Thursday, February 24, 2011

Cream Cheese Danish

(Warning this isn't a a recipe for novice bakers)

  • 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 8 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs

Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 white granulated sugar
4 T. lemon juice
 

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
6 tablespoons half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup of flour. Divide into 2 equal parts, and roll each half between 2 pieces of waxed paper into a 6 x12 inch sheet. Refrigerate.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the dry yeast and 3 cups of the remaining flour. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar and salt. Heat to 115 degrees F (43 degrees C), or just warm, but not hot to the touch. Mix the warm milk mixture into the flour and yeast along with the eggs, and lemon and almond extracts. Stir for 3 minutes. Knead in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is firm and pliable. Set aside to rest until double in size.
  3. Cut the dough in half, and roll each half out to a 14 inch square. Place one sheet of the cold butter onto each piece of dough, and fold the dough over it like the cover of a book. Seal edges by pressing with fingers. Roll each piece out to a 20x 12 inch rectangle, then fold into thirds by folding the long sides in over the center. Repeat rolling into a large rectangle, and folding into thirds. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Go ahead and make your filling. Mix all the ingredients together until, evenly mixed and there are no more lumps from the cream cheese. Set aside on counter until time to fill the danishes. Make your glaze as well.
  5. Remove from the refrigerator one at a time, and roll and fold each piece two more times. Return to the refrigerator to chill again before shaping. If the butter gets too warm, the dough will become difficult to manage.
  6. To make danishes, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. The dough can be cut into squares, with a filling placed in the center. Fold 2 of the corners over the center to form a filled diamond shape. Or, fold the piece in half, cut into 1 inch strips, stretch, twist and roll into a spiral. Place a dollop of preserves or other filling in the center. Place danishes on an ungreased baking sheet, and let rise until doubled. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (220 degrees C). Danishes can be brushed with egg white for a shiny finish.
  7. Bake in hot over for 15-18 min or until top is golden brown. Drizzle Glaze over warm danishes.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Homemade Lollipops




1 cup sugar

1/3 cup white corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. Flavoring See note 1, below.
food coloring See note 2, below.
l/8 tsp. Citric acid (optional) See note 3, below.

1. Use 1/4 to 1 tsp. depending on concentration of flavoring.
2. To make opaque odors add 1/2 tsp. liquid white coloring (Liquid Whitener).
3. Citric acid may be added to fruit flavors to add tartness. Use 1/8 tsp. dissolved in 1 tsp. warm water.  Add at same time as flavoring.



Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in saucepan. Cook on high heat until mixture reaches 280 degrees F. Lower heat to Medium High. Continue to cook mixture to 300 degrees F. Remove from heat. Let stand until bubbles subside (approximately 265 degrees F). Add flavoring and coloring. Stir until blended. Do not over stir. 

This is where I buy my lollipop supplies. 

If you live out West you may be able to find these things in a local craft store..

Friday, February 18, 2011

Island Teriyaki Sauce

1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
2 T. White Vinegar
1/2 t. cracked Pepper
1/4 t. Garlic Powder

combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Excellent on chicken (above picture), pork chops and steaks.
My kids also love it as a dipping sauce for meat.
I triple the recipe and then store leftover in a jar with a lid in the fridge.

recipe courtesy of Ann Marmo SuperNurse

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Lion House Rolls


2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk
2 T. yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 t.  salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine (I use butter flavor crisco)
1 egg
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour


In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and yeast; let sit 5 minutes. Add dry milk yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).
Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.
Scrape dough out onto floured board. Divide dough into two. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 12 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 12 pieces of dough.
Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper (I just use a greased pan). Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. You can roll the rolls however way you want.. 

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Makes 2 dozen rolls.

Helpful Tips for Making Rolls
Always add flour gradually and keep dough as soft as you can handle. A soft dough will produce a lighter roll.
It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour called for in the recipe—add only enough flour to make dough manageable.
To shorten dough’s rising time, use one of these methods:
1) When dough is thoroughly mixed, oil bowl and cover dough with plastic wrap. Fill sink or larger bowl with about 2 inches of hot water or enough water to come about half or three-fourths the way up outside the dough bowl. Place bowl of dough in bowl of water and allow to rise until double in size.
2) Just before mixing dough, turn oven on lowest possible temperature. Place a pan of hot water on bottom oven rack. When dough is thoroughly mixed, place in oiled bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap; place in oven. Turn oven off, shut oven door, and allow dough to rise until double in size, about 50 to 60 minutes. Shape or cut into desired rolls. Place rolls on greased or parchment-lined pans and allow to rise until double in size. Bake according to recipe.
Brush top of rolls with butter when first taken from oven.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Coca-Cola Cake

1 cup Coca-Cola
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 t. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Coca-Cola Frosting:

  • 1/2  cup  butter or margarine
  • 1/3  cup  Coca-Cola
  • 3  T.  cocoa
  • 1  (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
  • 1 T.  vanilla extract

Garnish: 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted


Combine Coca-Cola and buttermilk; set aside.
Beat butter at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar; beat until blended. Add egg and vanilla; beat at low speed until blended.
Combine flour, cocoa, and soda. Add to butter mixture alternately with cola mixture; begin and end with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended.
Stir in marshmallows. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13- x 9-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes. Pour Coca-Cola Frosting over warm cake; garnish, if desired.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Dyno-MITE Doughnuts





1T rapid rising yeast
1 3/4 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all-purpose flour

 
Glaze:

1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons hot water or as needed




Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and let froth for 10 min.

In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains. I heat my oven to 150 degrees and then turn it off and put my dough in there to rise. It rises a lot faster that way. Warm draft free proofing cupboard.. :)

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F. Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.

Martha Stewart Brown Butter Toffee Blondies


 
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups packed light-brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts (about 4 ounces)

1 cup toffee bits

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter and flour parchment paper.

2.In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown; remove from heat, and let cool. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

3.In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter and both sugars; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Attach bowl to mixer; add eggs. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture, walnuts, and toffee bits. Mix until thoroughly combined, and pour into prepared pan.

4.Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (do not overbake). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before turning out of pan onto a cutting board. Peel off parchment paper; cut blondies into 3-inch squares. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Brown Butter Toffee Blondies - Martha Stewart Recipes