Yeast Breads: Easy English Muffins

There are two types of English muffins in the world: the traditional kind and the easy kind. The traditional kind takes a full day to make. The dough must rise and fall in order to create the little air bubbles that makes an English muffin an English muffin.


But that's a little too fussy for some people, and it takes at least 24 hours to properly accomplished. If you want something that is like an English muffin but takes far less time, try this easier method. It uses baking powder to create the air bubbles. The taste won't be quite the same, as traditional English muffins are slightly sour, but they'll be close.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 eg
1 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
¼ cup cornmeal (optional)


Preparation


These are actual easier to make than you might think. Start by placing all ingredients except cornmeal in a large bowl. Mix until a loose dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover.


Set dough aside in a warm location to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down dough to remove air bubbles. Roll dough out on a floured surface until the dough is about ½-inch thick. It should be of a uniform thickness. Use a biscuit or cookie cutter to cut 3-inch circles out of the dough. If you don't have a cutter, use a glass. Reroll any dough scraps to cut more English muffins.


Lay the circles of dough in a bed of cornmeal, if desired. Otherwise, place on an ungreased baking sheet or even a cutting board. It doesn't really matter. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.


Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, not any higher. Lower is better in this case. Add the English muffins to the pan. They will not really sizzle when you lay them down because of the low heat. This is okay. They're still cooking, they're just cooking slowly. They will, in fact, take 10 to 20 minutes per side. Check after 10 minutes. English muffins should be a gentle golden brown or a little darker. If they're not browned, they're not cooked.


Flip when the first side is cooked, then cook for another 10 minutes. If browned, remove from pan. If not, continue cooking until both sides are properly browned. Remove from heat and allow to cool.


Split English muffins, toast, and top with butter, jam, cream, or whatever topping you like.


This recipe makes 8 to 10 English muffins.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Bacon & Cheese Rollups

If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional sandwich, these rollups might work for these. These ones are made with bacon, but you can use ham, turkey, or chicken. Try going to your local deli and seeing what lunch meats are on sale this week. You can also use a different cheese. Try cheddar or gouda for a different flavor.


If you're using a lunch meat, there's no need to cook it first. Bacon, on the other hand, must be cooked before rolling into the dough.


Ingredients


1 package of bacon
1 recipe for basic biscuits
16 slices of Swiss cheese (or more)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp dill
4 tbsp mayonnaise


Preparation


Remove 16 pieces of bacon and cook them on a skillet over medium heat. They should be cooked, but not overly crispy yet. They'll crisp up more in the oven later. They need to still be pliable enough to roll, so don't overcook your bacon. Set aside.


Preheat oven to 450°F. Take the biscuit dough and roll it out into a large circle. Go thin, but not so thin that the dough tears. Try to get your dough to be as close to a perfect circle as possible. When you're happy with it, use a pizza cutter and slice the dough into 16 triangles. Cut like you're cutting a pizza.


Mix together honey, mustard, dill, and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Blend well, then spread half of this mayonnaise mixture on the dough triangles. Do this lightly and evenly. Top each triangle with a piece of bacon, then a piece of cheese. You can add more cheese if you like. Then spread the rest of the mayonnaise mixture on the cheese.


Roll up the crescents, starting at the wide end, to enclose the filling. Place these rollups on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until dough is lightly browned. Remove carefully from baking sheet and serve immediately.


These rolls can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to a month. They make great lunches for kids, so try throwing a few into their lunch box.

Biscuits & Scones: Basic Biscuits

Biscuits are traditionally served with many meals, so having a quick and easy recipe on hand is helpful. Make sure the baking powder is evenly distributed if you want your biscuits to rise equally.


Ingredients


2 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup milk


Preparation


Heat oven to 450°F. Place all ingredients into a large bowl and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the other ingredients. Butter should resemble coarse crumbs. When it does, take a fork and mix ingredients until you have a dough that is soft and moist. Use your hands if you prefer.


Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and toss and knead it gently until it is no longer sticky. Roll dough out into a rough circle that is ½-inch thick. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter. You can use a round cutter, or you can use any shape or size you desire. I like smaller biscuits for larger groups, larger biscuits if it's just me. You can cut them however you like.


Place these biscuits on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until biscuits are lightly browned. Serve warm or allow to cool as you prefer.


This recipe makes 8 to 16 biscuits, depending on how large you make them. They can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Shaped Cookies: Tropical Cookie Tarts

These cookies actually look like mini pies. They're baked in a muffin pan and make excellent party food. Pineapple jam can be a little hard to find, but you can substitute apricot if you need to. They're not really hard to make, but they do require a little patience. If you try to remove them from the muffin pan too soon, they'll far apart. So don't  rush the cooling process.


Ingredients


For the Cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ tsp vanilla


For the Filling
½ cup pineapple jam
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
¾ cup coconut, shredded or flaked


Preparation


Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-muffin pan with a light coat of baking spray to prevent sticking. In a large bowl, combine all cookie ingredients until you have crumbly dough. Finish mixing the dough by hand until you have a smooth ball of dough. Press this dough into the 12 muffin cups, dividing the dough evenly. Press the along the bottom and up the sides of each cup.


In a small bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Gently spoon this mixture into the dough-lined muffin cups, dividing it equally between all 12 cups. Bake the cookie tarts for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crusts are a light golden brown. Cool in pan for at least 20 minutes.


When the cookies are mostly cool, turn the pan upside down over a wire cooling rack. If the cookies don't slide out on their own, tap the bottom of each cup with the handle of a table knife. Tap firmly and the cookies should slide out.


Turn cookies over and allow to cool completely before serving. These cookies can be kept for up to 4 days if stored in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: Cornmeal Breadsticks

These tasty breadsticks have a great texture and flavor. Serve them at your next family dinner or just make them for the kids. They're good for all ages and will go quickly, so make extra.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
2½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1 cup water
cornmeal
butter, melted
parsley


Preparation


Place yeast, flour, cornmeal, and sugar in a large bowl. Toss lightly. Add salt, butter, and water. Blend until you have a loose dough. Turn this loose dough out onto a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a slightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Set aside in a warm location to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.


Sprinkle a little cornmeal on a prepared baking tray. Punch down the dough to remove all air bubbles. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope that is about 4 or 5 inches long. Place these ropes onto the prepared baking tray that you sprinkled with cornmeal.


Cover breadsticks with a towel and set aside in a warm location to rise until doubled in size. This time, the rise cycle will take 30 to 45 minutes. Check your breadsticks after 30 minutes, but don't rush them. They need to truly rise to be light and fluffy.


Preheat oven to 375°F. Uncover breadsticks and bake until golden brown, about 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and brush immediately with melted butter sprinkle with parsley.


Serve immediately or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Drop Cookies: Brown-Eyed Susans

These peanut butter and chocolate cookies are delicious. The trick to these cookies is to have the chocolate kisses already unwrapped and ready to go. They must be pressed into the hot cookies the very minute they come out of the oven.


Ingredients


½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1¾ cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
sugar in a shallow dish
36-48 milk chocolate kisses


Preparation


Heat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, and both white and brown sugar. Add milk, vanilla, and egg and blend well. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until you have a stiff dough.


Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the sugar you have in the shallow dish. Place cookies on a prepared baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Do not flatten. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are just golden brown.


When you take the cookies out of the oven, immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie, pressing down until the cookie cracks around the chocolate. Remove cookies from cookie sheet and cool completely before serving.


This recipe makes between 2 and 4 dozen cookies, depending on exactly how large you decided to make your cookies. After they are cooled and set, they will keep for up to a week if you store them in an airtight container.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Easy Chicken Sandwiches

If you want a quick and easy chicken sandwich, but you hate prepackaged lunch meat, never fear. You can use a chicken breast or even a chicken breast burger to make a delicious alternative. Serve this as a burger with ketchup and mustard, or take it for lunch just as it is. Either way, you'll be happy with this tasty guy.


If you are going to substitute a chicken burger for the chicken breasts, make sure they are actually chicken breast burgers. Check the ingredient list. They should be only chicken breast. They'll taste better and cook up better on the grill.


Ingredients


4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
4 brioche buns
¼ cup barbeque sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey


Preparation


Preheat your grill. While you're waiting for the grill to heat, combine garlic powder and lemon pepper. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the garlic mixture. Brush the grill with a little oil to prevent sticking. You can also use a nonstick baking spray, if you prefer.


Grill your chicken, turning it frequently to prevent burning. The chicken will take 15 to 20 minutes to cool thoroughly. When cooked through, juices should run clear with you pierce the chicken with a knife. Don't rush the chicken.


While you're waiting for the chicken to cook, combine barbeque sauce, Dijon mustard, and honey in a small bowl. Mix well. Slice the brioche buns and spread a little of the barbeque sauce mixture on the bottom half of each bun. Layer with other toppings, if desired. Try tomatoes, lettuce, Swiss cheese, or anything else you fancy.


When chicken is finished, place on prepared bun. Top with a little more barbeque sauce. Add relish, mustard, or ketchup as desired. Replace top half of the bun and serve immediately. You can also chill the sandwich to serve later.