#3325 - Homemade Soft Pretzels

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 envelope of yeast
1/4 cup warm water + 1 cup warm water + 4 cups water
a pinch of white sugar
2 tsp. salt
4-5 cups flour
softened butter (as needed)
4 tsp. baking soda
coarse salt for sprinkling

In a small bowl add the yeast and 1/4 cup warm water--stir to mix. In a separate small bowl add a pinch of white sugar and 1 cup warm water--stir to mix. In a large bowl add the yeast mixture, 2 tsp. salt and the white sugar mixture--stir to mix. Start out by adding 4 cups flour--mix to make dough. If dough is not stiff, add more flour and mix the dough until the dough is stiff. Put the dough on a floured counter and knead the dough for at least 10 minutes so that the dough is elastic. Place the dough in a bowl and spread the whole top of the dough with softened butter. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough raise for 45 minutes or until dough is doubled in size. Shape dough into 1/2" thick ropes and shape them into pretzel twists. In a saucepan add 4 cups water and the baking soda--bring to a boil. Carefully drop one pretzel dough into the boiling water at a time and boil it for 1 minute or until it floats to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to remove it, drain it as much as possible and place it on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with all pretzel doughs, making sure that pretzel doughs don't touch each other on the cookie sheets. Sprinkle coarse salt on the pretzel doughs (if coarse salt doesn't stick well, use your finger to spread a little water over the tops of the pretzel doughs). Bake at 475 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

#1554 - Baguette Bread

(by Shirley McNevich)

(makes 3 loaves)
4 cups flour
1 TBSP yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups water (warm but not hot)

In a large bowl add flour and salt--stir. In a separate bowl add yeast and warm water--stir. Add half of the flour mixture from the other bowl to the yeast mixture--work with your hands until dough forms. Cover the top of the dough bowl with a tea towel and let it sit on your counter for 3 hours. At this point, the dough will be triple the size it was when you covered it. Remove the tea towel and start adding the other half of the flour mixture to the dough--keep working it with your hands until all flour has been used. Flour your counter, then place the dough on top of the flour. Use your hands to knead the dough for 10 minutes (no less). Spray the inside of a bowl with Pam, then place the dough in the oiled bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. After one hour, cut the dough into three equal sized pieces, form each into a baguette loaf shape, and place them on a cookie sheet. Once they are on the cookie sheets, let them sit for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a bowl of water on a separate cookie sheet in the oven. Place the cookie sheets with the bread doughs into the oven. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then remove the bowl of water. After removing the bowl of water bake the bread for 10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Ovens vary, so keep a close eye on them when making them for the first time. Also, the two outside loaves on the cookie sheet may get done quicker than the inside loaf.

#1115 - Coconut Long Johns

(by Shirley McNevich)

(If you aren't familiar with Long Johns, they are a long donut-like pastry.)

1 envelope Fleischmann's yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
@3 cups flour
canola oil
deep fryer
Frosting: 1 1/4 cups + 1 TBSP Domino's powdered sugar; 1 TBSP water; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1/8 tsp. salt; 1 bag Baker's Angelflake coconut

Grease a bowl--set aside. Grease cookie sheets--set aside. In a large bowl add warm water and yeast--stir lightly. Add milk, softened butter, powdered sugar, salt, beaten egg and flour--stir. You should end up with a soft dough--if too runny add a little more flour. If too stiff add a little more warm water.Place dough into greased bowl and put a tea towel over the top of the bowl--let the dough rise for just over an hour (the dough should be doubled in size). After the dough has doubled, flour your counter, put the dough ball on top of the flour, lightly flour the top of the dough and use a rolling pin to work the dough to about 1/4" thickness. Carefully cut the dough into rectangular pieces (a typical long john is about 5-6" long, and 2-3" wide). Place the rectangular pieces on to the greased cookie sheets. Cover each of the cookie sheets with a tea towel and let the dough raise until all of the long johns have doubled in size (30-45 minutes). While you're waiting for them to rise, put canola oil into your deep fryer and heat oil to 400 degrees. Fry the long johns (only add as many at a time so that they are not touching each other). When the bottoms are browned to your taste, flip each of the long johns and fry the other sides. After frying the first one, cut it open and check to make sure the long john has been fried all the way through--if not, fry subsequent long johns a little longer on each side. Repeat with all long johns. When they are finished, place them on paper towels to cool and drain the grease. While they are cooling, make the frosting (this frosting is more like a glaze--use your own frosting if you wish): in a bowl add water, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar--stir until smooth. If frosting is too runny add a little more powdered sugar. If frosting is too thick, add a little more water. When the long johns are cooled to room temperature, dip the tops of each long john in the frosting and sprinkle generous amount of coconut on top of the frosting. Lightly use your fingers to tap the coconut into the frosting so that it sticks. Serve immediately. Optional: some people are used to eating long johns that have cream filling or pudding filling. You can make your own cream filling/pudding filling and inject the filling into each long john.

#790 - Fudge Swirl Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 3/4 cups flour
2 envelopes rapid rise yeast
2 TBSP white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup very warm water
2 TBSP butter (melted)
Topping: 1 cup of hot fudge ice cream topping sauce (do NOT substitute with chocolate syrup or it won't work)
Icing: 1 cup Domino's powdered sugar, 2 TBSP milk

Put the warm water in a large bowl--add the yeast and stir. Add the salt, white sugar and melted butter--stir. Add the flour--stir until mixed. Spray a 9" DEEP pie plate with Pam. Spread batter evenly in the greased pie plate. Scoop spoonfuls of the hot fudge sauce on top. Use a knife to swirl the fudge sauce through the batter (like a marble cake). Place it in a cold oven, turn heat to 350 degrees and bake 25-30 minutes or until firm and brown. Cool completely. Frosting: in a bowl add the powdered sugar and milk--stir. Spread frosting on top of the pie. Refrigerate.

#446 - Potato Bread

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/4 cup warm water
3 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 cups milk
3 TBSP butter
1 cup mashed potatoes
4 TBSP white sugar
2 tsp. salt
6 cups flour
1 egg

Pour warm water into the bowl of mixer using dough hook attachment. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let stand for five minutes. Slowly mix in milk, mashed potatoes, butter, sugar and salt, then gradually mix in flour--dough should turn into a ball. Continue to knead on low speed for 2-3 minutes until dough is smooth. If dough is too dry, add more water 1 TBSP at a time until the dough balls up. If dough is more like cake batter, add more flour 1 TBSP at a time until it sticks together. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled (about 90 minutes). Grease two loaf pans and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Punch down dough and divide into two pieces. Shape each piece into a loaf shape and place in greased loaf pans. Cover pans with clean towel and let rise 1 hour until doubled. In a cup, beat the egg using a fork. Use a pastry brush to brush beaten egg over the tops of the loaves. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

#413 - Shoo Fly Bread

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 TBSP butter
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup Brer Rabbit green label molasses
2 tsp. white sugar
1 1/2 TBSP powdered milk
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup rolled oats

You need an all-in-one bread machine for this recipe. Place all ingredients except the last 1/4 cup rolled oats in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (check out the manual). Select white bread cycle, light crust and press START. Add the remaining 1/4 cup rolled oats five minutes before the kneading cycle has finished.