Honey Dinner Rolls

These rolls right here are bad...VERY BAD!  They should be ban in the 50 states or at least come with a warning.  They are easy to make and Oh SO Good!  I ate two, no make that three...good thing I exercised hard today...If you are what you eat then I'd look like a dinner roll.  That sounds like a bad dream after eating pizza to close to bed time...but go make these...you won't regret that you did:)

You will need:

2 packages of active dry yeast

1 cup of warm water

1/4 cup of honey plus 1 Tab., divided

1 egg, beaten lightly

1 tsp. salt

3 cups of flour, plus a little extra

1 T. of melted butter

Combine the yeast and cup of water and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.  Add 1/4 of honey , egg, salt and flour.  Knead for about 5-7 minutes (with kitchen aid) or a little longer if doing it by hand.  This dough is stickier than most so I had to add a little flour here and there just so it didn't form a sticky mess in the bowl.  Don't overdo it.  When done mixing place in a greased bowl and turn once.  Cover and let rise until doubled about 1-2 hours.  When dough has risen, punch down and divide into 12 equal pieces (I used a little flour here on my hands to keep it from sticking while I rolled it into balls).  Form into balls (they don't have to be perfect) and place in a greased, round baking pan.  Cover with greased/oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400.  Before putting in the oven, use a pastry brush to apply the remaining 1T. of honey and melted butter (mix them together).  Bake for 13-17 minutes until lightly browned.  Enjoy warm with a big slab of real butter.  If you don't use real butter, I won't hold it against you,but you don't know what your missing:)

Good Luck on eating just one!  



Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls

I love homemade bread and rolls, and in my humble opinion, nothing says "home" like fresh baked bread!  I made these last night for supper and they were so good.  I think I ate four, or was it five, but whose counting, anyway?  These are like a little bit of heaven on earth...warm from the oven with a big hunk of butter on top.  It's the kind of stuff dreams are made of (that and swimming pools full of chocolate, but we'll save that for another time).  Other than the rise time, these are fairly easy to make, just plan on making them about two hours before supper.  Give these a try you wont be disappointed...they are so light and fluffy...can't say it enough...they are so good!

*recipe adapted from Taste of Home

You will need:

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

1-3/4 cups warm milk (110° to 115°)

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup canola oil

6 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup warm mashed potatoes (prepared with milk and butter)

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 cups all-purpose flour

*make sure when you add warm ingredients that they are warm, not hot,  or you will kill the yeast.  Ideal temperature is between 105 and 110 degrees.

In large bowl or stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand for about five minutes.  Add the milk, butter, canola oil, sugar, egg, mashed potatoes, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix (with dough hook attachment) slightly.  Begin by adding four cups of flour and mix.  Continue adding up to two cups more of flour until you get a soft dough (should be a little "sticky").  I used six for mine, but always go by how your dough looks and feels, not how many cups is called for.  After a while you just know what looks right.

Place dough in a greased bowl (turning once to grease both sides) and cover.  Place in a draft free place to rise for 1 1/2 hours.

Once the dough has risen (should be about double in size) punch it down and let it rest for a few minutes.  Divide the dough in half.  Keep the half you not using covered in the bowl.  Divide the first half into 16 equal pieces and roll into balls.  Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Repeat with other half.  Cover both baking sheets with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  Make sure you don't "tuck" the plastic wrap under the sheets or this will inhibit rising.  Just kind of lay it over the  top.  Let rise for 30 minutes.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown.



Kiss Your Diet Goodbye Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns!

Yup...you read that right!  Go ahead kiss your diet goodbye...at least just for today. Those who know me, know how much I love pumpkin.  You can read about my pumpkin obsession here. But for now, just know that you want NEED to try these cinnamon buns.  I started with a basic recipe, but as usual I changed it to fit my taste buds.  These take a little time, but they are sooooo worth it.  Come on Celebrate the season with me...and let your waistline go a little crazy as you enjoy one of these babies!

You will Need:
2 Packages of active dry yeast
1/2 cup of warm water (110-115)
4 eggs
1 cup of shortening
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 cup of warm milk (110-115)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1/3 cup of instant butterscotch pudding
1/3 cup of instant vanilla pudding
1 tsp. of salt
7-8 cups of flour

For the Filling:
1 1/2 sticks of butter (approx.)  Some of this is used to butter your pans
1 cup of packed brown sugar
2 tsp. of cinnamon.
*The butter is for spreading on the dough and the pans.  Don't mix with the brown sugar and cinnamon.

For the Icing:
1/4 cup butter melted
3 T. of real maple syrup
1/2 cup of strong coffee
1 tsp. of vanilla
1/3 tsp. of cinnamon
5 cups of conf. sugar
*This is more of a "drizzle" then frosting, so don't be worried if it seems thin.  As it sits, it thickens.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water.  Add the eggs, shortening, pumpkin, warm milk, sugars, pudding mixes, salt and 6 cups of flour.

Beat until smooth.  Mix in enough additional flour to make smooth and elastic.  I used my kitchen-aid but hands work just fine:)

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.

Cover and let Rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down and divide in half.  Roll each portion into a 12-in.X 8-in. rectangle.

Brush with butter and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon filling.  Leave some space around the edges (about 1/2 inch).  Roll up jelly-roll style starting with a long side.  Pinch seams closed.

Cut each into 12 slices and place in buttered pans.  Repeat with other portion.  Cover and let rise until doubled. 

Bake at 350 for 25-28 minutes until golden brown.  Spread icing over warm buns.

Enjoy these warm from the oven with (of course) more icing drizzled on top.  You might want to schedule about 3-4 hours of treadmill time in there somewhere.  Blessings to all!