Breadsticks

Tonight I made Creamy White Chili for dinner. I really wanted some kind of bread to go with it but couldn't decide what to make. I finally looked through some online recipes and found this one for Olive Garden type breadsticks.  They seemed easy enough, so I decided to give them a try.

Now I have tried breadsticks before. And I have not had very good luck with them.

But for whatever reason, this time it worked.  Too well,

I want to eat the whole batch.

Breadsticks

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water (not too hot, not too cold, just right...kind of like warm bath water temps)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp yeast (instant or rapid-rise)
2 Tbsp softened butter
4-5 cups of flour (After reading reviews, I went with bread flour...definitely the way to go)
1 Tbsp salt

Topping ingredients:
3-4 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp garlic powder
sea salt

Directions
Pour the water, sugar, and yeast into a bowl and let it "proof" for about 5-10 minutes.

Add the butter, flour, and salt.  I would add 3 cups of flour then add more as needed to form a soft dough.  You can knead with a mixer or by hand.  Today I tried using my food processor which has a dough blade. It worked very well until the dough was thick, then it just couldn't handle it. So I finished by hand.

Let the ball of dough sit (covered) for about an hour in a warm spot.

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and roll it out into a log. Divide the log into 12-14 equal pieces. (I used a knife sprayed with pan spray to prevent sticking as the original recipe suggested). 

Roll each piece out into sticks, about 6 inches long. Place about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet (or just use parchment paper like I do :). 

Place in the oven on the warm setting (about 175 degrees) for 15 minutes or so until the breadsticks have doubled. 

Brush with half the melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake at 400 for 12-14 min (until golden brown).

Add garlic powder to remaining melted butter and brush onto the breadsticks.

Enjoy!

French Dip on Homemade Sub Rolls

The other day I really wanted to make French Dip. And that is fairly easy.  But the hard part for us is finding the rolls for sandwiches that don't contain a lot of things we avoid (like preservatives).

So I did a quick search via Internet and found this recipe.  It had great reviews.  And it didn't look too hard.

So one night, after a long day of school and parent/teacher conferences, I threw them together.

A little while later I had this most amazing scent coming from my kitchen.

Homemade rolls.

When I took them out of the oven, I just had to have a little nibble.

Yum.

My teenager wandered in, ready to sample.  Or devour.  Whichever I would allow.

The next night we ate our French dips on these rolls.

And they were still delicious.

Here is the recipe for the rolls...
Ingredients:
2 packages (or 5 tsp) active yeast (I use instant)

3 cups warm water (divided...1/2 cup and 2 1/2 cups)

2 Tbsp sugar divided (1 and 1)

1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil (I used olive because I LOVE olive :)

1 Tbsp salt

5-9 cups all purpose flour (I think I used close to 8 but I lost track)

sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:
 Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup water.  Add 1 Tbsp sugar.  Let it sit for about five minutes.  It should kind of "foam" up.

After a few minutes, add the remaining water and sugar.  Add in the oil and begin adding flour (about 4 cups).  Add in the salt.

Knead to make a soft dough, adding flour as needed until it is "not sticky", about 6-8 minutes.  Do NOT over-knead.

Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl (again, I used olive oil).

Cover and let rise, about 45 minutes.

Punch down the dough and divide the dough into small pieces.  The original recipe called for 18 pieces; I decided 16 was easier so my buns were just a bit bigger.  Shape the pieces into an oval.  I need to work on my shaping skills but thankfully that doesn't affect taste. :)  Place on a greased baking dish, about 2 inches apart.

Use scissors to cut a small slash across the top of the buns.

Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add sesame seeds if desired.

Bake for 12-18 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

They were my favorite "sub" roll that I have made so far.  The original recipe is A LOT so if you don't want that many, I would just halve the recipe. I ended up freezing our leftovers for future meals.

Onto the French dip.

I had a recipe I liked for French dip but with changes in diet around here, I had to re-think some recipes. That was one.  Thankfully one day a good friend of mine posted this recipe.   Perfect!  All things I could use or improvise.

So, here is my version based on her version. :)

French dip
Ingredients:
1 lb thin cut sirloin steak  (I actually use a bigger sirloin though I have never weighed it)
14 oz beef broth (though I add a whole container since I am using a bigger sirloin)
1 packet onion soup mix...this is where I have to improvise.  I make my own using the following recipe instead of using a packaged mix:
  8 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper 

Directions:
Combine soup mix and beef broth and pour over the sirloin in the crockpot.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Shred meat with a fork.

I had provolone cheese on hand for those who wanted cheese.

We then ate it on our buns (which we toasted slightly in the oven).

And of course, we used the "au jus" from the crockpot for the dipping part.

Yum.

Easy and yum.

Enjoy!

Reba

Texas Roadhouse Rolls

The other night I was in the mood to try a new roll recipe to go with some pork chops and potatoes.  I perused my Pinterest "Rolling in Dough" files and found this one. I thought, "Why not?

Ironically I started making a lot of our breads and rolls for our food sensitive child, and it turns out he isn't a big bread kid.  But Hubby says he is appreciative anyway.

And appreciate these?  He sure did.

He doesn't always comment on my bread products (he is hit and miss with breads whereas I could eat bread all day if it didn't increase my hip size :) but this one he made a point to tell me he liked. A lot.  In fact, we indulged...we each had a whole one then went back for another one (which we ended up sharing).  I have since had them warmed up and love them just as much as the first day I had them.  I prefer mine with a little bit of butter; Hubby says that isn't even necessary.

It is a yeast bread so it does take a little planning and time.

But they are so worth it!

Note:  Like the author of the blog I found this recipe on (link above), I also cut the recipe in half...it made plenty.

Ingredients:
2 tsp active dry yeast (I used instant)

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk, scalded then cooled (I learned to scald milk means to bring it right to a boil on the stove in a pan then pull it off just as it starts to bubble...stir constantly)

1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter (slightly cooled)

1/4 cup sugar

3-4 cups flour (I used 3 plus a little more until it wasn't too sticky)

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Dissolve the yeast in the water with 1/2 tsp sugar.  It should start to bubble.

Add the milk, remaining sugar, and flour to make a "batter" (like a pancake batter).  Stir thoroughly.

Add the melted butter, eggs, and salt.

Stir well (or use a mixer...I did this by hand).

Continue to add flour to make a soft dough.

Knead for several minutes to form a ball.

You can put the "ball of dough" in a well-greased bowl but I honestly just use one bowl. I have never had problems with it sticking in the bowl.

Cover and let rise until doubled.  I usually give it about an hour.

Punch it down.

Place the dough on a floured surface.

Roll out into the shape of a rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick).  Then fold the rectangle in half so it is now about an inch thick.  I used my rolling pin to lightly roll it so the seams came together.

Cut the dough into desired shapes.

I followed the advice of the blog author and used a dough cutter to just cut mine into 12 rectangles.

Place the rolls (slightly spaced apart) on a greased baking sheet (I used parchment paper).  Cover and let rise until double in size (30 minutes to an hour).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 16-17 minutes until golden brown.

Brush immediately with melted butter and enjoy.

I WILL be making this again...

Happy cooking!

Reba

Honey Yeast Rolls

I just made these for the third or fourth time and have yet to actually blog about them.

Tonight is the night.

If I can keep from falling asleep anyway.

Not that I bore myself.

I am just in a state of fatigue all of the time this week.

Tonight we ate Korean Beef over rice, a family favorite.

A few Korean Beefs ago, I discovered a recipe for honey yeast rolls.

That seemed like the perfect match for this dish.

And it was.

The first time I made them, they were a little heavy.

I am still not sure what I did wrong.

The next time they were better.

And tonight they were even better.

I guess I am finally figuring it out.

My kids actually cheer when I make these...

Ingredients:
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

1 cup warm water (not too hot, not too cold)

1/4 cup honey

3 Tbsp canola oil (I used olive today)

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten (unless you are like me and just throw the raw egg into the dough mixture)

3 to 4 cups bread flour (I used 3 1/2 today)

2 Tbsp melted butter (topping)

2 Tbsp honey (topping)

Directions:
Combine the yeast and warm water.

I let it sit for just a minute. Usually I wait five minutes but I was crunched for time today.

Add in the honey, oil, salt, and egg. 

You can do all of this with an electric mixer.

If you know me at all, you know I just knead/mix by hand.  Wearing a rubber glove.

Add in the flour a cup at a time.

At about three cups, it was almost right.  I added about 1/2 cup more.

It will still be a slightly sticky dough at this point.

When it is kneaded thoroughly, cover and let rise for 2 hours.

Unless you are crunched for time like I was today.

Then you stick it in the oven (on warm) and let it rise for an hour or so.

Once it has doubled in size (or close to it in my rush this afternoon), knead the dough.

Ideally, you would let it rest for 10 minutes.

Unless you are trying to beat the dinner deadline.

Then you would just go ahead and divide it into about 12 portions and roll into balls.

Which is obviously what I did.

Grease a round pan (9 or 10 inch). 

Place the balls in the pan.

Let rise covered for 20-30 minutes.

I put them on top of my stove (while I cooked some other things) and went ahead and preheated the oven to 400 to give a little warmth.

Brush with the butter/honey and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Let cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

Yeast Rolls

 I used to buy yeast rolls from our grocery store bakery all of the time.  And I miss them.  Terribly. They were easy and REALLY good.  However, with our food sensitive kid, just picking up prepared foods is not easy without a little research.  And I have not had time yet to research those.  So when I saw a recipe for "Lambert's Throwed Rolls".  I knew I had to try them.

Saturdays and Sundays are good "experiment" days since I have a little more time to cook/bake.  So last weekend, I pulled out my bread machine, added the ingredients, and turned on the dough cycle. (I often knead by hand but in this case, I wanted to take a nap REALLY bad :)

A little while later, I shaped into balls and put them in a muffin pan and baked them.

Then we tasted them.

Um, yum.

Just what I have been missing.

Even better, I had a few left over, so I froze them for future meals.

Tonight was the future for me.

It was "on your own night" and I wanted a roll to go with my meal.

So I took one out of the freezer, put it on some aluminum foil, and put it in the oven at around 250 to 300.

A few minutes later, I had a roll that was just as yummy as the first time I had one.

I will be making these again!  (And hopefully making enough to freeze future batches...)

Ingredients:
1 tsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one envelope)- Note:  I just use instant

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp salt

4 cups all purpose (or bread) flour

Directions (for bread machine):
Put the sugar, yeast, and warm water in the bread machine.  Stir together and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Add the milk, butter, sugar, and egg.  Then add about 3 1/2 cups flour and the salt on top.

Start the Dough cycle.

Check the dough after about 15 minutes. It is too sticky/wet, add more flour.

If you aren't using the bread machine, go ahead and put the sugar, yeast, and warm water in a bowl  Let it "rest" for about five minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients.

Knead for 5-10 minutes.

Shape into a ball.

Cover and let rise until doubled.

Meanwhile, grease a muffin pan.

Butter hands liberally.  DON'T miss this step.  Otherwise this will stick to your hands like crazy!  Roll the dough into 24 "balls".  Place two balls in each greased muffin tin "cup".  

Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes or until nearly doubled.

Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. (Cover with aluminum foil if they brown too quickly)

Serve with butter or honey.

Enjoy!