Sugar Lump Cinnamon Bread

 

1 cup milk 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 packages yeast 1/3 cup warm water 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 egg 5 1/2 to 6 cups all−purpose flour

Filling 1/4 cup soft butter or margarine 1 tablespoon cinnamon 50 sugar cubes

Combine milk and butter and heat to scalding. Add sugar and salt and cool to lukewarm.

Soften yeast in the 1/3 cup warm water.

Add vanilla extract and egg to milk mixture. Add softened yeast. Add flour gradually as needed. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth. Let rise until double.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each half to a 12 x 15−inch rectangle.

Filling: Mix together butter, cinnamon and sugar cubes. Use half on each rectangle, spreading as evenly as possible. Roll up and pinch edges to seal. Place in greased bread pans and let rise until double for 30 to 35 minutes.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Soft Baked Pretzels

 

1 package dry yeast 1 1/2 cups warm water 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 4 cups flour (maybe more) 1 beaten egg Coarse salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar and flour, and mix. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Add a little more flour if it is too sticky. Let dough rise for 30 minutes.

Cut dough into 12 pieces. Roll pieces of dough into 16−inch ropes. To make pretzels, curve ends of each rope to make a circle; cross ends at top. Twist ends once and lay down over bottom of circle. Spray cookie sheet with baking spray. Arrange pretzels on sheet. Brush on egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden.

St. Joseph's Bread

 

2 to 3 cups unbleached flour 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast 1 tablespoon honey 2/3 cup hot water 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons aniseed 1/3 cup golden raisins Corn meal

Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, honey, water, salt, butter and aniseed in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add raisins. Beat for another 10 minutes, adding flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary to prevent stickiness. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft−free place until doubled in bulk — about 1 hour.

Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with corn meal or line one with kitchen parchment. Punch down the dough. Shape into a long loaf. Place the loaf on the baking sheet and make three or four 1/2−inch diagonal slashes on the top. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in bulk — about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist loaves with water or vinegar before baking and twice during baking. Bake about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

NOTE: Traditionally, you shape the bread to look like a patriarch's beard by making five torpedo loaves of graduated lengths, 1 long, 2 medium and 2 short. Place them close together on a baking sheet in the following order: 1 short, 1 medium, 1 long, 1 medium, 1 short. They will rise together and you'll have Pane di San Guiseppe.

Butterhorn Rolls

 

1 package yeast 1/3 cup water 1/2 cup milk, scalded 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 2 1/4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Cool milk and add it with eggs, salt, sugar, then flour. Mix and knead. Let rise until double in size. Roll out in circles and brush with melted butter or margarine. Cut in pie−shape wedges; roll up. Brush with oleo again. Let rise.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F or until golden brown.

NOTE: recipe may be doubled.

Butterflake Rolls

 

1/4 cup room temperature water 2 packages dry yeast 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup shortening, melted 1 cup warm water 3 beaten eggs 4 1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons salt

Mix all ingredients with spoon. Cover. Place in refrigerator overnight.

Next morning roll out dough and spread with butter. Fold over and roll three times spreading with butter each time.

Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares and dip in butter. Place rolls into muffin tins and let rise 2 hours. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees F.

NOTE: Dough may be kept covered in refrigerator for 2−3 weeks.