Texas RoadHouse Rolls

Perfect Imitation Texas Roadhouse Rolls w/ Sweet Cinnamon Butter

*Bake at 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:

- 4 t. Yeast

- 1/2 cup Warm Water

- 2 cups Milk (scalded and cooled to lukewarm)

- 3 T. melted Butter (slightly cooled)

- 1/2 cup Sugar

- 7-8 cups All-Purpose Flour

- 2 whole Eggs

- 2 t. Salt

Sweet Cinnamon Butter

- 1 Stick of Butter (softened)

- 1 T. of Honey

- 1/2 T. of Cinnamon

(Mix all ingredients together, if you feel the butter is not sweet enough for you or does not have enough cinnamon feel free to add more.)

Directions:

1. Dissolve Yeast in Warm Water with a 1/4 cup Sugar. Let it stand for 10 minutes

2. In a large mixing bowl add Flour, Salt, and the last 1/4 Sugar.

3. Add Yeast mixture, Milk, Eggs, and melted Butter to the Flour mixture.

4. Mix together and then kneed for 10-15 minutes 

5. Move the dough into a greased bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size (this should take about 30-60 minutes).

6. Once dough has risen place dough on a floured surface (the counter) and roll it out into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Then fold the dough in half and lightly roll the two pieces together to get it 1 inch thick rectangular dough. Then using a pizza cutter or dough scraper cut the rolls into squares. Place those squares onto a greased baking sheet. Cover and let dough rise again until double in size. 

7. Bake Rolls at 350 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. If you made them extra large bake them for 16-17 minutes. 

8. Immediately baste with butter once the rolls are taken out of the oven

Tips:

• I used a gluten dough enhancer but it is not needed
• I basted the rolls with sweet cinnamon butter not just regular butter. It made them extra sweet
• You can shape them like regular round rolls if you do not have time to roll them out and cut them. 
• Make sure you let them rise and don't forget to kneed them for 10-15 minutes it is super important (just use the dough hook on your kitchen aide to kneed them).  

 
 

Pumpkin Spice Bread

The Best Pumpkin Spice Bread!

Amazing Pumpkin Spice Bread...It taste like a pumpkin pie without the crust!

 

Ingredients:

* Bake at 350 for 1 hr. Makes two loaves ( I sometimes half the recipe when I do not want two loaves)

- 3 cups Sugar

- 1 cup Vegetable Oil

- 4 eggs, lightly beaten

- 1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

- 3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

- 1 t. Baking Soda

- 1 t. Salt

- 1 t. Ground Cinnamon

- 1 t. Ground Nutmeg

- 1/2 t. Baking Powder

- 1/2 t. Ground Cloves

- 1/2 t. Ground Allspice

- 1/2 cup Water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin...mix well. 

2. Combine dry ingredients; add to the pumpkin mixture alternately with water.

3. Pour into two greased 9in x 3 in loaf pans.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 60-65 minutes or until bread tests done

5. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack; let cool completely on rack

Tips:

•  I substitute cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice for "pumpkin pie spice" (it is essentially the same thing it just saves time measuring out all of the spices).  
• Nuts and Chocolate Chips Optional

French Bread

Delicious Crusty French Bread

Ingredients:

- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons shortening or butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 1/4 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast

- 1 T olive oil

Glaze: 1 egg white + 1 teaspoon water whisked together well

Directions:

* Bake at 400 degrees

1. Combine water, sugar, and yeast together and let sit for 10 minutes until yeast dissolves.

2. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together flour and salt, then add butter, oil, and yeast mixture.

3. Knead together for 5-10 minutes (if the dough is to dry you can add a Tablespoon of warm water).

4. Let the dough rise for 30 minutes then punch down and form into a long loaf.

5. Place the loaf onto a greased cookie sheet then paint the loaf with the glaze. Let it rise for another 30 minutes

6. Place a pot of boiling water at the bottom of your 400 degree oven (this will help make a nice crust on your french bread). Then put the bread in the oven for 15-25 minutes (depending on how hot your oven gets).

Incredible Southern Biscuits

Bojangles inspired recipe

*Instructional video and more pics coming soon!

 

For those of you who don't know what "Bojangles" is, it is a great southern restaurant with amazing biscuits. Every time someone I know comes back from North Carolina they rave about how the went to Bojangles and had incredible biscuits. Unfortunately I do not have the privilege of living close to a Bojangles restaurant so I had to search the web and try out many different recipes until I found the perfect one. This recipe is delicious and very simple to make. 

Ingredients:

- 3 cups Self Rising Flour

- 3 t. Baking Powder

- 2 t. Powder Sugar

- 1/2 cup Butter

- 1 1/4 cup Buttermilk

-Melted Butter

Directions:

* Preheat over to 400 degrees F.

1. Sift together the Self Rising Flour, Baking Powder, and Powder Sugar. 

2. Cut in very cold Butter until mixture is crumbly

3. Pour in cold Buttermilk and mix either with mixing spoon or by hand until all is combine.

4. Roll out mixed biscuit dough until it is 

5. Brush tops with melted butter and then bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

6. When the biscuits come out of the oven brush the tops again with melted butter...ENJOY!

Tips

•  How to make Self Rising Flour (for those like me who don't buy self rising flour)

For every 1 cup flour used add 1 1/2 t baking powder and 1/2 t salt.

• Use very cold butter (not frozen or you will not be able to cut it into the flour). Using cold butter makes the biscuits nice and flaky
• In addition to using very cold butter make sure to use cold buttermilk as well

• Substitution for Buttermilk ( sometimes I want to make these but do not have buttermilk on hand so this is an easy substitution that works just as well)

All you need is 1 cup milk and 1 T. white vinegar or lemon juice. Combine both the ingredients together and let them sit for 5 minutes and there you have it homemade buttermilk!

• You can also substitute the 1/2 cup butter for 1/2 cup shortening. I have tried it both way there is not much difference but I am more of a butter person so I tend to use butter more than shortening.

Mom's Mouth-Watering Herb Flat Bread

 Ingredients:

- 2 cups warm Water
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Yeast
- 4 cups Flour
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 cup Butter
- Rosemary & Thyme


Directions:

Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F


1. Mix together warm water (about 110 degrees f), sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes until completely dissolved and foamy.

2. In a separate bowl add the flour and salt. After the yeast mixture had sat for 10 minutes add it to the bowl containing the flour and salt.

3.  Mix in a mixer for 5-10 minutes

4. When dough is kneaded together place it onto a well greased cookie sheet and spread it out trying cover the entire tray.

5. Spread the entire 1/2 cup of melted butter evenly over the flattened dough

6. Lastly sprinkle dry rosemary and thyme generously over the entire bread. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Eat!

TIPS:

• Honestly this is a no fail crowd pleasing bread! The only tip that you made need while making this is to make sure to mix/knead for at least 5 minutes. 
• This bread goes perfectly with the "Best Beef Stew Ever" recipe (its actually what we just ate for dinner)!

Baking Tip #1

USE FRESH INGREDIENTS

It may seem obvious to use fresh ingredients but it really is such a crucial part of not only baking but cooking in general. If you try and bake bread using old yeast it becomes flat and dense. If the flour is too old while trying to whip up some cookies you are left with an awful after taste for what should have been a sweet treat. There is no need to buy new flour and yeast every time you want to cook something because these items can store for quite a while. Just make sure they are not past their expiration before trying to bake or cook with them. Using the freshest ingredients possible while baking will ensure that your delicious creations will turn out perfect!

Average Shelf Life of Kitchen Essentials:

• Butter in the refrigerator for up to a month (always check before using)
• Eggs (in shell) about 3-5 weeks depending on your refrigerator temp.
• Shortening kept in the pantry (unopened) saves for 18 to 24 months (opened) 6 months
• Cream Cheese (opened) 2 weeks or use by expiration date
• Baking Powder/Soda 6 months (store in a dry place)
• Flour (All Purpose) 6 to 12 months
• Flour (Wheat) 6-8 months in refrigerator (if you can try and grind fresh when baking the taste is better)
• Honey 1 year
• Olive Oil (opened) 3 months
• Spices (Ground Spices and Dried Herbs) 6 months
• Sugar (Brown) 4 months
• Sugar (Granulated) 2 years
• Sugar (Confectioners') 18 months
• Vinegars (opened) 12 months
• Vanilla Extract (opened) 1-2 years, if stored properly
• Dry Yeast 4 months after opening if refrigerated, or within 6 months after opening if frozen

 Yeast Freshness Test:

Using a 1 cup liquid measuring cup put 1/2 cup of warm water (around 110 degrees f) and dissolve in 1 t granulated sugar. Next stir in 2-1/4 tsp of dry yeast until there are no more dry yeast granules on top (yeast should be at room temperature before using). After 10 minutes the yeast should have completely dissolved and risen to the 1 cup mark. If your yeast did so it is very active and can be used immediately. If the yeast did not rise to the 1-cup mark, your yeast has little or no activity. Do not use the yeast!

To Die For Cranberry Muffins

Things needed:

- 1 1/2 cup Flour

- 1 cup Sugar

- 1/2 t Salt

- 2 t Baking Powder

- 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

- 1 Egg

- 1/3 cup Milk

- 1/3 cup Apple Sauce

- 1 t Vanilla Extract

- 1 cup Cranberries

- the zest of one lemon

- 2 Bowls, a Whisk, a Mixing Spoon, and Measuring Cups/Spoons

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Greased Muffin Cups or line with muffin liners

 2. Combine all the dry ingredients ( flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder). Mix together with a whisk.

 3. In a separate bowl combine the vegetable oil, egg, milk, apple sauce, vanilla extract, and the lemon zest. Whisk all together.

 4. Carefully pour the liquid mixture of oil, egg, milk, etc into the dry ingredients. Gently mix until the flour is completely mix in (you don't want to over mix).

5. Fold in the Cranberries

 Fill the muffin tins about 3/4 the way to the top (I use a small ladle) and bake for 20-25 mins or until done.

TIPS:

• I use frozen cranberries left over from making cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. I have never tried to use fresh.

• Prep time is 15 mins and it should make about 8 large muffins

•  My oven gets unusually hot and I only cook my muffins for 15 minutes. Make sure to check on yours to know when they are done. They may be done sooner than you think

• Sometimes I like them plain with just some butter on top but for an amazing crumble topping here are the directions:

Mix 1/2 cup Sugar, 1/3 cup Flour, 1/4 cup Butter, and 1 1/2 t Ground Cinnamon together with a fork. Then sprinkle over the muffins before you put them in the oven.

Incredible Blue Berry Muffins

Everything needed to make these blue berry muffins:

- 1 1/2 cup Flour

- 3/4 cup Sugar

- 1/2 t Salt

- 2 t Baking Powder

- 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

- 1 Egg

- 1/3 cup Milk

- 1/3 cup Apple Sauce

- 1 t Vanilla Extract

- 1 cup Blueberries

- 2 Bowls, a Whisk, a Mixing Spoon, and Measuring Cups/Spoons

* This is basically the same recipe as the cranberry muffins. The main differences are the substitution of cranberries for blueberries, less sugar and no lemon zest.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Greased Muffin Cups or line with muffin liners

2. Combine all the dry ingredients ( flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder). Mix together with a whisk.

3. In a separate bowl combine the vegetable oil, egg, milk, apple sauce, and vanilla extract. Whisk all together.

4. Carefully pour the liquid mixture of oil, egg, milk, etc into the dry ingredients. Gently mix until the flour is completely mix in (you don't want to over mix).

5. Fold in the blueberries

Fill the muffin tins about 3/4 the way to the top (I use a small ladle) and bake for 20-25 mins or until done. 

TIPS:

• Prep time is 15 mins and it should make about 8 large muffins

•  My oven gets unusually hot and I only cook my muffins for 15 minutes. Make sure to check on yours to know when they are done. They may be done sooner than you think

• Sometimes I like them plain with just some butter on top but for an amazing crumble topping here are the directions:

Mix 1/2 cup Sugar, 1/3 cup Flour, 1/4 cup Butter, and 1 1/2 t Ground Cinnamon together with a fork. Then sprinkle over the muffins before you put them in the oven.

These are incredibly easy to make and everyone will enjoy them! They are perfect for an after school snack or for an early morning breakfast. ENJOY