BREADS

Browned Butter and Sour Cream Cornbread

¼ cup unsalted butter

1 tsp oil

1 ½ cups cornmeal

½ cup flour

¼ cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp soda

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

Melt butter in a saucepan over med heat, swirling often until lightly browned and nutty, about 4 mins. Pour into a small bowl, and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400. Use oil to grease an 8” cast iron skillet; place in oven to heat.

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, powder, salt, and soda. Add eggs and sour cream to melted butter, whisking well. Pour into dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Pour batter into skillet. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 mins. Let cool in skillet 5 mins, then turn onto a wire rack and slice into wedges. Serves 8.

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Potivica Bread

½ cup milk, scalded and cooled

½ cup sugar

1 pkg yeast

2 tsp salt

5 to 6 cups flour

2 eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup butter, melted and cooled

Filling:

1 lb walnuts, finely chopped

1 cup sugar

1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon

1 to 2 cups raisins or dates (I prefer dates), finely chopped

½ cup butter, melted and cooled

Place cooled scalded milk, sugar, yeast in a mixing bowl. Add the salt and 1 ½ cups flour. Beat on med speed for about 2 mins. Add eggs and melted butter. Bear another minute. Gradually add 3 ½ cups flour, mixing well after each addition. Allow the dough to rest for 10 mins.

Knead dough until dough is soft and elastic, adding a little more flour as needed. Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover and allow to rise for 2 ½ hours.

Meanwhile, combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and dried fruit for filling.

Place the dough on a floured board or counter. Place 2 Tbsp melted butter in the center of the dough and begin stretching dough gently with fingers, pulling from underneath toward you, until you have formed a thin, round shape about 30 inches in diameter. Using a rolling pin is fine for this.

Pour 2 Tbsp melted butter onto the dough and brush to cover the entire surface.

Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll. Cut log into three even-sized loaves. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Two loaves will fit on one sheet. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a war place for 1 ½ hours.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake loaves for 45 mins to 1 hour or until golden brown. Cool before slicing. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap for freezing.

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Pancakes and Waffles

1 cup whole wheat berries (grain)

1 cup water or milk

Blend in glass blender for 3 mins.

Add: ½ cup milk. Blend 2 mins more.

Add: 2 eggs

½ tsp salt

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ cup oil              

Blend well.

If making waffles, separate the eggs and add the yolks to this blend. Whip the whites to soft peaks and fold into prepared batter.

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Belgian Waffles (not Bruges-type, but good)

4 eggs, separated

½ tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp melted butter

½ tsp salt

1 cup milk

Beat yolks until light colored; add vanilla and butter.

Combine the dry ingredients. Add to eggs alternately with milk. Fold in beaten egg whites.

Use a deep-pocket Belgian waffle maker. Have butter, sour cream, fruit, syrups ready

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Corn Bread

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

¼ cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl. Add the wet to the dry; stir just until blended. Do NOT overmix or it’ll be tough. Pour into greased 8” square pan or pie plate.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 mins. Serve warm.

Note: Recipe may be doubled, using a 9 x 13 pan. Leftovers are wonderful as stuffing for poultry.

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Fluffy Whole Wheat Biscuits

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour (I use hard white wheat grown by my cousin, Wilbur, at his ranch east of Walla Walla, Washington. I grind it myself, so it’s always fresh.)

4 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

¾ tsp salt

¼ cup butter

1 cup milk

450 degrees       10-12         1 dozen  

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Hill House Cinnamon Rolls

These are legendary in Boise, Idaho where Back in the Day they were a highly desired local favorite at a restaurant, that has long since gone out of business.

Sweet Dough Mix:

½ cup milk, scalded, then cooled

1 pkg yeast

½ cup lukewarm water (105 to 115 degrees!!!)

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

¼ cup butter, softened

½ tsp salt

3 cups unbleached flour, sifted

Whipped Cream Mixture:

1 ½ pints (3 cups) whipping cream

¾ cup sugar

1 to 1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Scald milk, then cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1 tsp of the sugar. Add remaining sugar, scalded milk, egg, butter, and salt. Add 1 cup of flour and mix well to make a batter. Add enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead lightly and place in a greased bowl. Cover and place in a warm place. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Whip the cream, adding sugar, cinnamon and vanilla after the cream begins to thicken. Continue whipping until the cream begins to stand up, barely making little peaks. (Don’t whip too stiff.) Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Separate the dough into 3 equal portions. Roll out dough to a little over 1/8” thickness. Rolls will be small. Spread a small amount of whipping cream mixture very thinkly on the dough, almost to the edges. Roll up and , with a sharp knife, slice rolls into 3/4” inch pieces. (Some oozing cream does not matter. Scoop it up and place on top of rolls.)

Grease a pan that is at least 3 inches deep, not bigger than about 11x16. Set rolls flat, barely touching each other. Cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise until rolls have doubles, 1 to 2 hours.

Cove rolls with the remainder of the whipped cream mixture, making sure that all dough is covered.

Bake on top oven shelf (above middle shelf) in a 425 degree oven for 20 mins. Test between center doneness before removing from oven. Doneness is when the roll will spring back when lightly pressed with finger. Cool pan on rack. When serving, turn the rolls upside down onto a platter; gooey side up.

Note: Ovens vary, so lower the temp to 400 or 375 if your oven tends to get Too Hot).

Makes about 3 dozen rolls. Refrigerate after baking. Freezes well. Can be reheated in microwave or conventional oven.

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Sourdough Sponge

2 cups flour

1 cup sourdough starter

¼ cup sugar

1 to 1 ¼ cup milk

Beat ingredients together until it’s like cake batter. Cover bowl with a dish towel and leave it on the counter overnight. In the morning, remove 1 cup and add it to your sourdough starter, stir, refrigerate. Use the remaining Sponge in recipes requiring Sourdough; bread, pancakes, etc.

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Sourdough Starter

2 cups skim-milk buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp active yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

Stir together in earthen bowl, cover loosely. Rest it at room temperature. Stir in liquid that forms on top and refrigerate.

Weekly: Pour out half of starter, add 1 cup flour and 1 cup water. Stir together, rest it at room temp. Refrigerate.

The half that was poured out is to be used in sourdough recipes.

Use 1 cup starter with 2 cups pancake mix and 1 to 1 ½ cups water.

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