2/25/10

15 Light Wheat Potato Rolls

I have had several requests for a good potato roll recipe.  These rolls are made with whole white wheat and all purpose flour.  Hence, the name "light" wheat rolls.  When a bread is called "Whole Wheat," I assume that it is 100% all wheat, which is not necessarily true.
The potatoes in these rolls contribute to a tenderness that compares well to a soft white dinner roll.
In the mixing bowl, I have my fresh ground wheat, vital wheat gluten, and currently adding active dry yeast.  Stir everything well.






In a 2c. measure, I put my milk, butter and instead of sugar, I am adding honey.







If you lightly spray your measuring spoon with oil BEFORE measuring the honey, it will just sliiiiiiiide right out ~







The milk/butter mixture was heated in the microwave for 3 minutes on 50% power.  It's a good idea to stir the contents and check the temperature.  This is way to hot.  It will kill the yeast.  Look for "body" temperature....around 98º-99ºF.





I added a cold egg from the fridge and quickly stirred it in.


*Whew*  Got the temp down where I wanted it.





Added instant granular potatoes.  You can add potato flakes or mashed potatoes.  I'm adding it to the warm milk mixture to help dissolve these granules.  Flakes dissolve much more quickly.






I added the potato/milk mixture to my wheat flour ingredients to soak or "sponge" for 15 minutes.  Sponging will soften the bran in the yeast and give your yeast a head start...






15 minutes later, the sponge is poufy, light and bubbly.  Now it's time to add the all purpose flour...







I only added about 1 1/4 c. flour (instead of the 1 3/4 c. listed on the recipe) because my potato granules soaked up a lot of liquid.  If you use flakes, you will probably start with 1 3/4 c.)

Knead for about 4 minutes until dough clings to hook, mostly cleans the sides, smooth, elastic, wet, but not sticky.




The dough is covered with plastic wrap and allowed to rise in a warm place (oven or microwave with a pan or glass of hot water) to rise until double.  To do a "doubled" test, I poke it quickly with 2 fingers...





If the "dents" stay, it's ready.


If not, (the "dents" begin to rise back up) it's not ready.
I purchased this scale at Ross for $20.  I absolutely love it.  I'm more accurate in weighing my flour and can even "portion" size my rolls.  I weighed the entire batch and divided the number by 24 rolls.






Each portion is rolled into a ball.  While I am shaping my rolls, I like to keep them covered with plastic wrap to keep from drying out...







The balls of dough are put into a 9x13" greased baking pan and covered with plastic wrap.






After about 30 minutes, these rolls are doubled in size. Yours may take longer, depending on how cold your dough is, how cold your kitchen is, or the altitude where you live.






These are baked for 20 minutes. I didn't want to make them brown too much, so I laid a sheet of aluminum foil over the top at the 15 minute mark.






Light, fluffy, tender rolls!  This is just begging for a pat of butter....



I'll be right back!




Light Wheat Potato Rolls
(4x6 printable recipe)     (full page recipe)

2/24/10

3 And the Winner Is.... (This Giveaway is Closed)

Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway.  Thank you to those who referred their friends.  Thank you for your kind comments.
I put the numbers into Random.org and the lucky winner is....
Comment number 7!

Okay...gotta go back to my blog and find comment number seven....looking,  looking, oh, here it is!

Cristie said...
I have visited your blog several times and love it! Barbara of BarbaraBakes directed me here tonight and my goodness what a terrible thing to have happened to your computer. I had to get a new hard drive in 2009 and it was a mess recovering all the data even with my son who is also a wiz at all things computer. I will be inviting Bonnie of City Home/Country Home to see your beautiful site.
 
Congratulations, Cristie!  Now, I'm gonna scroll down my comments and see if Bonnie left a comment....yup, she did!



Bonnie said...
I was so touched by your post today. I have one close friend who died from AlS two years ago and another in the last stages now. It is a horrible disease and having seen it very close up, I am so grateful for my health and that of my family. Cristie referred me. Someone else in my life whom I am grateful for. Here's wishing you a better year.
Congratulations to you both!  Email me your info to friedalovesbread@gmail.com  and I will get your lovely kitchen gadgets in the mail asap!
 

2/22/10

4 Eggland's Best Eggs Review

As part of the FoodBuzz Tastemaker program, I receive opportunities to try different products.  I was excited to try these eggs and see what was so special about them, other than its distinctive EB stamp...






The cover on the eggs pretty much say it all...the nutrition in the egg is a direct result of what is fed to the hens.  I know I can use more Omega 3's in my diet ~







One of these eggs is not like the other...which one is the Eggland's Best?







The egg on the left is a local store brand egg.  The one on the right is Eggland's.  Definitely a larger, darker egg yolk and more egg white.  A darker yolk is typically seen in a farm fresh egg.  It looks like you get more egg for your buck~

But how do they taste?  I used the eggs in omelettes, waffles, and cheesecake.

Omelettes were light and fluffy and full of flavor....








the waffles were light, airy, and crispy...








and the cheesecake was creamy and packed full of cheesy flavor.




The only downside was trying to find a store that carried these eggs.  Hopefully, that will be changing.  Thanks FoodBuzz and Eggland's Best!














2/19/10

6 Computer Woes Continue...

So sorry I haven't posted a recipe for awhile.  My computer got attacked.  Again.
This time, it doesn't seem to be as serious, thanks to my "in-house" computer techie.  

He says the source of my virus is a website that put an 'ad' on my computer that falsely "warns" me that I might have a virus, hoping that I will purchase THEIR anti-virus program.  How deceptive.

To be honest, I'm afraid to use my computer again.

I'm seriously considering purchasing another (Mac?) computer that belongs only to me....doesn't get shared by others in my family that unknowingly visit/download stuff from unknown sites.
In the past, computers got 'viruses' to corrupt information.

Nowadays, they get 'malware' or 'spyware' to STEAL information.

Yep, I backed up all my data.  I've learned my lesson.  

Meanwhile, I've been so happy to see the comments on my GIVEAWAY post...
(keep entering here daily to increase your chances of winning...you don't have to refer a friend; just leave a comment)

I've learned that I'm not alone ~ others have lost precious data, and family members close to them from ALS.  

Thanks for the sweet comments....and referrals to my blog. 

An added bonus is that those who are being referred to my blog are bloggers that I am also interested in following!  What a sweet world the blogosphere is ~

Frieda

2/16/10

30 A Double Giveaway......Just Because (Giveaway is Closed)

It's Tuesday.
My computer would not cooperate over the weekend.
I lost ALL of my files, documents, and photos.
Even though I had anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-everything software.


Poof.  Gone.


I quickly learned what was really important to me.
Family photos.  My journal.


Did I have back up?  Yes.  But the last time I backed anything up was a year ago.

So, essentially, I lost a year of....stuff.

I had a good, ugly cry.  It lasted a couple of minutes.

I came to my senses and realized what I was really grateful for.

My taxes were done and printed.  Not filed, but printed.
My 21 year old son is computer savvy.  He downloaded a data recovery program and was able to retrieve most, but not all of my photos and documents.
See this photo?  It's my new pastry brush.  Only the photo is corrupted.
My documents?  The first 20 pages of my journal were salvaged.  Not the rest.  It was scrambled...corrupted.  I realized that the "missing" or "corrupted" pages were really a documentation of the crappy parts of last year:  My mother-in-law's diagnosis, struggle, and death from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).  How my oldest son just up and left our home three days after her diagnosis.  No explanation.  No answers.  Did I really need that reminder?

I have often said that I NEVER wanted a repeat of last year again.  It was probably a good thing that those pages from my journal are gone.  I embraced the new year, looking forward, being grateful for the lessons and the strength that I gathered from my experiences.

The new year began with my son returning home.  Yes, the tech savvy kid who tried to salvage my stuff on the computer.  What would I have done without him? I'm grateful for every day that he is here.  I know that he is safe and that he is okay.

The anniversary of my mother-in-law's death is approaching.  It has been difficult adjusting to the changes of her being gone, but what have I learned?  
To appreciate life.  
To remember and say, "I love you" on a daily basis.  
To appreciate being able to walk, brush my own teeth, dress myself, and breathe.  
To appreciate being able to do something for someone else and the joy that results from it.

You know what else I loved about last year?
The world of blogging.  I get to share what I love, what I do, with friends from all over.  Old friends, new friends, and online friends.  It amazes me the wealth of information that I have learned from folks all over the world.  I love to leave comments and read the comments that are left on my blog.  I love being able to help someone across the U.S. make a successful loaf of bread or a light, buttery roll.

I love kitchen gadgets.
Gadgets that serve more than one purpose.  Gadgets that don't take up a whole lot of space.  Gadgets that are inexpensive.

See this pastry brush on the left?

It's worse than my toothbrush...it needed replacing!






I searched high and low to find the PERFECT pastry brush...and here it is!  A Lurch Silicone Pastry Brush.  I tried to find one that had bristles that were just right...not too long and....flippy.  
I needed a sturdy brush that I could dip into shortening or butter to brush my loaf pans.  
There is a bonus...it is made from silicone and is heat resistant up to a  ridiculous temperature.  I used it in hot bacon grease to grease my muffin tins for corn muffins.  Yum!

Do you want one?  I know you do! 

Wait....I want to add something else to the giveaway...
A bowl scraper.  This is another one of my all time favorite gadgets.  The curved end scrapes any kind of dough or batter out of a bowl and into a pan or counter top.  The flat end scrapes anything off your counter...without scratching.  It's not too big, not too small, and is flexible.

How do you win?

Leave a comment telling me what you are grateful for and invite a friend to subscribe/follow my blog. (Comment + I have invited....Sarah L.) You don't have to invite a friend, but the more, the merrier!

If you are referred by a friend to my blog, please subscribe and include your friend's name.  (Comment + I was referred by Amanda J.

If you are chosen by Random.org, you AND your subscribed friend listed on the comment will each receive both of these great gadgets.  You can leave one comment per day.  Wow....every day, you can invite someone new!
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and will end at midnight Tuesday, February 23.

Frieda

2/13/10

7 Heart Cinnamon Rolls

Pinch My Salt was mulling an idea on FaceBook.  Weird thing was, I was thinking the same thing:   Is it possible to make heart shaped cinnamon rolls?  My rolls were in the oven at the time she posted her lovely heart shaped cinnamon rolls...

Here is a snapshot of Pinch My Salt's cinnamon roll hearts.  Aren't they darling?  She's got some other great Valentine's Day food ideas at this link.




I used my Dinner Roll recipe for these cinnamon rolls.  I cut the batch of dough in half and rolled it into a rectangle.  Spread butter and sprinkled cinnamon/sugar mixture on it.

Rolled the dough from each end..




not quite a heart shape....yet.  



I sliced these in 1/2" slices with a sharp knife.





Put them on a baking sheet.


I pulled down on the bottom to make a point and spread out the tops of the hearts a little bit.  It's good to exaggerate the shape as the dough expands to twice its size.  They will continue to rise and puff up in the oven.






Here are some rolls that actually look like hearts.  The others.....well....







Muscle man arms?








A sea shell?







I took some butter frosting and thinned it with a little bit of milk to reach a drizzling consistency.  I love using the wire rack inside a baking sheet to catch all the drippings ~






Happy Valentine's Day ~  I hope it is as sweet as these rolls!




2/11/10

8 Shredded Beef Enchiladas

As I was looking through my food storage, I noticed something was terribly lacking.
I had plenty of fruits, veggies, grains, and baking supplies.  Protein?  Meat?  Hmmmmm.
I see peanut butter and tuna fish.  Did you know that tuna fish has a shelf life of only 2 years?  Yikes.  I was in trouble...

Sadly, we are not a bean-loving family.  I couldn't imagine, in an emergency, living off of peanut butter and tuna fish.  Ughhhhh.


I saw this at Costco and decided to give it a try.  To see if my family even liked it.
My motto has always been...."Store what you eat.....Eat what you store."

Upon opening the can, I was pleasantly surprised to see whole chunks of beef, very little fat, and some broth.

I found a small can of diced green chiles and decided to try my hand at making beef enchiladas.
I threw 2 cans of beef, drained along with 1 can of the chiles.  I added dark chili powder...
garlic powder,
and a little bit of my Homemade Enchilada Sauce.  You can see how easily this beef shredded.
Stirred everything well and heated it till warmed throughout.

I poured a thin layer of enchilada sauce into a 9x9 pan

and warmed up my flour tortillas by putting them on a plate, covered with plastic wrap, microwaved for about a minute.

I put a generous portion of the meat onto the bottom half of the flour tortilla

and rolled it tightly.

I put the rolled enchilada seam side down, into the enchilada sauce.
I repeated the process until I had 6 large enchiladas filling the pan.  I covered the enchiladas with the remaining Enchilada Sauce.
You want to make sure the sauce covers every little bit of flour tortilla, to keep it nice and soft.
Cover with your favorite cheese.  In my case, it is mozzarella.
I baked it for about 20-25 minutes, until the cheese was slightly browned and bubbly.
These were a generous size.  My boys ate about 1 1/2 of these...
The verdict?  A very tasty, beefy enchilada.  I thought they were good, although they were a wee bit on the salty side.  I think I will rinse and drain the beef the next time.  
I'm more of a chicken enchilada gal, but I'll happily serve these to my beef-lovin' men!
Shredded Beef Enchiladas  (4x6 printable recipe)  (full page recipe)




Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Pin It button on image hover