Feather Bed Rolls

This recipe was typed, so there's no way to tell who the contributor was. Mysteeeeeerious!

WARNING: This recipe has not been fully tested. Lisa Ashton tried it a few years ago and it did not turn out well, so further testing is necessary. Proceed at your own risk.

FEATHER BED ROLLS
1 cake yeast*
2½ cups milk
2 t. sugar
½ cup shortening
1 t. salt
5 cups flour

Scald the milk, then remove it from the stove and add shortening and sugar. When cool, add yeast cake that has been dissolved in water, and the flour and salt that have been sifted together. Beat the mixture, then let rise until doubled in bulk.

Beat again, and fill muffin pans one-third full.* Let rise again until doubled in bulk. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven.*

*A couple of notes: a cake of live yeast equals about three ¼-oz. packages of active dry yeast, or a bit less instant yeast; you don't have to dissolve either of these in water, although active dry yeast does benefit from being "proofed" beforehand. The recipe doesn't specify, but grease and flour the muffin pans to make sure the rolls don't stick. And a "moderate oven" translates to between 350° and 375° F -- start at the low end of the range and check the rolls after 20 minutes to see if they're done; if not, give them a few minutes more time.

Contributor: mysteeeeeeeerious stranger (probably Catharina Kest)

Swedish Limpa Bread (Vort Limpa)

I'm pretty sure I got this recipe from Tom Ashton. He is the master baker and pride of the Ashton clan and all that stuff. This beats German rye bread all up out the joint, because Swedes know how to bake.

SWEDISH LIMPA BREAD (VORT LIMPA)

Proofing sponge:

2 t. (or 2 packets) active dry yeast
½ cup warm water
pinch of sugar
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add a pinch of sugar and the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and/or a clean towel and set aside until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. (If it doesn't bubble up, the yeast is dead. Start over with live yeast.)

Dough:

1 cup warm water
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 cup dark beer, at room temperature
½ cup molasses
2 T. fresh grated orange zest or 1 t. dried orange peel
¼ lb. (1 stick) butter, melted
1 T. salt
½ t. ginger
½ t. fennel or anise seeds (or a combination)
2 cups medium rye flour
raisins, optional
5-6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
melted butter or egg white for the top crust

In a bowl or mixer combine the water, warm beer, brown sugar, molasses, orange zest, butter, salt, ginger, and fennel and/or anise seeds. Add the yeast sponge. Stir in rye flour and a handful of raisins if desired.

Add all-purpose flour a cup at a time, mixing until dough becomes elastic. Clean the sides of the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Scrape the bowl clean and add it to the dough. Lightly oil the inside of the bowl.

Knead the dough, adding only enough flour to prevent sticking, for about 8 minutes. When dough is thoroughly kneaded it should be moderately soft, smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in the oiled bowl, turn to oil the top surface of the dough and cover with plastic wrap and/or a clean towel. Put the bowl in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in bulk, usually between 1 and 1½ hours.

Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Form into round loaves and place on baking sheets that have been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with plastic wrap and/or a clean towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, usually about 1 hour.

About 15 minutes before you want to bake the bread, preheat the oven to 375° F. Brush the tops of both loaves with melted butter or beaten egg white. Bake loaves for about 1 hour or until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on wire racks before slicing.

Makes 2 delectable loaves.

Contributor: Tom Ashton, baker extraordinaire

French Bread Pizza

If you grew up in a big family, this was probably a staple. It was yummy and cheaper than pizza delivery. This particular recipe yields a vegetarian (not vegan) pizza, but you can mess around with the toppings a lot. Any combo that would taste good on a regular pizza probably tastes good on French bread pizza. Just make sure to butter the bread, or it could get soggy.

FRENCH BREAD PIZZA
1 loaf French bread, sliced in half lengthwise
enough butter to cover each cut surface of bread
a lot of Jack cheese, shredded
2-3 ripe tomatoes, sliced thin
about 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced thin
a coupla green chiles, seeded and sliced thin
1 onion, sliced thin
¼ - ½ cup hulled sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the cut surfaces of the French bread and put the halves side by side, butter side up, on a large cookie sheet. To each French bread half, add a thin layer of Jack cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, green chilies and onion, then cover all with another thick layer of cheese. Sprinkle sunflower seeds over all. Slide cookie sheet into hot oven and bake 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is toasty. Cut French bread pizza into slices and serve. Makes 8-10 servings depending on how thick you cut the slices.

ALTERNATE METHOD: put the halves of French bread under a broiler briefly, just to toast the cut surfaces. Rub each cut surface with a clove of garlic and spread with a small amount of pizza sauce or a good red spaghetti sauce. Proceed as above.

Contributor: Karin Buck

Bubble Ring

Yes, today we're going to show you how to make a bubble ring. AKA sticky buns. Stop snickering.

BUBBLE RING
Basic dough:
2 packages active dry yeast
½ cup warm water
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup shortening
2 cups milk, scalded
7 - 8 cups flour, sifted
2 eggs, beaten

Bubble ring:
half of the basic dough recipe
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup chopped nuts
½ cup raisins
¼ cup candied cherries

For dough: soften yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt and shortening to saucepan of scalded milk. Stir until shortening melts, then cook on the stove until mixture is lukewarm. Take off the stove and beat in 3 cups flour. Stir in eggs and yeast, beating well. Add remaining flour to form a soft dough. Let rest 10 minutes, then knead on lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and satiny. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with a damp dishtowel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down and divide into halves. Let dough rest.

NOTE: Since the bubble ring recipe only uses half the dough, the other half may be formed and baked as rolls. Yes, this is a BONUS recipe!

For bubble ring: roll dough into balls the size of walnuts, hiding raisins and cherries inside each ball. Roll each ball in melted butter, then in sugar and cinnamon, then in chopped nuts. Place balls in a ring mold so they barely touch each other, cover and allow to rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake bubble ring 35-40 minutes. Invert on a rack to cool and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Makes one delicious bubble ring. Oh, and bonus rolls! Or double up on the bubble ring ingredients and make TWO delicious bubble rings!

Contributor: Kathleen Ashton

Aunt Kathie's Rolls

Sit down, everyone; a shocking admission must be made.

These are NOT actually Aunt Kathie's rolls.

This recipe is by Phoebe Norton, who contributed it to an Ashton family cookbook. BUT this recipe is the one Aunt Kathie always used to make her rolls, so if you're yearning for a pan of fluffy goodness at Thanksgiving, look no further.

AUNT KATHIE'S ROLLS (well, sorta)
2 cups milk, warm
¼ cup sugar
2 t. salt
6 - 6½ cups flour
¼ cup margarine
2 eggs, beaten
2 packages yeast, dissolved in ¾ cup lukewarm water

Dissolve margarine, sugar and salt in milk. Add eggs and 3 cups of flour, beating well. Add yeast and beat again. Add 3 more cups flour, beat well with a spoon, then knead on floured surface. Dough should be very soft and a little sticky. Allow to rise in a warm place, punch down and allow to rise again. Shape into rolls (any shape you like) on a cookie sheet, and allow to rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slide rolls into oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 4 dozen small rolls.

Contributor: Kathleen Ashton (via Phoebe Norton)

Streamlined White Bread

Everybody should have a basic bread recipe. This one is nifty because it doesn't even require kneading, and it makes just one loaf at a time.

STREAMLINED WHITE BREAD
1¼ cups warm water
1 package (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons soft shortening
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water. When it forms a sponge, add shortening, salt, sugar and half the flour. Beat 2 minutes with electric mixer at medium speed. Add remaining flour and blend in with a spoon. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Stir down dough by beating 25 strokes. Grease and flour a loaf pan and spread out the dough in the pan (it will be sticky, so flour your hands first). Let it rise until it's reached about ½" from the top of the pan (about 40 minutes, give or take).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 45-50 minutes, remove from pan, brush top with butter and let the loaf cool on its side. It should cool completely before you cut it, but if you just have to tear into some hot bread, we won't judge you. Makes 1 loaf, and a lot of happy family members and/or housemates.

Stolen from Karin Buck's overflowing recipe file.