Grandma's Rustic Oatmeal Bread

I call this oatmeal bread rustic because it never looks like a nice smooth loaf but that is alright, it tastes good anyway. I used to make this bread alot but had veered away from it for awhile and was all caught up in making multigrain bread. This bread is also great for toasting..and even nicer if you have a jar of fresh raspberry jam sitting close by.
This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Cookbook.

As a very good friend of mine says..here is what you need:

2 tbsp fast rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup shortening..I used canola oil
1 tbsp salt
5 3/4 to 6 cups of flour
2 beaten eggs
extra rolled oats for coating the loaves

And then as this friend says..this is what you do:

Combine boiling water, oats, molasses, shortening and salt and set aside and cool to lukewarm.
Once cooled stir in 2 cups flour and beat well.
Add the beaten eggs, 1/2 cup water and combine well.
Add the yeast which I just throw in with the remaining flour, using a cup of flour at a time to make a soft dough.
Knead till smooth and elastic..5 to 8 min. I do this with my Braun although I still think kneading by hand makes the best bread!
Cover and let rise in a warm place until double..1 to 1 1/2 hrs.
Punch down, divide dough in half and let rest for 10 min.
Shape dough into loaves and roll in oats.
Place in 2 greased bread pans.
Cover and let rise until double and bake at 375º for 30 to 35 min.

Here it is sliced and ready for jam...enjoy! Now if I could only gift this friend with a loaf of bread!

Soft Refrigerator Rolls

I am loving looking through The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes and discovering new for me recipes that I have overlooked for years. I often wonder what I've missed just because I didn't see what the finished product would look like. I made my rolls quite small to use with little grilled beef sliders.

This year after discovering refrigerator dough. . I have been trying pizza dough, cinnamon bun dough, artisan bread dough .. .and now I also enjoy this soft roll dough. The buns baked up soft and tender. I thought that refrigerator dough was a new method. . but Mrs J. Rempel has been making that way a very long time. Does anyone know when the first Mennonite Treasury of Recipes was printed? I changed the recipe slightly. . used less flour. . .and cut the recipe in half. .to put in my ice cream pail.

Refrigerator Rolls

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 large tablespoon shortening
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 large farm fresh egg
• 3 cups all purpose white flour. . .or use half multi grain flour

1. Mix the boiling water, sugar, salt and shortening together in a large bowl. . allowing to cool.
2. Soften yeast in the lukewarm water.
3. Combine the yeast and the cooled shortening water mixture.
4. Add the beaten egg.
5. Add the flour. . .all at once. . .and stir well. . .
6. Place in a greased ice cream pail and over the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

This dough will keep up to a week. .

When you are ready to bake. . .make the dough into a long roll about 1 1/2 thick. Cut into slices. . .and roll in the palm of your hand as shown in the picture. . you need to roll quickly to make a nice smooth ball.

Put the rolls onto a greased cookie sheet or a parchment lined sheet.

Allow to rise about 1 1/2 hours. . and then bake in a preheated 400 º oven until perfectly browned. . about 15 minutes.

Cherry-go-round

I found this recipe in the food section of the news paper. It makes a really nice addition to any brunch or coffee and dessert evening with friends. The filling is sour cherry that makes this a special treat and just a bit different from a traditional cinnamon loaf.



Dough

-3 3/4 cups of flour
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 pkg quick rise yeast

-1 tsp salt
-1 cup milk
-1/4 cup water
-1/2 cup butter or margarine
-1 large egg

1- Combine 1 1/4 cup flour, sugar, dry yeast and salt.

2- Heat milk water and butter til very warm and butter is melted.

3- Gradually add to dry ingredients.

4- Beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl.

5- Add egg and 1/2 cup flour. Beat 2 more minutes, adding enough flour to make stiff batter.

6- Cover with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.

7- Divide dough in half.

8- Roll each half into a 18x10 in rectangle.

9- Spread with cherry filling to 1/2" from the edge.

10-Roll up and pinch to seal, make a ring.

11- Place on greased baking sheets.

12- Cut in 1" intervals 2/3 through. Twist each section sideways.

13- Cover till double about 1 hour.

14- Bake at 375 for 20-25 min.

15- Remove to rack to cool.

16- Drizzle with glaze


Cherry Filling

Combine-
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/2 flour
-1/2 cup chopped pecans

ADD
1-398 ml. can of tart pitted cherries, drained
(I used 2 cans)

Glaze
-1 cup icing sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk

French Bread

I got this recipe from Lovella G. ( another Lovella, and another great friend) way back when our kids went to the same elementary school. This recipe has become sort of a "staple" kind of recipe for a quick bread, for pizza crust, pizza buns, focaccia bread or baguettes (used for spinach dip etc) As you can see - It is a must have! =)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups hot tap water
• 4 1/2 - 5 cups flour, white - can be half whole wheat or multigrain *
• 2 Tbsp instant yeast

Method:

1. Put sugar, oil, salt and hot water in a large mixing bowl. You can also use a mixer that has a dough hook attachment or your breadmachine.  
2. Add 1 cup of the flour mixed with the yeast, then the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Add flour until dough comes away from side of bowl or easily holds together in a ball shape and is not too sticky if you handle it with floured hands. Cover bowl with wax paper and tea towel.
3. Let rise until double, about 1/2 hour. Divide in half.
4. Roll out on a slightly floured surface to about 12"x15” rectangle. Roll up jelly roll style, beginning at longer end, and place on greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Cut diagonal slits on top. Cover.
5. Let rise about 30 - 45 min. Brush with mixture of 1 egg and 2 Tbsp milk, whisked with fork.
6. Bake at 400F for 20 min, or until golden. Remove to rack to cool.

* Flour purchased in the USA may need a tsp of vital wheat gluten added to the flour




For Pizza:
Instead of rolling out the dough, just divide and press onto 2 pizza pans. Bake at 400F until light golden - just done. About 10 minutes.
Spread lightly with pizza or spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with any cold cuts you want . . . ham, salami, pepperoni, cooked hamburger (left over sloppy joe sauce) or cooked chicken, slivered peppers, grated cheese (mozzarella, or assortment). Sprinkle with oregano and basil. Bake at 375 F, about 15 min.

focaccia bread:
Add about 1 Tbsp of each (fresh if possible) thyme, oregano, rosemary, chopped into tiny bits,
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1- 2 tsp garlic powder to the dough, as you're mixing it. Cover and let rise.
Press dough into 2 - 8 X 8 greased pans. Make indentations with end of wooden spoon and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal and rosemary (optional)
Cover and rise 1/2 hour. Bake until light golden, about 25 - 30 minutes. Serve with Olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

dipping bread:
Use any kind of combination of flour and grains that you like, roll out to make long skinny loaves (baguettes) and slice at an angle. Great with Spinach dip.
Maybe this is too much information, but it's there to give you ideas on what you can do and I hope you try something new and enjoy it.

Blueberry Crumble Buns

Blueberries are beginning to ripen in the fields on the farm next door. This recipe is a good way to use up the berries in your freezer. . .or the fresh ones that come your way.

When freshly baked they can be served without icing. . .but I couldn't resist a wee bit of cream cheese icing to finish them.

Dough

• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water

In a large bowl, put the yeast and sugar and add the warm water. Let stand until it poofs .. .about 10 minutes.

• 1/2 cup of soft butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons of instant potato flakes
• 1 cup of hot water

In another small bowl, stir together the butter, salt, potato flakes and the hot water. Let this sit while the yeast poofs.

Add 1 egg to the butter and potato mixture. Then .. .add to the yeast.

Add 1 cup of flour at a time stirring well. Continue to add enough flour to make a soft dough. You will need about 4 - 5 cups of flour. Knead until the dough is smooth. Put the dough into a greased bowl and let rise. . covered until double. . about an hour.

Crumble

• 1 cup of large cut oatmeal
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Combine the crumble mixture. In 2 9X13 pans. . .line with Parchment paper. Divide the crumble mixture between the two pans.

When the dough has finished rising. Roll it out to a rectangle 20 X 10. Spread a bit of butter on the dough and sprinkle with blueberries. I didn't measure how many blueberries, but I likely used about 2 cups. Next time I will lay the blueberries down a little heavier. . Roll up jelly roll style and mark the dough into 24 pieces and cut with a sharp serrated knife. Lay the rolls on top of your crumble.

Cover and let rise again about an hour or until nice and puffy and double.

Cream Cheese Icing. . .4 tablespoons cream cheese, 2 tablespoons soft butter. . .2 cups of icing sugar and enough cream to make a nice smooth icing. I add a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. I baked mine on Convection at 325 for 25 minutes on a lower but not the lowest rack. I wanted to make sure the crumble got nice and brown. It looks really nice, served with the crumble on top. . .a drizzle of icing and you are done. Wrap them well and freeze the same day if you can't eat them all.

Yum, Yum....Apple Buns

If you have never made apple buns you are in for a real treat. My girlfriend's mother used to make them all the time and I had forgotten about them until I saw a recipe in a magazine recently. I dug up the two recipes and compared them...then came up with my own version for the day. As I had left over filling for Judy's perishky I decided to use her bun recipe for both. I modified the bun recipe using 1/3 of the flour as whole wheat flour. It turned out lovely although the dough for apple buns is usually a little more pastry like. So...for your decision...I'll leave you with both the original recipe for the dough and Judy's perishky recipe which works equally as fine.

Apple Filling:

8 - 10 apples...I used four which was ample for 1/3 Judy's recipe

You can make this filling a day before...it is not complicated. Peel and core the apples. (I don't have an apple corer so I had to chop in half to core. Place each apple in the cup of a muffin tin or you can arrange them in a baking pan that has sides. Bake them in a 350 oven for 45 minutes.
Chop finely and set in fridge in a covered container . Don't be tempted to add cinnamon and sugar. Truly the apple bakes into a sweetness that is sufficient for taste and is much healthier this way.

Make Dough: I used Judy's ...Here is the recipe for a more pastry like bun.

1 cup warm water, divided
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp instant yeast
1/2 cup of melted salted butter
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp salt (way too much in my opinion)
and 4 to 5 cups of flour (again...I prefer a healthy bun with some whole wheat mixed in)

In a small bowl dissolve 1 tsp sugar in 1/2 cup of the warm water. Sprinkle yeast over top. Set it aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the butter and remaining water and milk. Add the rest of the sugar, 1 egg and your salt and beat it well. Blend in the yeast mixture and slowly add the rest of the flour until it pulls away from the side of the bowl. Continue until it forms a ball and and then cover the dough in the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it rise for about 15 to 20 minutes. Punch it down...cover and let it rise again...about three times.


Pinch off dough into a small walnut size round. (Okay a bit smaller than that one...that was a pic of a pinch of the regular bun size :)
Flatten roughly in hand to a circle about two to three inches in diameter.
Place some of the apple filling in it and fold over sides...pinching the bottom to close.
Place, pinched side down on lightly greased baking sheet to bake for about 20 minutes.


Remove buns from oven and pan and place on a cooling rack

Enjoy the absolutely wonderful flavour of apples in a bun.

Of course...I made Judy's meat perishky as well. And I had enough dough left so that I could make a few extra plain brown bread buns for ham and cheese sandwichs for the week ahead. YUM!...Enjoy