homemade bread

How to Make Scrumptious, Quick Homemade Rolls

Marla Walters — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 10:24:30 +0000

Sometimes, my inner June Cleaver kicks in, and I want hot rolls with dinner. Such was the case a few weeks ago, when we were having friends over. I thought crescent rolls would look sporty with the meal, but I didn't have any on hand. (See also: How to Bake Sourdough Bread (and Save a Buck on Every Loaf)

A bakery downtown had some rolls, but not crescents — and I didn't want to pay $2.70 apiece. I then tried calling another bakery, where I was informed that I would have to put in an order, two days ahead of time, via their website. So much for instant gratification.

So off to the grocery store I went. The store "bakery" rolls looked pretty boring. My other choice was the Doughboy's canned dough, but that wasn't quite the homemade flavor that I was looking for.

Undaunted, I picked up flour and yeast and decided I'd make them myself. How hard could it be? I knew I'd beat the bakery price, besides!

The first thing I did, once back home, was to dig out my mother's roll recipe. Her recipe makes the best rolls in the world, but it ain't for sissies. I only had about an hour and a half before I was serving dinner, so these had to be fast. Pen in hand, I revised the recipe, hoping a simpler version would be good.

Quick Chive Rolls

(Makes approximately two dozen)

2 packages of "Rapid Rise" yeast (this allows you to skip the "rising" step and save time)
½ cup warm water (not hot, or you'll murder the yeasties)
3 tablespoons of white sugar
4 cups white flour, plus a little extra for rolling out dough
½ cup instant mashed potatoes (dry)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups buttermilk (I used low-fat, but regular would work fine)
¼ cup oil (I used olive, but Mom liked her Canola)
¼ cup chopped, fresh chives
Approximately 3- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Crisco, for greasing baking sheets

I used my KitchenAid mixer for this recipe, as it has a dough hook and really handles mixing easily. However, you do not need one — you just need a big bowl and some elbow grease. You will have to knead your dough by hand, if you don't use a dough hook. If you haven't done that before, this YouTube video shows how.

If you don't have buttermilk around, you can use a substitution. To a cup of milk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir gently and allow it to stand for five minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Mixing and Kneading

The first thing we are going to do is to get our yeast going. Open up the yeast packages and place them in a bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Add some of the sugar — 1 tablespoon — and the warm water. Stir and let it wake up. It'll start growing. Yeast is fun. If it doesn't grow, it's dead — start over with fresh yeast.

Here is how the yeast looks, when it gets going.

Next, sift together the 4 cups of flour, salt, and baking soda. When that is sifted, add the mashed potato flakes and stir until nicely combined.

While the yeast is doing its thing, warm up the buttermilk. Do not boil it — you just want it nice and warm. My mother used to say, "Like a baby's bottle." Remember, we don't want to kill the yeast.

In your large bowl or mixer bowl, add the yeast mixture to the buttermilk mixture, as well as the additional three tablespoons of sugar and the oil. Gently combine. Add the chopped chives and stir to distribute.

Gradually add in the flour-potato mixture. If I am using a mixer, I let it knead for about five minutes. If you are doing this without a mixer, when your dough is combined, take it out and knead it on a floured surface for ten minutes.

Here comes the fun part!

Shaping the Rolls

Separate your dough into halves.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour, and roll half of the dough out into a 12-inch diameter circle. It doesn't have to be perfect (obviously). Mine looks more like a paramecium.

Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter over the surface of the circle.

Cut the circle into 12 slices, like a pizza.

Beginning at the wide edge of one of the dough slices, roll into a crescent. Place rolls onto a greased cookie sheet. Give them space so that they don't bake into each other. Don't worry if the shapes aren't perfect (look at mine!). I guarantee they will taste great.

Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter, and bake for 13 minutes. Keep going with the other half of your dough.

Set your oven timer for 13 minutes. At the 13-minute mark, your rolls should be nicely browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Variations

One of my friends told me that dill or any combination of chopped herbs worked nicely in this recipe, too.

Substituting some whole wheat flour in place of the white flour adds nutrition and gives the rolls a nutty flavor.

They also freeze very well, and if you microwave them for about 30 seconds they taste like they just came out of the oven.

Do you have a favorite, quick bread or roll recipe? What do you do when company's coming and dinner needs one more thing? Please share it in comments!

This article is from Marla Walters of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

The 5 Best Bread Machines

Jeffrey Pu — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:36:33 +0000

Pre-sliced bread sold in supermarkets is often considered to be a marvel in American consumer innovation — hence the phrase “the greatest thing since sliced bread.” However, sliced bread isn’t really all that it’s chalked up to be. Buying sliced bread can often cost more than buying a fresh loaf, and sliced bread comes with a number of added preservatives and chemicals to extend its shelf life. On the other hand, making bread at home allows you to make bread of a higher quality than what you can find at a supermarket, and it can save you money in the long run. (See also: Shopping Calendar: The Best Time to Buy Anything)

What Is a Bread Machine?

As you might have guessed, a bread machine is used to bake fresh bread at home. A bread machine automates the process of mixing, kneading, and baking — allowing you to make bread with minimal active supervision. With variations in size and settings for different types of bread, a bread machine allows for the creation of all kinds of loaves right from home.

Best 5 Bread Machines

Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker With Yeast Dispenser

Among the most highly reviewed bread machines, the Panasonic SD-YD250 combines consistent performance and a healthy list of settings with a reasonable price. This bread machine creates loaves of bread in three sizes up to 2-1/2 pounds and offers a host of digital settings for different types of breads such as white, wheat, and multigrain. It is also capable of baking non-yeast breads as well as preparing different types of dough without baking them. Finally, a timer allows the bread machine to be programmed up to 13 hours in advance. The current price for the Panasonic SD-YD250 is $114.99.

Zojirushi BB-HAC10 Home Bakery Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker

The Zojirushi BB-HAC10 has been well-reviewed for its small size and ease-of-use. Its 1 pound loaf size makes it perfect for smaller households. While it may not have as many features as other bread machines on the market, it still has settings for Regular, Firm, or Soft bread textures as well as the ability to prepare a variety of breads. The current price for the Zojirushi BB-HAC10 is $185.99.

Zojirushi BB-CEC20 Home Bakery Supreme Breadmaker

The Zojirushi BB-CEC20 is the sports car of breadmakers, offering the best performance and greatest functionality but with a premium price. Dual paddles on this Zojirushi create rectangular 2 pound loaves. This bread machine comes with 10 pre-programmed bread settings, 3 crust shade settings, and a timer that can delay the baking cycle by up to 13 hours. The current price for the Zojirushi BB-CEC20 is $229.95.

Sunbeam 5891 Programmable Breadmaker

The Sunbeam 5891 is another breadmaker that is well-liked for its ease-of-use and its affordable price. This bread machine makes 1-1/2 or 2 pound loaves, and while it may not be able to make as wide a variety of breads as other machines, it still has dedicated dough-only, bake-only, and jam settings. Finally, it also has the 13-hour delay start function and three crust settings. The current price for the Sunbeam 5891 is $64.32.

West Bend 41300 Hi-Rise Electronic Dual-Blade Breadmaker

The West Bend 41300 is the last bread machine on this list that combines a reasonable price tag with a decent suite of settings. Offering the largest selection of loaf sizes, the West Bend creates 1, 1-1/2, 2, and 2-1/2 pound loaves. Like many of the other bread machines, it comes with a number of pre-programmed settings, 3 crust settings, and a 12-hour delay timer. The current price for the West Bend 41300 is $75.00.

These are our recommendations for the best 5 bread machines. With the right machine, you’ll be making healthy and delicious bread from home that actually is greater than sliced bread. Be sure to check out the Wise Bread Shopping Calendar to learn when and how to buy just about anything!

This article is from Jeffrey Pu of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Frugal Gluten-Free Living: Delicious Homemade Gluten-Free Bread

Sonja Stewart — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:00:02 +0000

My family has to have bread. My husband can survive on a diet entirely of toast. But the gluten-free bread sold at stores is expensive and as heavy as a brick. My solution is to make a gluten-free bread at home that is spongy, light, delicious and very affordable.

First I substitute wheat flour with the gluten-free all-purpose flour mix.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix

(This mix can be substituted for traditional recipes, cup for cup. Just remember to add xanthan gum to your mixture. The xanthan gum works as a gluten substitute, webbing the dough together, working as a binding agent. Traditionally, it's 2 teaspoons for bread recipes, 1 for cakes and 1 ½ for cookies.)

3 parts brown rice flour (or white, which has a more subtle taste).
3 parts cornstarch
2 parts soy flour (or sorghum if someone has a soy allergy)
1 part masa flour

Homemade Gluten-Free Bread

Thanks to the gluten free cooking school for this recipe!

If you don't have a bread machine, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ c. water (hot tap water, but not too hot, or the yeast will die)
2 ½ cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1tsp. salt
2 eggs (or 6 Tbsp. water and 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed)
1 ½ Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cider vinegar

1. Mix the yeast and the sugar in a small bowl. I use a fork to blend as I pour in the water. Let this sit while you mix the other ingredients. The yeast should foam and bubble if it's doing what it's supposed to do.

2. Combine the flour, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl, making sure it's well blended. A note on the mixing, I've noticed the texture of the bread is greatly improved if you let the mixer go for a few extra minutes. The xanthan gum activates and webs out better.

3. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar until the eggs are a bit frothy.

4. The yeast should be bubbly by now, so you can add all of your wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed. You don't need to knead this dough. You'll notice with gluten-free mixes, it's more of a cake-like consistency.

5. If you have a bread machine, you can dump it in there at this point and cook on the 80 minute setting. You don't need the paddle. If you don't have a bread machine, place the bowl in a warm place with a towel over it. (I choose the inside oven with a bowl of hot water underneath it, or I place it on top of the oven while it's preheating.) Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or until it doubles in size. Then place it in a loaf pan and cook until a toothpick comes out clean. (I have an oven from the 1920's, so my cooking time is a little off. It will probably take anywhere from 20 minutes to 45.)

Now you can have bread, sandwiches and (gasp) toast! I know. This gluten-free thing isn't so bad after all. This recipe is delicious, healthy and only pennies on the dollar compared to the store bought loaves. Enjoy responsibly.

This article is from Sonja Stewart of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: