refrigerator bran muffins

recipe from Marjorie Hinckley's book Small and Simple Things

2 cups boiling water
6 cups kellogg's all-bran cereal (i used raisin bran)
1 cup shortening (i used butter)
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
4 cups buttermilk
5 cups flour (i used half all-purpose, half whole wheat)
5 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
(i also added 2 teaspoons each of cinnamon and vanilla)

pour boiling water over bran in a large bowl. add shortening. stir till melted, let cool. add other ingredients, stir to mix well. use immediately or cover and put in fridge and bake as desired. keep batter up to 2 weeks.
drop into well-greased muffin pans. bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.

buttermilk rolls

makes about 3 dozen rolls
adapted from my kitchen cafe

3 cups buttermilk at room temperature
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water (let proof for 2-3 minutes)
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups flour, more or less (i've needed up to 8 cups of flour in the past, and at least 2 of those cups i use whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup oil, (i use 1/2 cup butter, melted)
1 teaspoon baking soda
*i also add 1/2 cup potato flakes, 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten, and 2 teaspoons dough enhancer*

mix the buttermilk, flour, and yeast/water mixture together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. let stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours. add the rest of the ingredients. mix well and knead for 7-10 minutes. divide the dough into 3 equal portions. roll out each portion into a circle (about 12-14 inches in diameter) brush with melted butter or oil, and cut into 12 triangles. roll them up into crescent shapes and place on a greased baking sheet.

let rolls rise until double in size 1-2 hours. bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes.

you can also roll out the amount of dough you want and keep the rest covered in the refrigerator for another day. the cold dough just takes longer to raise, but will keep for a few days in the fridge.

homemade whole wheat bread

after my sweet husband gave me a wheat grinder a few months ago, i decided i would make our bread instead of buying it at the store. i believe homemade whole wheat bread from freshly ground wheat is much better for you than the stuff you get on the bread aisle. plus, check out the ingredient list for the bread you buy and don't be surprised when you see high fructose corn syrup listed. that stuff is in everything!

this is the best bread recipe i've found. it's delish, soft, and my hubby says it makes the best PB&J sandwiches. usually i will make two loaves, slice one to keep in our pantry, and freeze the other loaf, unsliced, in a bread bag*. just thaw the frozen loaf on the counter for a few hours, cut into slices, and store in the pantry. my small family only goes through maybe a loaf a week so making bread every two weeks isn't a big deal.
i made a few changes in the directions so the recipe will work in my oven, but you can find the original recipe and a how-to video on the everyday food storage website. plus, she has a good idea on making bread packets to keep in the fridge or freezer so bread making day is much easier.

EZ Wheat Bread - makes 2 loaves
adapted from everydayfoodstorage.net

2 1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup honey or 2/3 cup brown sugar
5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (i use half hard red and half hard white wheat)
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten*
2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp nonfat non instant dry milk (or 2/3 cup of the instant)
2 Tbsp butter/margarine/oil
2 Tbsp vinegar (instead i use 4 tsp dough enhancer*)
1/2 cup potato flakes (NOT potato pearls)

Mix ingredients in order listed in mixing bowl of mixer with dough hook attachment (like kitchen-aid) for 12-15 minutes. Let rise until double, 1- 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, and shape into loaves or rolls. To shape loaves, divide dough in half. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/4-1/2" thick. then start at a short end and tightly roll the dough up. pinch the ends together and tuck them under so it will fit the greased bread pan. Repeat with the other portion of dough. Let rise again until double and bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes, rotating the pans half way, until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped. It won't be easy because the bread smells heavenly, but let loaves cool completely before cutting or they will turn gummy.

If you are making this recipe in a bread machine, follow your bread machine’s directions for wheat or whole grain selection and add the ingredients in the order listed for their recommendations. (only one loaf will fit in a bread maker)

*i bought my vital wheat gluten, dough enhancer, and bread bags at kitchen kneads in west jordan, ut. if anyone knows where to get any of that stuff cheaper, let me know.

pumpkin bread

i know pumpkin bread is made a lot around christmas time, but my little boy and i couldn't wait that long.

see, he's totally eyeing the bread while planning his next move.

i found this recipe on allrecipes.com, it makes 3 loaves or 6 mini loaves. i only have 4 small loaf pans so i use those plus a regular sized loaf pan. the original recipe can be found here as i made some minor adjustments.

pumpkin bread
adapted from allrecipes.com

• 3 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup applesauce
  
• 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3 cups white sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves
• 6 ounces dark chocolate chips
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and chocolate chips; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed.

Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls

from America's Test Kitchen

To ensure the softest, most tender rolls, avoid flouring the work surface during hand kneading; if necessary, flour your hands instead. The flour that you use to dust the work surface during shaping stays on the surface of the dough and is meant to give the rolls a soft, delicate look. The dough is best made in a standing mixer; there is too large a quantity of soft dough for a food processor, and it is difficult to make by hand.

Makes about 2 dozen triangular rolls

1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 package rapid-rise yeast
1 large egg, beaten lightly
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface and dusting rolls
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces and softened

1. Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Once oven reaches 200 degrees, maintain oven temperature 10 minutes, then turn off oven heat.

2. Microwave milk and sugar in microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl at full power until warm (about 95 degrees). (Alternatively, heat milk and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat until warm; remove from heat.) Whisk to dissolve sugar. Sprinkle yeast over surface of liquid, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for 10 minutes to soften yeast. Whisk egg into milk mixture, dissolving yeast.

3. Combine flour and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on lowest speed to blend, about 15 seconds. With mixer running, add milk mixture in steady stream; mix on low speed until flour is just moistened, about 1 minute. With mixer running, add butter one piece at a time; increase speed to medium and beat until combined and dough is scrappy, about 2 minutes. Replace paddle with dough hook and knead dough until smooth but still sticky, about 4 minutes. Scrape dough out onto work surface. Knead by hand until very smooth and soft but no longer sticky, about 1 minute; do not add more flour. Transfer dough to large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in warm oven until dough doubles in bulk, about 45 minutes.

4. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch down dough, replace plastic wrap, and let dough rest 5 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and follow steps 1 through 8 (below) to shape and cut into triangles. Transfer rolls to baking sheets, then cover each with clean kitchen towels and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove towels and (without pressing on the rolls) wrap baking sheets tightly with greased plastic wrap. Freeze rolls until solid, about 6 hours; transfer to large zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

5. When ready to bake rolls, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen rolls on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets; let stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and switching positions from top to bottom halfway through baking time. Transfer rolls immediately to wire rack; cool 5 minutes and serve.

STEP BY STEP: Forming the Rolls

1. Lightly flour work surface, and pat dough into 9-inch square. Fold dough into thirds, folding upper 3 inches down and lower 3 inches up. Pinch together edges to seal.

2. Using the side of your outstretched hand, firmly press an indentation along the length of the dough.

3. Fold and roll upper sealed edge of dough toward center indentation, pressing firmly with your fingertips to seal.

4. Pull the upper edges of the dough down over the thick portion to meet the seam, pressing with your fingertips to seal. Repeat 5 or 6 times. The dough will lengthen and form a taut, narrow cylinder about 17 inches long.

5. Dust with flour, then roll the dough seam-side up and pinch firmly to seal.

6. Press an indentation into the length of the dough along the seam with the side of your open hand. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to form a long, taut cylinder.

7. Gently stretch and roll the dough cylinder until it measures 36 inches long and about 21⁄2 inches wide.

8. Holding the bench scraper at a 45-degree angle to the cylinder, lop off one end. Cut triangular-shaped rolls along dough, alternating the scraper 45-degrees to right and left. You should get 24 rolls.

peach bread

from allrecipes.com

3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups diced canned peaches, drained
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
*i also add 1 teaspoon almond extract and 1 teaspoon nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Blend in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix just to combine. Stir in the peaches and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.