Yeast Breads -- Use a wooden spoon

Rule #1 for yeast breads: ALWAYS read all instructions before starting.

Rule #2 : The warm water is warm NOT hot to the inside of your wrist... like a baby's bottle. If the water hurts you, it will kill the yeast.

Rule #3: Don't over knead the bread. That said, I can't really explain when it is "right." All ingredients will be mixed, and usually the dough isn't sticky, but Tsourekie is the first 2 times.

Tsourekie --- Everything Bread

This came from a book I read in 4th or 5th grade. No, I don't know the title, but I think it was a hardback green book on a lower shelf on the east side of the school library. I seem to recall animals being the characters.

Anyway, I use it for everything. I add minced onions for onion buns, cinnamon for cinnamon bread & I even make sticky buns with it. It makes 4 loaves... or in my case usually 2 loaves, a 9X9 pan of sticky buns & some onion buns or a loaf of cinnamon bread. The first time it takes a long time to make, but you'll get faster. But with the multiple risings, do plan for it taking awhile. On a BAKING day, I usually make it the first thing I mix, but the last thing I bake.

Scald 2 Cups Milk, (can be not so fresh milk) Melt 1 & 1/4 Cups of butter in it and cool to luke warm. (I have a metal bowl, & I sometimes cheat & just put it on the burner, other times I have put it all in a 4 Cup measuring cup & nuked it for 2 minutes)

Dissolve 3 cakes of yeast (or 6 1/2 to 7 teaspoons of dry) in 1/4 Cup of warm water. Set aside

Sift together 12 cups of flour (can replace 3-4 cups with whole wheat), 2 Cups of Sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a LARGE bowl (I've used a dutch oven before).

Add the yeast, the milk and butter and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract or anise.

Stir these together as best you can. Then add 6 eggs one at a time. Mix each egg in well before adding the next. Yes, it can be very gooey at this point.

Cover the dough with wax paper or a tea towel/cheese cloth-- No fuzzy towels allowed--
Set in a warm place. I like near the oven while something else is baking.

Let it DOUBLE in size.

Knead & let rise again until double. (Not so gooey now, is it.)


Now decide what you want to do with it. Divide it into 4ths.

For normal bread knead & shape it into oblongs/ovals. Place in greased loaf pan(s) to rise AGAIN. When big enough, bake 350* for about 40 minutes. About 10 minutes before it's done, brush with a mixture of an egg w/a Tablespoon of water, if you want. (I usually skip it.)


For Cinnamon Bread

Roll the dough out into a rectangle or square. sprinkle with cinnamon, and a little brown sugar and raisins if you want. Roll it up into an oval/oblong. Place in greased loaf pan(s) to rise AGAIN. When big enough bake at 350* for about 40 minutes. Really good served hot or toasted.

For Sticky Buns

Butter/grease a 9x9 pan. Pat brown sugar into it about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Drizzle this with milk. I measure it by the lid or spoon until damp but not soggy. Try to avoid lots of puddles. This takes practice. Sprinkle pecans or walnuts in the pan if you want.

Roll the dough into a rectangle about 9 -12 inches long. Sprinkle it with cinnamon & brown sugar (more than for cinnamon bread). Roll up it up into a 9-12 inch snake. Cut it into 9-12 pieces. Place the spirals showing in the pan. Let it rise AGAIN.

Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes. Put a big plate on top of the pan & CAREFULLY flip it upside-down right after it leaves the oven.

I've tried saving the baking until morning by storing the pan of risen dough in the fridge with mixed results. Usually it worked.

For ONION Buns:

I usually used reconstituted minced onions because I cooked a LOT & they were cheap.
Mix about 1/4 cup of onions into the dough. Divide into Equal sized pieces. This is most easily done by making a snake of the dough & slicing it. Take each piece in your hand, place it on a lightly floured countertop. Keep your hand cupped and touching the countertop with fingertips & pinky finger as you lightly push the dough around in a tiny circle. (Sort of like the circular movement for scrubbing a stain with an SOS pad.) The dough will become a smaller ball if you're doing it right. It is hard the first time, esp. since you can't watch me do it.

Let the dough rise AGAIN. Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes for small dinner-roll-sized buns, longer for hamburger-sized buns 15-30 minutes.


Normal Easy Bread 1 loaf size

Read directions before mixing the Ingredients!!!

3/4 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup sugar
3 Tablespoons shortening (NO not oil!!!)
1/4 Cup Warm Water
1 teaspoon salt (or 1/2 t)
1 pkg dry yeast ( 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 egg
3 and 1/2 cups Flour (can substitute up to 1 1/4 Cups whole wheat)


Scald the milk.
While it's heating up...

Add 1/2 Tablespoon of the sugar to the yeast in a small bowl. Add the warm water to the yeast and stir with a fork. Set Aside.

Pour the hot milk over the remaining sugar, shortening & salt in a large bowl until shortening is melted. Cool to luke warm.

Add the egg to the rising yeast & mix/beat with fork. (don't over beat yeast)

Add yeast mixture to luke warm mixture.
Add about 1/2 of flour beating with WOODEN spoon. Add remaining flour mixing & kneading well. Knead until smooth.

Place dough in greased bowl, cover (with waxed paper or tea towel. NO FUZZY TOWELS & let rise until double. Punch down, knead & shape into loaf or see above for variations. Lightly grease top of dough. Let Rise AGAIN until double.

Original recipe said to Bake 450* 15-20 minutes, but I prefer 425* for 20-25 minutes.


Whole Wheat Bread

2 Tablespoons dry yeast 1 Tablespoon salt
1 and 1/2 Cups luke warm water 1/3 Cup liquid oil (vegie, corn, canola)
3/4 Cup milk 3 Cups Sifted white flour
3 Tablespoons brown sugar 3 and 3/4 Cups whole wheat flour
1/3 Cup molasses

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 Cup warm water, Heat milk until warmed. Add sugar, salt, molasses, and oil. Add remaining water and flour. Knead. Let rise until double. Knead lightly. Shape into 2 loaves. Rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes.


English Muffin Loaves (2)

2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 Cups unsifted flour 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt 1/2 Cup water
2 Cups milk about 1-2 Tablespoons of cornmeal

Combine 3 Cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and soda. Heat liquids until very warm (120-130 degrees-- yes, hotter than usual for yeast breads). Add to dry mixture; beat well. Stir in rest of flour to make stiff batter. Spoon into bread pans that have been greased and then sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover. Let rise in warm place for about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately. Slice and toast as needed. About 16 slices per loaf.

Basic Quick Breads

Banana Bread --- originally from Aunt Mary Ellen modified by Mama

Step One: Save bananas that are too brown but not slimy in the freezer until you have at least 3 medium sized ones. Too save time make double, triple & quadruple batches & estimate 3 more bananas for each size up.

Step two: On the day when you have at least 1 1/2 hours, start thawing those bananas.

Step three: Assemble the following ingredients in a bowl for a regular one-loaf sized batch. Double, triple or quadruple as you need or want: It all takes about the same amount of time.


1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup shortening
Dash of salt

Mix these until creamy

Add:
1 Cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium )
A Dash or few of cinnamon
1 dash of nutmeg
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon soda

When this is pretty mixed up start adding:
2 Cups flour (to be healthier you can replace 1/2 Cup with whole wheat flour)

Optional fun things to add that can blow the budget, so limit to 1/2 Cup per loaf.
walnuts chocolate chips peanut butter chips toffee chips

Place in greased, buttered, or sprayed regular sized loaf pans. After you put the batter in the pan run the spoon or spatula lenghtwise down the center of the pan & push the batter to the edges. This keep the edges from burning and a puffed up middle from staying gooey.

Bake 375 degrees for an hour ( add 10 minutes if needed)


Waterford Banana Bread --- from a calendar a long time ago

Mix the following in a bowl:
2 & 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
3 & 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 Tablespoons of applesauce
1/3 Cup milk
1 egg
3 medium mashed bananas (1 Cup)

Grease bottom only of a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Mix all ingredients; beat 30 seconds.
Bake 350 degrees for 65 minutes.


Baking Powder Biscuits (aka real cheap pizza crust)

probably from a Clabber Girl can, but in the family for over 4 decades... For a family of 4 to eat w/ gravy, I double it.

In a bowl mix with a wooden spoon:

2 Cups flour (can substitute 1/2 Cup whole wheat)
3 teaspoons (or 1 Tablespoon) Baking POWDER
3/4 Cup milk (can be sell by date milk)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup shortening

On a lightly floured formica/stone cabinet top pat out dough until it's about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Just make it consistent in thickness. Take a biscuit/cookie cutter or a drinking cup & cut out the biscuits as close together as possible. Smash the left over dough together & repeat.

Place on baking sheet.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (The bigger the thickness or diameter they are, the longer they need to bake.)

If the biscuits turn out tough, 1 of 4 things may have happened: Biscuits are too thin; you over worked the dough, over baked the biscuits, or your shortening is too cheap & you need to use Crisco (one of only 3 name brands I'll probably ever suggest.) Just dump gravy on them & try again another day.

Scones

2 Cups Bisquick (or similar mix)
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoon melted margarine/butter

Stir Bisquick, sugar and eggs together to a soft dough. Smooth dough on board. Knead 5 times. Roll dough 1/4' thick. Cut into 2" squares. Brush with margarine/butter. Fold each square into triangle. Lightly seal edges. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 for 6-8 minutes. Serves 18.



Butter Dips aka Bread Sticks

1/2 Cup butter/margarine 3 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 and 1/4 Cups sifted flour 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon sugar 1 Cup Milk

(OPTIONAL ingredients... onion powder, garlic powder, salt, parmesan, italian herbs)

Heat oven to 450. Melt butter in oven in 13x9x2 pan. Remove pan when butter is melted. Meanwhile, Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk. You can add onion or garlic powder now, if you want. Stir slowly with fork until dough clings together. Turn onto well floured board. Roll over to coat w/ flour. Knead lightly ~10 times. Roll out 1/2" tink into 12x8. Put dough in pan. Slosh butter all over dough. Sprinkle optional herbs/spices as desired. Cut or score dough into sticks. Bake 450 for 15-20 minutes or golden brown. Serve hot.