Frosted Ice Box Rolls (Cinnamon Rolls)

Some of my favorite memories of growing up were from our family's Pizza Nights.

My Aunt Marilyn, Uncle John and their son, Craig would come out.  Sometimes, Dad's cousin Joe would join us.  We'd rent a movie from the local movie rental . . . I remember the excitement of knowing we had a movie reserved that we'd been wanting to watch for weeks! 

Rolled out dough all covered in cinnamon sugar goodness.

The pizzas were homemade - and we got to choose the toppings.

Then, every-so-often, we'd have cinnamon rolls.  My memories don't lend to there having been special reasons for the delicious goodies, but those rolls made our weekly pizza night into a Special Occasion.  I loved watching them roll out the dough with Mom's gold colored rolling pin, usually on her Tupperware mat.  Then, there was the sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar.  The yeasty smell would scent the house, cinnamon would then mix in.  Soon, our mouths were watering and though the homemade pizzas of our creation were good, we were all eagerly anticipating the minute those rolls would be pulled from the oven and the icing drizzled over them.

We liked the evenings Mom and Aunt Marilyn would get side-tracked and the rolls would kinda do a little more than "DOUBLE" in size.  They would puff up to the top of the cake pans, and you just KNEW they were going to be a little doughy in the middle, even when done baking.  SIGH.  YUMMY.

Jump ahead a few years and to the Holiday season when cooking commercials and family togetherness overwhelm.  A very popular national brand has been telling us that baking and cinnamon rolls are necessary to be part of the perfect family demographic. 

This message not-so-subtly got my 91 year old Gramma thinking.  She started hankering for a cinnamon roll.  With the usual Thanksgiving and then Crhstimas backing, neither Mom nor I got around to baking them. 

The week leading up to Chrismtas led to Mom and Aunt Marilyn discussing Christmas Dinner.  Aunt Mariyln would be hosting at her beautiful house - my girls absolutely LOVE the Christmas Eve Tradtion of visiting there - especially as their magial elf knows we typically have dinner in there and has left their Christmas Eve PJs under Aunt Marilyn's Tree before!  I was wrapped up in getting work (we were on overtime), Christmas Projects, Christmas Presents, Christmas Parties and Christmas Programs completed, so I didn't really join in on any plans.

Until Mom mentioned how Gram G wanted cinnamon rolls.

Not ready to bake yet!

Oh, heck ya!  Let's forget Chrismts Eve Dinner and just go straight to the Cinnomon rolls was my thought.  Sadly, Mom didn't agree.  Something might have been mentioned about me being close to 40 and acting wose than the two under 10 year olds.

So, I did back down from the all cinnoon roll meal plan, but wouldn't let the subject drop. 

It was worth being called a pest.  It rewally was!

Aunt Marilyn made homemade cinnamon rolls.

Gram G had one after dinner.  I still think we should've checked under the table or in her pocket because I have NEVER seen a cinnomn roll disappear so quickly, and that's saying a lot growing up with my brother and boy cousins and my sweet-freak Dad and Uncle John! 

My Aunt Marilyn shared the recipe - and I tried it at home today.  They turned out PERFECTLY.  After making them, some thoughts (well, ***suggestions*** from my Dad) are double the icing amount that is drizzled over the rolls and maybe the same for the filling.  If not double it, maybe 1 and 1/2 times it.

Additionally, do not let it rise in your Kitchen Aide mixing bowl.  This will need to double - and I had to dig out my Gigantor Tupperware bowl (I don't know the size right now, but I will check it out). 

Also, because I don't keep cow milk in the house, I was a smidge worried, but using unflavored, unsweetened coconut milk didn't affect this in any way that I could notice.  And the homemade butter was PERFECT in these!

Frosted Ice Box Rolls
(makes 24 rolls)

2 pkg dry yeast (or 3 T if you by in bulk as I do)
1/2 c warm water (105-115 degrees, hotter will kill the yeast)
2 c lukewarm milk (scalded) (I just let milk warm in small pan on stove while I let yeast proof)
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c vegetable oil or shortening
3 t baking powder
2 t salt
1 egg at room temperature
5-7 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Let proof 5-10 minutes, until bubbly. 

Stir in lukewarm milk, sugar, oil, baking powder, salt, egg and 2-3 cups flour.  Beat until smooth.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easty to handle.  Turn out onto well-floured board and kneed until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes).  (Here, I just had the dough hook on my kitchen aide and let it continue to mix on medium for about that length of time due to being sidetracked with Christmas presents). 


Grease Gigantor size Tupperware bowl and place dough in bowl.  Cover and let rise in warm place until dough doubles in size (this was around 1 1/2 hours for me, with the dough sitting in front of the burning fireplace).  Dough will be ready when indentation remains when touched.

Grease 2 13x9 cake pans.

Punch dough down.  Divide in half.  Roll into 12x10 rectangle. 

Put filling of choice on top of rolled dough   Starting at wide side, roll dough.  Cut into twelve even pieces.  Space slightly apart in cake pan.  Wrap pan tightly with foil.  Repeat with remaining 1/2 of dough.



*** This next step is optional - you can simply skip the Fridge step and let rise again. ***  Refrigerate at least 12-48 hours.  Remove foil before letting rise and then baking.  - If skipping the fridge step and baking immediately, do not wrap in foil. -

*** Now, back to the mandatory steps either after removing from fridge or after placing in pan and skipping the fridge step.*** 
Let rise in warm pan until double (around 1/2 hour).

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes..

Frost with powdered sugar frosting.

Cinnamon Filling
4 T butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1 T and 1 tsp cinnamon

Spread softened butter on rolled out dough.  In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture over buttered dough.

Caramel Pecan Filling
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 c butter
2 T light corn syrup

Heat brown sugar and butter until melted  Stir in corn syrup.  Spread over rolled out dough.  Sprinkle with pecans.

Icing
1 c powdered sugar
1 T milk (almond milk works well)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Frost while warm.

Super Yummy and Quick Pizza Crust!

The girls wanted PIZZA!  I did as well, but didn't want to take the time to make a cauliflower crust and I was kinda tired of always using tortillas, so I pulled out the old tried and true.  This is a nice crust as it only needs to rise 15-20 minutes before preparing as pizza crust!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 T yeast
• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 T Sea Salt
• 2 T Italian Seasoning
• 1 T Minced Garlic

  Olive Oil

In mixing bowl, mix warm water and yeast.  Let sit 5-10 (closer to 10, usually for me) until mixture is bubbly.  Add 2 cups flour (one cup at a time) to the yeast mixture and mix well with dough hook attachment on your Kitchen Aid.  Add the additional 3 cups flour (one cup at a time), salt, Italian Seasoning and Minced Garlic.  Continue to mix/ knead dough with dough hook until dough becomes a smooth ball (you may need more/less flour, depending on weather - this time, we had to add another almost 1/4 cup for dough to be to my liking). Cover bowl with clean kitchen towel. Let dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes. 

Evenly coat pizza pan with Olive oil.  

Preheat oven to 400F.  Split dough into two pieces (these make very large pizzas, you may need to split dough into 4 or more pieces, depending on size of your pizza pans).   Sprinkle top of dough with flour.  Roll one part of dough out on pizza pan.  Continue with second part of dough. 

Top dough with whatever toppings your family likes.  Bake at 400F for 15 -20 minutes, until cheese is light golden brown.

This recipe can make cheese sticks - load the dough with lots of cheese and bake a little less (around 12-15 minutes).

Additionally, this can make cinnamon sticks - leave out the Italian Seasoning and Garlic when mixing dough, use butter instead of olive oil when rolling out dough.  Spread additional softened butter over rolled out dough and then sprinkle with mixture of cinnamon/sugar.  Bake around 12 - 15 minutes).

Pizza Dough

We love our pizza.  Unfortunately, it can be a huge amount of unhealthiness.  That's why I like making my own - plus we can give into whatever whims we have that day . . . from Miss Mia not liking onions to Aisey only wanting olives.  AND I can control the amount of cheese and meat (if any on the meat) that we put on our pizza.

So, I'm always willing to try new pizza dough recipes . . . so things don't get boring!

This one, we really like - mainly because it is very, very easy.

This is an example of crust that didn't get "stabbed" by the fork . . . as you can see, it's kinda bumpy - EXACTLY as Miss Mia likes it.  She has decided Mommy is not a good pizza crust maker if there are no air pockets in her crust!

Pizza Dough
~ adapted from Bread Machine Magic

1 cup warm water
2 tsp yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
2 T olive oil
1 T sugar
2 T Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder

Place water and yeast in bread pan of bread machine.  Let sit a few minutes until bubbles.  Then, add all additional ingredients.  Run on "Dough" cycle (I will say that I usually only let this go through first half of cycle.  When dough rests, I take it out - my machine does this with around 50 minutes left on cycle).  Remove from machine.  Separate into two equal balls.  Use Dough Roller to roll out on two pizza pans.  Using a fork, poke a few holes in the pizza crusts.  Trust me, if you do not do this, you will have VERY bumpy pizza crust.  Miss Mia LOVES it like that, but it really doesn't hold the toppings very well if you don't poke the holes!

Add the toppings of your choice.  Preheat oven to 450F.  Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

Homemade Cheez-Its

I love me some snack foods.  BUT I hate thinking of all the icky stuff that goes into them.  So, when I found this recipe, I thought I'd try it.  Seriously, snacky food with only 5 ingredients?  SCORE!

Mom came up right as these were coming out of the oven.  She stayed to sample a few . . . and then sampled a few more . . . and a few more.  She hates HOT stuff and told me to remove the Cayenne next time I make them for her, but she still kept eating this first batch!

My one friend tells me they're "a lot of work for something you can buy for 2 bucks . . . ".  I disagree.  They're worth it!

Homemade Cheez-Its
~ adapted from Fromaway.com


1 cup flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1/2 cup regular)
4 T cold butter, cut into squares
8 oz Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder
Water to form dough
Kosher salt (optional)

Place all ingredients in food processor.  Process.  Enjoy the pretty color of your new food processor.  Think about taking pictures of it to share since it was such a great pre-Thanksgiving deal!  Pulse until mixed.  Slowly add cold water 1T at a time until mixture creates a dough.  Place dough on parchment paper and place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.  Do not rush this part.

After dough has chilled at least 30 minutes, place between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to 1/8" thick.  Using pizza cutter, cut dough into squares roughly 1" square.  Transfer to parchment paper lined cookie tray(s).  Sprinkle SPARINGLY with kosher salt.

Bake 25 minutes or until crisp.  I waited until they started turning brown to take mine out.  They then started to crisp while cooling.  Try to let cool before eating all of them!

Garlic Herb Bubble Loaf

I will be baking this again . . . . if only for how WONDERFUL it made the house smell!  YUMMY!

Garlic Herb Bubble Loaf

~ adapted from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking September/October 2000

1/2 cup warm water (70-80F)

1/2 cup sour cream

2 T butter or margarine, softened

3 T sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups flour

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (I used bread machine yeast)

Garlic Herb Butter

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp each of dried oregano, thyme and rosemary, crushed

Place the first seven ingredients in bread machine pan.  Select dough setting and check dough after 5 minutes, adding 1-2 T water or flour, if needed.  When dough cycle is complete, divide dough into 36 pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball. 

In a bowl, combine butter, garlic and herbs.  Dip each ball into mixture; place in ungreased 9x5x3 loaf pan.

Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes (or oven set to "warm" with shallow pan of boiling water on bottom rack). 

Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm.

Yield:  1 loaf

Linking to:
Gluesticks

Golden Honey Pan Rolls

Miss Mia snapped this picture.  The minute anything comes out of the oven, she runs for the camera - even if it's a basic cake mix or a store bought pizza!  I think I've created a monster!

My meat 'n potatoes Dad requires bread with every meal.  So, I pulled out the trusty bread maker and attempted some recipes.  This was a pretty good recipe and I may attempt it again.  I loved the taste of the honey baked into the rolls.

Golden Honey Pan Rolls
~ adapted from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking September/October 2000

1 cup milk (at room temp) (I used 2%)
1 egg
1 egg yolk (keep the egg white for the glaze!!!!)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 T honey
1 1/2 tsp salt (I used sea salt)
3 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (I used breadmaker's yeast)

Glaze:
1/3 cup sugar
2 T butter (or margarine)
1 T honey
1 egg white

Put the first 8 ingredients in bread machine pan.  Select dough setting (checking after 5 minutes and adding 1-2 T water or flour, if needed).  When cycle is complete, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Punch it (yahhhh!!!).  Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 24 pieces; shape each into a ball (it helps to flour your hands).  Place 12 balls in each of two greased 8 inch baking pans.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes (or put oven on warm (170 is what my oven calls warm) and place a shallow pan of boiling water on bottom rack.  Place baking pans of rolls on top rack, cover and let rise until doubled.  Remove water and rolls from oven and preheat oven to 350.).

For the glaze, combine the 4 ingredients and drizzle over dough.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush with additional honey if desired.

Basic Breadmaker Bread

A loaf of Basic Bread ready for the oven!

There is nothing better than butter melting over a slice of bread straight from the oven.  LOVE it.  Unfortunately, I don't get along well with the "making bread" process.  If I buy the frozen loaves, they don't turn out.  If I make them from scratch, they don't turn out.  I have actually had "bread" so horribly hard that it wound up in the garbage as we couldn't slice it with a knife.

I'm glad to say, THIS recipe is not one of those failures.

THIS recipe was a success.  It's also so unbelievably simple - why hadn't I found this recipe before?  It would have saved me much stress over the last few years!  Miss Mia LOVED the dough.  Again, I would let it sit in front of the fire, and I noticed the towel had a strange look.  Here, my little baker was over there "testing" the dough.  Over and over.

She also enjoyed washing her hands and "POPPING" the dough.

I'm thinking my goal will be to make at least one loaf of this bread a week!  This was gone within 24 hours of my having made it the first time!

Unfortunately, I have no clue as to the origin of this recipe.  By the way, the main "tweek" to this recipe was my using whole wheat flour as well as all purpose flour.  You can most definitely use only all purpose flour.

Basic Breadmaker Bread
~ adapted from ???

1 cup warm water
2 T sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt

Place the water, sugar and yeast in the bread machine pan.  Let sit 10 minutes, until foamy.  Add oil, flours and salt.  Chose 'dough' setting on your bread machine. 

Let the machine knead the bread.  Then, remove before it starts to rise (I think my machine had been working around 40 minutes of the 90 minute setting when I removed the dough) into a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover with bar cloth.  Let rise approximately 20 minutes.  Punch down (knead the dough) and place in bread pan for final rise.  Cover with bar cloth.  Let sit until bread is approximately an inch above the baking pan. 

Preheat oven to 350F.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (I had to bake mine around 25 minutes).

Remove from oven and TRY to let it cool a few minutes before slicing into it and coating it with butter!

This bread also bakes up well in the bread maker. I simply like the look of my bread from the oven better (and don't have to dig the little mixing paddle out of my oven baked bread).



Bread Machine King's Cake



Gooey and Messy and OH-So-Yummy!


I decided to try a new holiday tradition with Mardi Gras.  Food Network was having a King's Cake contest, so I got it in my head that I needed to make a King's Cake.  I did a quick search and found a recipe for one that used a Bread Machine!  The ingredients sounded like a good combination and I had everything on hand. 

While Mom and Dad were finishing up dinner, Steve took over feeding Miz Aise and Miss Mia was our own little jester while I drizzled the icing over the cake and sprinkled some sugar on top.  It was good and SO SIMPLE.  Like a cinnamon roll good and simple.  I will be making this again, and I won't wait until Mardi Gras!

A modification for next time - cut the icing amount in half.  I loaded the top of this with tons of icing, and still have some sitting in the bowl.

Bread Machine King's Cake
~ adapted from allrecipes.com

Cake
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 T softened butter
1 egg
1 cup low fat sour cream (I used a little less than a cup)
5 T white sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp active, dry yeast

Place the warm water, salt, butter, egg, sour cream, sugar, flours and yeast in bread machine pan in order listed.  Select the dough cycle and start bread machine.

Filling
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T round cinnamon
5 T melted butter
1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 T melted butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extra
2 T milk
Colored Sugars (purple, green and yellow)

Mix the filling ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.  Spray baking sheet with Pam and set aside.

Remove dough from bread machine and place on floured surface.  Roll dough to an approximate 10x28 rectangle.  I didn't need much flour.  The hardest part of this step was keeping Miss Mia's fingers from pinching off bites of dough.  Spread the filing over the dough.  Sprinkle pecans over filling.  Roll the dough into a 28 inch log.  Place the dough log on greased baking sheet, seam side down, forming it into a ring.  Moisten the ends of the dough with water to help seal when pinching ends together.

Cover the dough with a cloth and place it in 170F oven that has been turned off.  Let rise 30 minutes (until doubled in size).

Remove cloth from dough and turn oven to 375. Bake cake until golden brown (approximately 15 minutes).

While cake is baking, mix together confectioner's sugar, butter, vanilla extract and 1 T milk.  If glaze is too thick add a little more milk until a little thinner (but not too runny). 

Remove cake from oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Drizzle glaze over top of cooled cake, and sprinkle with colored sugar.  Cool cake completely before serving (Yeah, right.  We ate it while still warm, and guess what, it was good!).

Hint - to help cake stay a perfect circle, grease a coffee can and place it on baking sheet and form a circle with the dough around the can.  After cake is baked, remove coffee can and let cake cool.



 
 

Cottage Cheese Biscuits

So, I had some Cottage Cheese on my hands and wanted to do something fun with it . . . tired of the same old same old. I found this recipe and decided to try it.

Can you tell I'm not overly thrilled with the results? To me, the biscuits were so so, and that was with me adding a tablespoon of garlic and a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning. Then again, I'm not a big biscuit fan as I usually find them to all be bland - except for the Cheddar Bay Ones - LOVE THOSE. So, maybe I'll be making these again should I have need of biscuits and have some extra Cottage Cheese on hand.

By the way, I can't recall where this recipe was found . . . maybe foodnetwork. I have modified it, as usual. And, I can't get my computer to have anything to do with my new SD memory cards. So, as soon as I get this little issue fixed, a photo will be uploaded.

Cottage Cheese Biscuits

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 T baking powder
1 T minced garlic
1 T Italian Seasoning
5 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 16 oz container cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 450. Place flour in large bowl. Add baking powder and salt. Stir until combined. Add butter and mix until clumps form the size of small peas. Add cottage cheese and stir until just combined.

Drop on non-stick cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Serve immediately.

*** update ***

~ When I made this, I accidentally got sidetracked and left the second half in the oven (turned off, but still warm). They were a darker golden brown . . . and I liked them a lot better than just golden brown. They seem to have more taste . . . or maybe it was just the fact they sat out overnight. The Husband liked them and said I can make them again (so nice of him to give me permission, huh?).

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

I'm lazy. If you know me at all, you know this for fact. I HATE having to exert myself and will find ways to cut corners. Unfortunately, this means I don't make lots of crusts/doughs/breads from scratch as they require WORK!

This dough recipe is an exception. Oh wait, there is NO WORK involved. It's a VERY easy peasy pizza crust!

You do need a bread machine!

I use a 2 lb recipe which "says" it makes 2 12" pans, but I like my crust thin, and this will make 3 12" pans for us.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup WARM water

2 T olive oil

2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

3 T Italian seasoning

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp dry yeast

Directions:

Add all ingredients to bread pan in the order given. Set on "dough" setting of bread machine.

When dough is done, remove to floured board*. Separate until 2 or 3 evenly-sized balls. Lightly sprinkle pizza pans with cornmeal. Hand pull crust to start shaping into pie pan. Use dough roller to finish shaping crust. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool (if you have the patience). Top with your favorite toppings and bake at 400 until pizza cheese is golden brown.

* Or, place in bowl greased with olive oil, turn dough over to coat, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

~ adapted from The Breadman's Bread machine recipe pamphlet