Pan Rolls-Homemade or Home Baked

If you close your eyes and think about homemade bread or rolls, you're sure you can smell them. For many of us it involves memories of mom or grandma buttering rolls hot from the oven.

It isn't hard to have warm fresh baked rolls-they come in a brown-n-serve style, frozen style to thaw and bake, frozen to reheat and in prepared mixes. These all make home-baked bread but I do hope you don't forget the joy of making the "homemade" style-from scratch.

This preparation comparison is between a hot roll mix and a basic rolls, from scratch.

Hot Roll Mix-Yield 16 to 20 rolls

1. To prepare the dough pour ¾ cup very warm water into a large bowl.

2. Sprinkle with yeast; stir until dissolved. Stir in 1 egg.

3. Add flour mixture; blend well, cover.

4. Place in oven over warm water.

5. Let rise until doubled in volume.

6. Knead dough for 1 to 2 minutes and shape into pan rolls.

7. Grease pan. Let rise until doubled in size.

8. Bake according to package directions.

Basic Dinner Rolls (from scratch)

In a mixing bowl put:

• 1 cup lukewarm milk

• 1 pkg yeast

Let stand 5 minutes. Stir

Add:

• 2 Tb soft butter

• 1 Tb sugar

• 1 tsp salt

Gradually mix in 2 ½ cups flour. Beat thoroughly for 2 minutes on low speed of mixer. Add just enough extra flour to make dough firm enough to handle. Knead. Shape into dinner rolls; arrange in greased 9x9 inch pans or 9x13 in pan. Brush with melted butter. Let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-20 minutes or until done.

Other hints:
In either case dough may be shaped into any other shape wanted such as cloverleaf or parker house.

If a crusty roll is preferred, place on baking pan with space between. The more yeast used means less time needed for rising.

If you must leave the house punch dough down and store in the refrigerator.

The yeast grows best at temperatures from 75 to 85 degrees. An oven with a pilot light is just right for rising, or place a pan of warm water on the shelf below covered dough.

Liquid temperature is crucial for best results. You may be surprised how warm 105-115 degrees feels.

Remember is temperature is too hot the yeast is killed and will not work.

Dough is risen just right if a dent remains when you press your finger into it. Dough risen too long will be full of holes.

Dough is adequately kneaded when you can hold the palm of your hand on it for 25 to 30 seconds and it doesn't stick to your hand.

Back to Basics: Using Natural Ingredients

Quick Recipes from Scratch

I like to know what I'm eating. I like for my cake to taste like cake and muffins to taste different than biscuits. Simple quick dishes made from scratch hold enough possibilities to challenge a cook's imagination for many meals to come.

Think for a minute about which foods make someone famous; according to the men in their lives. More often than not, it is something from the oven-warm cake, biscuits, hot breads, casseroles and other very simple foods. The best part is that most favorites are the quickest and easiest to make!

A good thing to remember is to use ingredients at room temperature. For instance; very cold buttermilk can ruin a batch of biscuits. It is hard to improve on the biscuits which used to be made with thick cream, but give it a try with buttermilk and baking soda for tenderness.

• Sift ½ teaspoon salt

• 4 teaspoons baking powder and

• ½ teaspoon baking soda with

• 2 cups sifted flour.

With a pastry blender, cut in five tablespoons shortening to make coarse crumbs. Add one cup (room temperature) buttermilk all at once; stir only until mixed. Knead for less than a minute on a lightly floured surface. For high, soft biscuits, roll about ¾ inch thick. Cut and place close together on baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Or, use a smaller biscuit cutter, dip biscuit in cream, then in sugar and bake. Cheese, chopped olives, dill or sweet relish, dill, or whatever you wish can be added to the mix for variation.

For another melt-in-your-mouth treat that will make you popular, try this:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, butter muffin tins.

• Beat two eggs (room temperature) until light.

• Add: 1 cup milk (room temperature)

• 1 tablespoon melted butter

• 1 cup flour

• Dash of salt and, beat until blended to the consistency of thick cream. Do not over beat.

Fill muffin tins half full. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 20 minutes longer. Test with the tip of a sharp knife to be sure they're done. In fact, it is recommended to puncture each muffin with a knife to release steam. You now have delicious popovers.

In the time it takes to think about it, you can beat an egg, add ½ tsp salt, 2 Tb milk and 1 cup flour.

Mix and roll on a lightly floured surface to make noodles with stick-to-the-ribs substance. Roll thin, slice and let dry until used. Noodles may be stored in a covered container

Next: the very nature of baked custard may cause inexperienced cooks to shy away.

Heat:

• 
  2 ¼ cups milk to scalding

• beat 6 egg yolks slightly

• stir in ½ cup sugar

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp vanilla.

Stir as you slowly add scalded milk.

Pour into six buttered custard cups and sprinkle the top with a sprinkle of nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice or any other spice you wish. Place cups in a shallow pan with an inch of hot water, bake either 45 minutes at 350 degrees, or 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Test for doneness by inserting a knife at edge of custard. If the knife comes out clean, custard will be firm when it cools. Serve warm or chilled. It can be topped with caramel or chocolate sauce, coconut, whipped cream or any number of accompaniments.

If you know any small boys you want to impress, one very quick and easy way is to fry a small ball of bread or roll dough, serve hot and generously buttered, or, covered with a cinnamon/sugar mixture. Almost any bread or hot roll dough may be used. A refrigerator roll recipe would be handy to have on hand. Heat enough vegetable oil in a panfor the dough to float. Stretch dough thin so it will cook quickly-it should be cooked through when browned.

More people should think about the versatility of the old-fashioned jelly roll. Not only is it adaptable to anyone's taste, it is thrifty, can be dressed and decorated in countless ways-plain or fancy, low calorie, or as rich as your heart desires. It is mixed quickly and baked in a matter of 10 or 12 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar, fill with jelly, and dessert is ready to eat. What more could you ask for?

If it is to be filled with ice cream, whipped cream or fruit, it will need to cool, which takes only a few minutes. What you choose to do with it once it is baked determines its elegance or simplicity, and the time you spend.

One favorite is the chocolate roll, because it is so good filled with ice cream or whipped cream flavored with peppermint or mocha, or topped with a never-fail chocolate sauce, made as quickly as you can mix together:

• ½ cup sugar and

• 1 ½ Tb cornstarch

• Add...

• one 1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate cut in pieces

• a dash of salt and

• ½ cup boiling water.

Cook and stir a couple of minutes or so until thickened. Remove from the heat and add a tablespoon of butter and ½ tsp vanilla. Spread over rolled cake while hot and will be shiny.

This jelly roll is mixed in one bowl. Beat

• 4 eggs until fluffy-gradually add

• ¾ cup sugar-while beating until light and thick. Add

• 1 tsp vanilla and fold into this

• ¾ cup sifted cake f lour which has been sifted with

• ¾ tsp baking powder and

• ½ tsp salt

Spread in 15x10 inch jelly roll pan which has been lined with waxed paper and bake 10-12 minutes in 375 degree oven only until done. Turn cake onto a tea towel which is sprinkled with powdered sugar, remove the paper and roll cake and towel together. Cool on a rack for a short time. Only your imagination limits what you create with this baked roll. If everyone wants a different, make it into six individual rolls.

To make a chocolate roll from this recipe, use

• 
  ½ cup cake flour sifted with

• ¼ cup cocoa, instead of the ¾ cup flour in the yellow cake.

For a delicious fruit roll, spread crushed pineapple in 15x10 inch baking pan, dot with butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar, cover with batter and bake. Roll in sugar and it's done!

Arm yourself with a few basics such as: muffins, bacon, apple, cheese, blueberries, spice or bran muffins. Only the humblest and usual staples are needed for creating the favorite things that come from your oven.