Sweet Potato Rolls

I requested this recipe from my mother-in-law after she made these for us on one of our visits to Idaho. These rolls are so soft and dense and delicious. As usual, I've tweaked the recipe a bit, so that's what you see below. But I've included the original recipe in the photo, just in case you want the authentic version. :)

1 pkg. (2 1/4 tsp.) instant yeast*
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 c. sugar (67g)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening (128g)

2 eggs

1 c. canned yams, drained and mashed 

       OR 1 c. canned pumpkin

6 1/2 to 7 c. flour

Softened butter (for spreading on dough before rolling up)

In a stand mixer, combine water, sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, sweet potatoes and half the flour - Sprinkle the yeast over the flour before mixing. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Either turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 5 minutes, OR knead in stand mixer for 5 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic, but not sticky.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 16" circle, about 1/4" thick. Spread with softened butter. Cut into 16 wedges. Roll up, beginning at rounded edge. Place point underneath on baking sheet. Let rise until light. (This sometimes takes a while, 2+ hours. Mine rise more when baking.) 

Bake at 375º for 12-15 minutes.

*the original recipe calls for active dry yeast with instructions on how to properly incorporate it, but I always use instant yeast and I add it when I add the flour. No need to dissolve first.

Banana Muffins

My sister-in-law, Brenda, made these for us when we were in Oregon last summer. They are really good and yummy and moist. Sadie loved them! Fortunately, they are super easy to make.

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
3 mashed bananas
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice

Mix sugar, oil, egg, and bananas. Stir in dry ingredients. Fill muffin cups (maybe 2/3 full?) and bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes.

Easy Cheesy Garlic Pizza Bread

This is one of Sadie's favorite lunches. It is so easy to make if you have about 10 minutes. We ate a LOT of this when the kids had online school during Covid. It is so satisfying. The recipe says "serve warm," but my kids have been known to eat the leftovers straight out of the refrigerator. :)

1 or 2 loaves Jimmy John’s day-old bread*

Butter or margarine

Garlic bread seasoning (Click here for the recipe)

Shredded cheddar cheese

Pepperoni

     Cut each loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Lightly butter each piece and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning (substitute with garlic salt, if needed). Sprinkle with cheese and cover with a row of pepperoni slices. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes, checking every couple of minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Cut each piece into fourths. Serve warm.

*You can ask for "day-old" at Jimmy John's. At the location near us, which happens to be store #00001, it costs 50 cents a loaf and you can buy up to 4 loaves. Sometimes they sell out, but they seem to have it 90% of the time around here. If it's not available where you live, you can always use French bread or Italian bread loaves instead.

Dad's Biscuits

These started out as "Mom's biscuits," as in Jeff's mom, Carol Stowell. Jeff learned this recipe from his mom and has been making them for years. I thought it fitting to start calling them "Dad's biscuits" since Jeff is always the one who makes biscuits around here (with a lot of help from Sadie).

2 c. flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cream of tartar (or angel cream)
4 tsp. baking powder
½ c. shortening
½ c. milk
        Sift together flour, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and baking powder; cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk all at once, stirring only until dough follows a fork around the bowl. Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead gently for 30 seconds. Pat or roll to ½” thick. Cut with biscuit cutter or glass. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in a very hot oven, 400° or 425° for 9-11 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn on the bottom. Makes about 12 medium biscuits.

Pizza Dough

This is the pizza dough recipe I used for years before I started using this one. For a softer, thicker crust, increase the amounts by 50% (or multiply each amount by 1.5). 

1 c. + 2 Tbsp. water
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. yeast
        Combine all ingredients, mix well and knead in mixer or by hand for a few minutes. Optional: add some Italian seasoning and garlic in with the dough. Grease pan well. Spread dough and top with whatever you like on your pizza. Bake at 425° for 10-15 minutes.

Breadsticks

These are definitely a favorite around here. My friend Marcia brought these to every church potluck. It was her signature dish and always a crowd favorite. Once Marcia moved away, she finally shared the recipe with me. I hope she doesn't mind that I'm posting it here. ;)

Make pizza dough or other bread recipe as directed. (I use this recipe.) Let sit for 5 minutes then stretch and roll to fit on a jelly roll pan edge to edge. (Use a silicone baking mat or sprinkle pan with cornmeal or spray with Pam.)

     Mix together:

¼ c. soft tub margarine

¼ c. parmesan cheese

¼ c. mayonnaise

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. parsley flakes

     Spread this mixture on the rolled-out dough. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, if desired. Cut into sticks with the dull side of a butter knife or a pizza cutter. (Don’t use a pizza cutter if your dough is on a silicone baking mat.)

     Bake at 350° for 13-15 minutes until they are very light brown. Break apart and enjoy!

Easy Pizza Dough

This recipe from my friend, Paula, can be thrown together pretty quickly. I usually increase the amounts a little to make a crust big enough to cover our baking sheet. If I make 2.5x the recipe, I can make a pan of pizza and a pan of breadsticks. I've included the larger amounts below.

1 ¼ c. flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

    Combine in mixing bowl. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. instant yeast over mixture.

Add 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 c. very warm water. Let sit for 1 minute without stirring then stir for 2 minutes. Add 1 ½ c. flour and stir. Dump onto floured surface and knead for 2 minutes, adding more flour as needed. (Depending on how lazy I’m feeling, sometimes I just knead it inside the bowl.) Dough should be soft, but not sticky (“When patted it will sound like a babies bottom”).
     Cover dough and let sit for 15 minutes while toppings are being prepared. Press dough onto a greased pan. Add toppings* and bake at 400° for 10-12 min.
     This dough works well for breadsticks, calzones, pizza rolls, and sloppy joe or BBQ buns. [*our preferred toppings are pretty basic, including Easy Kids Pizza Sauce, shredded cheese, pepperoni.]

1.25X the recipe:
1 ½ c. + 1 Tbsp. flour 
1 ¼ Tbsp. sugar 
1 ¼ tsp. salt 
1 ¼ Tbsp. instant yeast 
2 ½ Tbsp. oil 
1 ¼ c. water 
1 7/8 c. flour 

2.5X the recipe:
3 1/8 c. flour
2 ½ Tbsp. sugar
2 ½ tsp. salt
2 ½ Tbsp. instant yeast
5 Tbsp. oil
2 ½ c. water
3 ¾ c. flour

Peasant Bread (2 recipes)

I love how quickly I can throw together a quick batch of peasant bread for dinner. Below are the two tried and true recipes I use over and over again. My kids' favorite is the first one which is a pull-apart version with Italian seasoning. From start to finish, it only takes about an hour with 5-10 minutes of prep work. The second recipe is baked in Pyrex bowls and looks a lot prettier. I serve it sliced. It takes a good 2 hours with a longer rising time, but still only 5-10 minutes of prep. Honestly, when you look at both recipes closely, they are so similar that you could probably mix and match the style or flavor to get your perfect version.

Peasant Bread (or as my kids call it, “pheasant” bread)
Raisinglemons.com
2 ¼ tsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
4 c. flour
2 c. warm water
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
        Combine all ingredients and stir. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray. Divide dough into 2 balls and put on greased cookie sheet or use a silicone baking mat. Cover with towel and let raise 20-30 minutes. Pull in sides; brush top with melted butter. Sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt and Italian seasoning.
        Bake at 425° for 10 minutes; then reduce heat and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. The recipe suggests serving with olive oil and balsamic vinegar garnished with Parmesan cheese for dipping, but we like it straight out of the oven as is. 

“My Mother’s Peasant Bread”
Alexandracooks.com
(I use our nested set of 3 pyrex oven-proof bowls) 
4 c. (512 g) flour
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar
2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast
2 c. warm water
        In 2.5 qt. pyrex bowl, combine dry ingredients then add water and mix until flour is absorbed. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 45 minutes to an hour.
        Preheat oven to 425°. Grease two smaller oven-safe bowls (1 qt. and 1.5 qt.) with butter. Using two forks, punch down dough and scrape it from sides of bowl, turning it over on itself. Divide the dough in half and put in the two prepared bowls.
        Let the dough rise for about 20-30 minutes, uncovered, until it has risen just above the rim of the smaller bowl. (You can place the bowls on top of the oven which should be warm enough for them to rise.)
        Bake for 15 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 375° and bake for an additional 15-17 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack.

Banana Bread

Don't have any ripe bananas on hand? Years ago, I remember a friend of mine using a jar or two of baby food bananas in a pinch. I haven't tried it myself, but if you've just got to have banana bread right now and can't wait until your bananas are ripe enough, it might be worth a try. :)

3-4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 c. melted butter
1 c. sugar (can reduce to ¾ c.)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 ½ c. flour
        Preheat oven to 350°. With wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over mixture and mix in. Add flour and mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Bagels

Our family loves these! They take a little while to make, but the process is easy and the results are well worth it. We usually have friends over when we make these so I always make a double batch. 

1 c. warm water

1 ½ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

3 c. flour

2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast

     In a Bosch or Kitchen Aid mixer, add ingredients and mix them with the bread hook implement on low until incorporated. Then turn to next speed (#2 or medium) and let it go for 5-8 minutes.

When the dough is done...

--Bring 3 quarts water to boil in a large pot. Stir in 3 Tbsp. of sugar.

--Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.

--Cut dough into 9 equal pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. Flatten balls and poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Next twirl the dough to enlarge the hole and even out the dough around it. Cover bagels with a clean cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

--With a large metal spatula, carefully transfer bagels to boiling water, three at a time. Let boil for 1 minute, turning bagels over midway. Remove bagels from water with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a clean towel. Transfer drained bagels to baking sheets lined with a silicone baking mat. (Alternatively, sprinkle cookie sheet with cornmeal or use cooking spray. I put all 9 on the same cookie sheet.)

--Glaze tops of bagels with egg white and sprinkle with any of the following toppings:

Italian seasoning and garlic (we call them pizza bagels), cinnamon sugar (our favorite), coarse salt, dry onions, Cajun spice, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or everything bagel seasoning.  Bake bagels in 375° oven for 15-18 minutes, until light brown. Eat plain or with butter or cream cheese. So good!!

Butter Rich Roll Dough / Orange Sweet Rolls

This recipe from my mom makes some pretty great dinner rolls, but once you make Orange Sweet Rolls with the dough, you'll never look back. 

Butter Rich Roll Dough

1 c. milk
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
¼ c. sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ tsp. salt
4 c. all-purpose or bread flour
2 generous tsp. Instant yeast
        Combine ingredients. Mix well with dough hook in Bosch or Kitchen Aid, 5-7 minutes. Remove from bowl and let rest for 10 minutes. Form into rolls. Let rise until double in size. Preheat oven to 375° and bake about 10 minutes. Rolls are very light and buttery. Can be made into cinnamon rolls as well.

Orange Sweet Rolls
        Make a batch of Butter Rich Roll Dough. Roll it out, less than ¼” thick. Spread with ¼ c. butter then a filling of ~¾ c. sugar and the zest of one orange. (Reserve about ½ tsp. zest for glaze.) Sprinkle with a dash of salt to offset the sweetness.
        Gradually roll the dough into one long log. Pinch the seam to seal. Use dental floss or string to cut the dough into 1” slices and lay on greased baking sheet. (You can fit all the rolls on the same sheet – about 20-24 rolls.) Allow to rise. Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes or until just starting to brown on top. Don’t over bake.
        While rolls are baking, mix up a glaze of powdered sugar, the juice of one orange and the reserved zest. Drizzle over the rolls while they are still warm.

Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

My friend, Mary, introduced me to these unbelievably easy and delicious muffins. Apparently the recipe is from Weight Watchers, but you'd never know it from how moist and indulgent they are. 

1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
One 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 c. water
½-1 c. chocolate chips (you can leave these out, but why?)

        Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Put paper baking cups in muffin pan. Fill each about 2/3 full (two cookie scoops of batter). Bake at 350° for approx. 30 minutes, until knife comes out clean.

Makes 24 regular-sized muffins, 85 calories each.

Lemon Bread

Tangy and moist, this bread is perfect for sharing or gifting or eating all by yourself... I'm grateful my friend, Diane, gifted me a loaf of this yummy stuff all those years ago. 

1 c. butter or margarine
2 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 eggs
3 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1 c. milk
grated peel of 2 lemons
        Mix all ingredients. Pour into greased loaf pans. 

        Two 4"x8" loaves bake at 350° for 60-80 minutes. Check for doneness after 50 minutes.
        6 small loaves bake at 350° for about 30 minutes.

Glaze:
½ c. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
    Pour glaze over top while bread is warm.

Mini Coffee Cakes

Going through my recipes to post on this site has helped me to remember our forgotten favorites. I haven't made these muffins in years, but that's an oversight I need to correct very soon. These would be perfect for some girl talk with hot cocoa and a Hallmark movie. 

1/3 c. butter or margarine, softened
¼ c. sugar
1 egg
1 ½ c. flour
1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 ¼ c. milk
½ c. chopped walnuts

Topping:
½ c. chopped walnuts
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
        In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine flour, pudding mix, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Beat until blended. Stir in walnuts. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack. Yield: about 1 dozen.

Pumpkin Bread

My friend, Cleora, shared this recipe with me years ago. I've never had the need to look for another pumpkin bread recipe because this one has the perfect balance of flavors and it's deliciously moist. My favorite way to make this is as mini-muffins with a pretty swirl of cream cheese frosting on top. OhYum! 

3 c. sugar
2/3 c. shortening
4 eggs
One 15 oz. can pumpkin
3 ½ c. flour
2/3 c. water
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
½ c. nuts, optional
        Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, pumpkin and water; mix well. Add dry ingredients. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans, or 6 small ones. Bake at 350° for one hour. Baked loaves can be frozen. For cupcakes, bake about 22-26 minutes; bake mini cupcakes for ~17 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cube butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
2-3 c. powdered sugar
        Combine butter and cream cheese until creamy. Stir in vanilla and salt. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and mix well. Add additional powdered sugar, up to 1 cup more, to attain a fluffy frosting consistency. (Make a make-shift "piping bag" by placing frosting in a quart-size ziplock bag. Cut a smallish hole in one corner.)

Cinnamon Rolls

My friend, Jennifer, taught me how to make these delicious things. Apparently this is a copycat Cinnabon recipe. I've never eaten at Cinnabon, but these are amazing so I can only imagine what the real thing must be like.  

Dough:
1 Tbsp. instant yeast
1 c. lukewarm milk
½ c. sugar
½ c. melted butter
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 c. flour
        Combine all ingredients and mix well, adding more flour a little at a time if necessary, to make a soft dough. (I usually need to add about ½ c. additional flour.) Let mixer run on medium for 5-7 minutes. Turn dough out on non-stick mat and roll out in a large rectangle, about ¼” thick.

        Smear dough with a layer of soft butter (1/3 c.). Generously sprinkle about 1 c. brown sugar mixed with ~2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon over the top. Roll jellyroll style. Cut generous 1” slices with string or unflavored dental floss. Lay slices on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet, up to 24 on a jelly roll pan or 12 each in two 9x13 pans. Rise until double in size. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until barely browning on top. Allow to cool slightly then frost with cream cheese frosting (see recipe below).

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cube butter, softened 
4 oz. cream cheese, softened 
1 tsp. vanilla 
1/8 tsp. salt 
2-3 c. powdered sugar 
        Combine butter and cream cheese until creamy. Stir in vanilla and salt. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and mix well. Add additional powdered sugar, up to 1 cup more, to attain a fluffy frosting consistency. (Make a make-shift "piping bag" by placing frosting in a quart-size ziplock bag. Cut a smallish hole in one corner.)

  

Whole Wheat Bread

I don't often make whole wheat bread, but when I do, this is the only recipe I'll use. I got it from my friend, Catharina, and it's a keeper!

(Makes 3 loaves)

4 ½ c. warm water
½ c. oil
½ c. honey (can substitute brown or white sugar)
6 c. freshly milled whole wheat flour
1 ½ Tbsp. Vital wheat gluten
1 ½ Tbsp. dough enhancer
1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. instant yeast
Additional 3-6 c. freshly milled whole wheat flour
1 ½ Tbsp. salt
1 ½ Tbsp. liquid lecithin, optional
        In mixer bowl, combine water, oil, honey and lecithin (optional). Next add 6 cups flour. On top of the flour, add gluten, dough enhancer and yeast. Mix until smooth. Add the additional flour and salt. Add it slowly so as to not over flour, stopping periodically to test it (until your floured finger does not stick to the dough.) Turn mixer to speed two (medium) and mix for 5 minutes. The dough that was stuck to the sides and floor of the bowl will completely clean off. Form dough into loaf pans. When they are fully risen, you should be able to put a small dent in the side of one of the loaves with your finger and the dent will not come right back out, but very slowly. Place loaves in a cool oven. Then turn the oven to 350° and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Homemade Honey Wheat Bread (or White)

Years ago, I won a loaf of homemade bread at a church activity. It was seriously the best. My friend, Kristina, was kind enough to share her recipe and I've made it so many times since then. This is my go-to bread recipe. I took fresh loaves to each of my neighbors near the start of the Covid quarantine in 2020 and the single guy next door still talks about how good it was! :)

¼ c. oil
¼ c. honey (or brown sugar)
2 tsp. salt
1 ½ Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. dough enhancer
2 ¾ c. hot water
3 c. wheat flour (grind 6 c.)
2 - 2 ½ c. white flour
        Combine ingredients, adding the additional wheat flour as needed. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Knead 8 minutes on #3 (Bosch*) with dough hook. Turn out on oiled counter (or a floured silicone baking mat). Divide into 3 equal pieces. Smoosh out each section, popping yeast bubbles, then roll each into a loaf. Place in 3 greased bread pans (8”x4”). [For larger pans, this makes 2 loaves.] Let rise. Bake at 325° for 21-24 minutes.

        I’m a sucker for white bread so I usually use all white flour (5 cups + 3 additional cups to use as needed) with brown sugar in place of honey. However, when I do make wheat bread, I use honey. 

*My Bosch has 4 settings, so #3 is pretty fast. That should help you determine what speed to use on a different type of mixer. 

       I usually double the recipe and make 6 loaves at a time. The baked loaves freeze well.