throw it at your counter a couple times to get out any remaining air bubbles and then place it into a greased bread pan. Repeat with the remaining three sections.

Place pans in the oven (which has been preheated to the lowest temprature you can set your oven at. 150 or 200 degrees works well. Once the pans are in, turn the oven completely off and set you timer for thirty minutes. The dough will rise. When the timer goes off. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and bake for about 23 minutes.

That's it. Easy Peasy

Crescent Shaped Dinner Rolls

I make these all the time. The hardest part is waiting for them to rise.

4 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup melted shortening, cooled
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 c. flour (I do half white half wheat)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add all other ingredients. Stir and let rise 2 hours (real sticky dough). Split in half. Place one half on a heavily floured surface. Roll out into a circle. Brush with melted butter. Cut into 12 slices pizza style. Roll from large end to small to make a crecent roll.

Curve ends slightly. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat with other half of dough. Brush rolls with butter. Let rise 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes two dozen rolls.

*I have also used these for little sandwiches at baby or bridal showers.

Scone Dough (Navajo Tacos)

Okay people. I am a sucker for a good scone! And these are the bomb. Got the recipe from my sister Merry.

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. powdered milk (if you don’t have powdered milk just do 3/4 cup warm milk and 3/4 water instead of 1 1/2 cups warm water. I put the milk in the microwave to warm it up.)
1 tsp. salt
4 cups flour (I use at least 1 cup wheat flour)
Deep pan for frying with 1-2 inches of oil.

Let yeast disolve in water and milk, add honey, stir in dry ingredients, let rise until doubled. Pull off pieces, pat flat with floured hands and fry in oil, in a frying pan until golden brown on both sides. Serve as Navajo Tacos by layering with, cheese, Chili mixture, Lettuce, tomato, sour cream, green onions, salsa, and anything else you like. You can also just serve them with soup or with butter and honey, or butter and cinnamon and sugar. YUMMMMO!!!