Orange Knots

Can you tell I have been cooking breads and rolls a lot lately??  Another great classic recipe.

2 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt

1 1/3 cup milk, scalded

2 T. orange peel

2 beaten eggs

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

Mix yeast, sugar, salt, in bowl.  Add milk and let proof for a few minutes.  Mix in orange peel, orange juice, and softened butter.  Mix in 2 cups flour and beat well.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add remaining ingredients until you get a soft dough.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Knead dough for 10 minutes until smooth.  Let the dough raise until it is doubled (1 hour).  Punch down and let rest for a few minutes. Roll dough into rectangle and cut into long stripes.  Roll each strip lightly under fingers and loosely tie into a knot.

Arrange on greased baking sheets and tuck ends under.  Cover and let rise until almost double, about one hour.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on rack and cover with glaze.

Glaze:

1 tsp. grated orange peel

2 T. orange juice

1 cup powdered sugar ( I added a little more because I like a thicker glaze)

Winter Fruit Salad

This is a really great salad.  The dressing is yummy and sweet and it's loaded with fruit.  It does go soggy pretty fast, so don't make it too far in advance.

Dressing:
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C lemon juice
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 C oil
1 T. poppy seeds


Salad:
I head iceburg lettuce, chopped
4 oz. shredded swiss cheese
1 cup cashews
1 cup craisins
2 apples, chopped
2 pear, chopped

Mix salad ingredients together and pour in dressing.  Mix well and serve.

Rosemary-Lemon No-Knead Bread

This recipe is from a Williams Sonoma cataloge and it is soooo good.  It takes a while to rise (18 hours), but very little effort and NO kneeding.  Baking the dough in the cast iron pot makes the crust so crispy and good.  I love my Le Cruset cast iron pot and use it for everything (roasts, soup, chicken, braising, bread, veggies, etc.).  They are expensive, but well worth it!


3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tsp. lemon zest
cornmeal as needed.


n a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, rosemary and zest. Add 1 5/8 cups water and stir until blended; the dough will be shaggy and very sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at warm room temperature (about 70°F) until the surface is dotted with bubbles, 12 to 18 hours.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the dough with a little flour and fold the dough over onto itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or your fingers, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel, preferably a flour sack towel (not terry cloth), with cornmeal. Put the dough, seam side down, on the towel and dust with more flour or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise until the dough is more than double in size and does not readily spring back when poked with a finger, about 2 hours.

At least 30 minutes before the dough is ready, put a 2 3/4-quart cast-iron pot in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over, seam side up, into the pot; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake the pan once or twice if the dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the loaf is browned, 15 to 30 minutes more.

Transfer the pot to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Using oven mitts, turn the pot on its side and gently turn the bread; it will release easily. Makes one 1 1/2-lb. loaf.

Homemade Italian Bread

This dough makes a large batch of Italian Bread (three loaves).  It is a pretty classic dough that can be shaped anyway you want.  The key to making a nice crispy crust and chewy inside it the misting you do while it's baking.  (another Allrecipes recipe)

3 cups warm water
1 tsp. white sugar
1 T. active yeast
1 T. salt
7 cups flour

Add sugar and yeast to the warm water and let proof.

Stir in 4 cups of flour and beat until smooth.  Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Beat in the salt and then add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough.  Knead until it is smooth and soft.  Turn in a greased bowl, cover, and let double in size.

Once doubled, punch down and divide into three.  Place back in bowl, cover, and let rise.  Once doubled again, punch down and form into three fat footballs (or circles or ovals or rectangles or whatever you want).  Grease heavy cookie sheets (I like to use my baking stone, it gets really nice and hot when I pre-heat it) and sprinkle with corn meal.  Place the bread on the sheets, cover with a towel, and let rise.

Once rise, mist with water and place in a preheated 450 degree oven.  Mist loaves with water (about every 4-5 minutes) and turn occasionally while they bake.  Bread is done when golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Favorite Breadsticks

We had the missionaries over for dinner the other night.  They seriously asked for my breadstick recipe (what 19 year old boys ask for a recipe).  This is a tried and true breadstick recipe that I've used for a long time.  I got it from HERE, I love their recipes!!

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 T. sugar
1 T. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 cups flour

Combine yeast, sugar, salt, and water.  Let proof for a few minutes.  Next mix in flour until dough starts to pull away from sides, you might not need all the flour.  Let dough rise until double (about 45 minutes), then roll into big rectangle and spread melted butter and garlic salt over dough.  Use pizza cutter to cut long strips (usually about 12) and drape over your finger and twist.  Place on greased pan and spread with another coat of melted butter and I like to sprinkle on oregano, basil, parsley, parmesan cheese, and anything else that sounds good.  Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes and then cook at 425 for 10-12 minutes.  I also like to make these with cinnamon and sugar for a fun treat.

Honey Of An Oatmeal Bread

Another one of my favorite bread recipes.  This recipe is for a bread machine, but since I don't have one I just make it the normal way I make yeast breads and bake it.  It's really good!

1 cup water
1 T. veg. oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 1/3 cups bread flour
1 tsp active dry yeast.

Mix ingredients together in bread machine (or I just mix them together like I mix any yeast dough).  Let rise once, punch down, put in greased pan and let rise again.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until golden brown.