BREADS

We eat a lot of bread. Here are some of our favorites, as well as a new one, which just might become an Easter tradition.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
Combine in a Bosch Mixer:
5 cups warm water
2 cups oats, quick or regular
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup oil
2 Tbsp dough enhancer
2 Tbsp salt
4 cups whole wheat flour (I prefer mine ground from hard white wheat.)

Mix until moistened and smooth. Add 3 more cups whole wheat flour and 3 heaping (and I do mean heaping) Tablespoons of instant yeast. Mix until smooth.

Add flour, 1/2 cupfuls at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition, until dough cleans sides of the bowl, and comes together around the middle of the mixer, lopsided. This will take 3-5 more cups of flour (that's an estimate, as I never actually measure on this one. . .). I usually use white bread flour for the last several cups of flour. The dough is not too sticky when it is ready.

Knead (mix in the Bosch) for 10 minutes.

Remove the dough from the mixer and divide into five equal pieces. Shape each into a loaf and place in an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Rise in warm oven, covered with towel, for about an hour. Turn oven on to 350 and bake 26 minutes. Remove from oven and pans to wire rack to cool. Eat as much as you like, and slice the rest to place in bread bags and freeze until desired.


Blue Ribbon White Bread
Combine in Bosch:
4 1/2 c water, warm
1 Tbsp and 1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp shortening
1/4 cup sugar

Add:
5 cups flour (I often use some oats or wheat for up to three cups of this, and white bread flour for the rest)
3/4 cup powdered milk
Mix until moistened.

Add 3 cups bread flour and 1 1/2 Tbsp yeast

Mix and continue mixing adding flour by the 1/2 cupful until the dough pulls from the sides and starts to clean the bottom of the bowl (about 4 more cups).

Mix 5 minutes (knead).

Rise until double (about 1 1/2 hours).

Punch down and rise again (about 45 minutes)

Divide dough into four pieces. Shape into a ball and place on floured surface. Cover with plastic wrap and rest (proof) 10 minutes.

Grease 4 8x4inch pans. Shape balls into loaves and place in pans. Cover and rise until double (about 1 hour). Bake at 375 20-25 minutes.


Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls are a Conference Weekend tradition in our home.  This is often the recipe I use since they're yummy and so easy in the bread machine.

1 c milk
1/4 c water
1/4 c butter, softened
1 egg
1 t salt
4 c bread flour
1/4 c instant vanilla pudding mix
1 T sugar
1 T active dry yeast

1/2 c butter softened
1 c packed brown sugar
2 t ground cinnamon

4 oz cr cheese, softened
1/4 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c pwd sugar
1 1/2 t milk
1/2 t vanilla

Place first nine ingredients in bread maker according to manufacturer's directions. Fun dough cycle. When complete, roll to 17x10 rectangle. Spread with butter. Spread with sugar and cinnamon. Make into rolls. Bake 12 in 9x13 pan and 9 in square pan. Rise, covered until doubled, 45 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Cool five minutes on rack. Beat frosting and frost warm rolls. Store in refrigerator. 21 rolls.


Bunny Buns
We found this recipe in the Friend magazine in April 2011. My son made them today and everyone enjoyed them. . . it might be a new tradition! They turned out really cute and yummy.  We didn't decorate most of them, but the only pic I have is of one with eyes and a nose.  :)

Combine in bowl:
1 cup milk, warmed
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
2 cups bread flour

Beat together until smooth. Add 1 cup flour and 1 scant Tbsp instant yeast.  Mix.  Add flour, 1/2 cupfuls at a time, until soft dough forms. (1-2 more cups.) Let dough rest 10 minutes.

Knead dough 5-10 minutes on a lightly floured surface, until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, and turn once. Cover and put in warm place to rise 2 hours, or until double.

Punch down and let stand 10 minutes.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut into long strips. Roll into rounded snake shapes.

Cut one strip into 1/2 inch-long pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. (These will be your bunny tails.)

Twist the piece of dough around itself twice, near the top, leaving a loop in the bottom. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop. That is your bunny tail. The top twist forms two ears. (See picture).

Cover bunnies and let rise in warm place 50 minutes. Bake at 375 for 13 minutes.

Mix together: 2 cups pwd sugar, 1 tsp butter, 1/4 cup hot water. Glaze warm bunnies.  We got 10 HUGE bunnies out of this.  We'll go a little smaller scale next time. :)