Yeast Breads: Southern Sweet Potato Rolls

The sweet potato in this hearty recipe makes for a sweet and exciting roll. For a little more flavor, try adding a little cinnamon to the dough. Maybe even a little nutmeg.


I bake an actual sweet potato for this recipe. You can, if you wish, use canned sweet potato.


Ingredients


1 sweet potato
1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg


Preparation


You first need to bake the sweet potato, so heat your oven to 400°F. Prick the skin of the sweet potato several times with a fork, then wrap it in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped sweet potato in a baking dish. If you don't, you'll end up with a mess on the bottom of the oven no matter how well you wrap the sweet potato.


Bake the sweet potato for 60 to 90 minutes, until you can pierce the sweet potato easily with a fork or knife. Allow sweet potato to cool for 20 minutes, then peel off the skin. If the sweet potato is well cooked, it should come off easily. Discard skin and place your cooked sweet potato in a small bowl. Mash well and allow to cool completely.


Place sweet potato mash in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix until you have a loose dough. Turn this dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic. This won't take long, so you'll knead for 5 minutes or less. Don't overwork this dough or it won't rise very well.


Place the kneaded dough in a bowl that has been lightly oiled and cover it with a damp tea towel. You'll need to let it rise in a warm location until doubled in size. This will take a while due to the addition of sweet potato to the dough. Allow up to 90 minutes for this dough to rise.


Punch down the dough to remove the air bubbles. Divide the dough into 18 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Place these balls on a prepared baking sheet. Use 2 sheets if you don't have a sheet large enough for 18 rolls. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in size. This will take about an hour.


Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover rolls and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are golden and sound hollow when tapped. Remove immediately from baking sheet and cool on wire racks.


These rolls will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: Rosemary Rolls

These rolls are made with a basic French bread dough and topped with rosemary leaves. They're delicious and impressive, especially when served at a large dinner. Put these out when the kids get home from school and watch them disappear. You can even use these rolls for sandwiches. The rosemary adds a delightful flavor to even the most perfect of sandwiches.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tsp rosemary leaves


Preparation


These rolls are delightfully easy to prepare. There's no need to dissolve the yeast, so place the yeast, flour, sugar, salt, and water in a large bowl. Do not add the egg and the rosemary leaves; these you will use to top the rolls later. Set aside the egg and rosemary for this purpose.


Mix all other ingredients in the large bowl until you have a loose dough. Turn this dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. This will take about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Stop as soon as the dough feels smooth.


Place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Set aside to rise in a warm location until doubled in size. This dough will rise quickly, so this will likely only take 45 minutes. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal portions. Take each potion and shape it into a smooth ball. Place these on a prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel and set aside to rise again, this time for about 30 minutes.


Preheat oven to 375°F. Uncover rolls and brush lightly with beaten egg. Crush the rosemary slightly before sprinkling it over the rolls. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are browned and sound hollow when tapped.


Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Yeast Breads: Oat 'n Wheat Knots

The fun shape of these rolls makes this recipe ideal to get your kids interested in baking. My boys love shaping these, tying them in knots, and baking them up to eat immediately from the oven. The oat and wheat germ give them a fantastic texture, while the all purpose flour keeps them light and fluffy.


Ingredients


3 cups all purpose flour
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup wheat germ
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
1 cup milk
3 tbsp butter
1 egg


Preparation


These are not at all difficult to make, especially since we're using quick rise yeast instead of traditional yeast. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until you have a loose dough. Turn this loose dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes.


Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside to rise until doubled in size. This will take about 60 minutes. Punch down the risen dough to remove all air bubbles.


Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece out into a rope that is about 6 inches long. Tie up each rope into a small knot. Arrange the knots on a prepared baking sheet. Cover and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Bake for 20 minutes, until knots are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.


Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Easy Side Dishes: Hot Pepper & Mozza Risotto

Risotto is delicious and easy to make. This version uses hot pepper flake and mozzarella cheese to make something smooth and tasty. And it only takes about 25 minutes to prepare. Make a slightly larger batch and you can serve it as a main course.


You can use other types of rice, if you like. A short grained rice like Arborio rice works well, but other rice will also produce a delicious meal. The texture will be slightly different, but that's not always a bad thing.


Ingredients


¼ cup butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
1½ cups Arborio rice
2 cups vegetable broth
2½ cups water
½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded
½ tsp dried hot pepper flakes
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt


Preparation


Before you begin, place the water and the vegetable broth in a saucepan and warm it over low heat on the stove. This will keep it warm so you're not adding cold liquid to a warm pan later.


Melt the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice and toss to coat the grains in butter. Using a ladle, add about 1 cup of liquid from the saucepan to the rice, stirring almost constantly. When the liquid has been almost absorbed, add another scoop of liquid, still using the ladle. Continue adding liquid when needed until you've used all the liquid. Make sure to stir constantly.


By now, the rice should be soft and almost creamy. When you add the final scoop of liquid, add all remaining ingredients to the rice and remove it from the heat. Stir well until cheese is melted and seasoning is well distributed.


Serve immediately. Leftover risotto can be refrigerated. To reheat, throw in a pan over medium-high heat and add ¼ cup of water. Stir constantly until risotto is hot.

Yeast Breads: Chocolate Cinnamon Swirls

Sometimes, we just want something sweet. These rolls are very much like cinnamon buns, but with a chocolate dough instead and topped with a chocolate sauce. These are a fun and delicious alternative to traditional cinnamon buns.


Ingredients


For the Dough
1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
½ cup milk
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar
⅛ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
¼ cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla


For the Filling
2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
⅛ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)


For the Glaze
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp butter, melted
½ tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk


Preparation


This recipe is no ore difficult than traditional cinnamon buns. Place all dough ingredients in a large bowl and mix until a loose dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is soft and elastic. This will take about 10 minutes. Dough with cocoa powder tends to take a little more kneading then other dough.


Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm location to rise. It must double in size. Because of the cocoa, this will take a little longer than usual. Allow up to 90 minutes for the dough to fully rise.


When it is risen, punch it down and roll it out into a 12x-15 inch rectangle. Cover this rectangle with the butter from the filling list, staying 1 inch away from one 12-inch edge. Cover all other edges. You'll just need this one spot to pinch the roll closed.


Combine the rest of the filling ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the filling ingredients on the butter coating the rectangle of dough. Spread it evenly around the rectangle. Starting from the 12-inch edge that is NOT the edge your left uncovered, roll up the dough. Keep the roll tight, but don't apply too much pressure. Use the uncovered edge to pinch the roll closed. Slice the roll into 12 rounds.


Spray a 9x-13 inch cake pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with the remaining filling ingredients. Place the 12 rounds into the pan, spacing them evenly. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise. This second rise will take about 60 minutes, but it might be a little longer before the dough doubles in size.


Heat the oven to 375°F. Uncover rolls. Bake for 25 minutes, until rolls are slightly browned. Allow rolls to cool in pan while you make the glaze. Rolls should cool for at least 30 minutes before you add the glaze, so take your time.


Combine all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. When rolls are sufficiently cooled, drizzle the rolls with the glaze using a spoon. Allow glaze to set for at least 20 minutes before serving. You can serve these rolls directly from the pan. The bottom of each roll will be gooey from the filling you sprinkled on the bottom of the pan.


These rolls will keep for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container. Around here, they never last that long.

Yeast Breads: Basic Yeast Doughnuts

These fluffy doughnuts are sweet and delicious. They're so good you can eat them plain, but you can also glaze them or add any type of frosting, if you so desire. I usually don't have time to glaze them. My kids are eating them almost the second they come out of the oil


Doughnuts are often thought difficult to make, but you can make them easily enough at home with a little patience and a deep fryer. While you can use a pot on the stove, a deep fryer is safer. If you do use a pot on the stove, you'll also need a frying thermometer. It's critical that you keep track of how hot the oil is.


For these delicious doughnuts, you'll need plenty of oil for frying. A minimum of 4 cups is needed, but you'll want at least 6 cups on hand, just in case.


Ingredients


For the Doughnuts
1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
¾ cup warm water
½ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour


For the Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract


Preparation


Making these doughnuts isn't much different than making most other yeast breads. Because we're using quick rise yeast, you don't even have to dissolve it. Place all doughnut ingredients into a large bowl and mix until a loose dough forms. Turn the loose dough out onto a floured surface and knead until dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes.


Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Let rise in a warm location until dough has doubled in size. This will take about 60 minutes, but may take a little longer. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to remove all the air bubbles. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes. This helps the dough relax.


Roll the dough out to ½-inch thickness. Let the dough sit again for 10 minutes. When the dough has relaxed, take a doughnut cutter and cut out your doughnuts. How many doughnuts you get depends on the size of your doughnut cutter. You'll get about 2 dozen smaller doughnuts if you use a 2½-inch cutter.


Reroll leftover dough, let it relax, and keep cutting doughnuts until you run out of dough. You can reroll the doughnut holes you have from cutting the doughnuts, if you wish, or you can fry them up too. I like to fry them and have them as bite-sized doughnut holes, but you can do as you wish.


Once all your doughnuts are cut, cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Heat the oil to 370°F, either in the deep fryer or in a pot on the stove. You don't want the oil any hotter than this or the doughnuts will burn before they're cooked. That's why the temperature control is so important. If you're not using a deep fryer with temperature control, you'll need a deep fry thermometer.


Fry doughnuts until they are golden brown, about 90 seconds per side. Flip them as needed, and don't be afraid to leave them in the oil for an extra minute if you want them a little darker. Carefully remove the doughnuts from the oil and place on a wire rack to cool. This will keep them from getting soggy. Remember to fry in small batches. You don't want to crowd the doughnuts.


Allow doughnuts to cool completely, then whisk together the glaze ingredients in a shallow bowl. Take a single doughnut and place it in the glaze, flipping to coat, then return it to the cooling rack. Continue until all doughnuts are coated. Allow glaze to set for at least 20 minutes before serving.


These doughnuts will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: Julekake

My father is Danish, so this Scandinavian Christmas cake (which is the literal translation of Julekake) is not uncommon in our household. It's usually filled with fruit and spices, making it fragrant and delicious at the same time. You can add more or less candied cherries if you like, depending on who you're serving this to. You can also add raisins, or not. You might even try adding walnuts.


This recipe will make 2 small, round loaves.


Ingredients


For the Bread
3 cups all purpose flour
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ cup milk
¼ cup water
⅓ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
¼ cup red candied cherries
¼ cup green candied cherries
¼ cup raisins (optional)


For the Glaze
¾ cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp almond extract
1 tbsp milk


Preparation


This bread is easier to make than you think. Start by placing all bread ingredients into a large bowl except for the candied cherries and the raisins (if you're using raisins). Mix together the bread ingredients until a loose dough forms. Turn this dough out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add the cherries and raisins to the dough, gently kneading them in so you don't crush the cherries.


Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Set aside and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough to remove air bubbles, but be gentle so you don't crush the cherries. Divide dough in 2 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round loaf and place on a prepared baking sheet. Cover once again and allow to rise for about 45 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover loaves and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until loaves are browned and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on wire racks.


When loaves are completely cooled, whisk together the glaze ingredients. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the loaves. Allow glaze to set for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.


These loaves will keep fro up to 3 days in an airtight container.