Ingredients

2 cups of warm water
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons dry yeast (or two packages of dry yeast)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Canola oil (I use Canola, but you can use any kind of cooking oil)
    (you can also use shortening, if you prefer)
6 to 7 cups of flour

Directions

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let sit for a minute or two. Add the sugar and salt. Mix. Add the cooking oil (or shortening), 2 eggs, 2 cups of flour and beat until smooth.

Stir in 3 more cups of flour. Begin kneading the dough, adding the final cup of flour. If the dough seems too sticky, knead in more flour, a quarter to a half cup at a time.

Let the dough "rest" for 15 to 20 minutes. (I leave it sitting on the counter and use the time to wash up the bowl and other utensils and to clean off the counter top.)

Roll the dough into a rectangle that's 24 to 30 inches long by about 16 inches wide. Spread with soft butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Starting at the wide end, roll into a log.

Cut the cinnamon rolls into equal sized slices (approximately one inch wide each or slightly more) and place into two greased 9 x 13 pans. Put in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes (or until the cinnamon rolls are golden brown).

Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then turn out of the pans.

This recipes makes two dozen cinnamon rolls. If you want REALLY BIG cinnamon rolls, cut into 12 equal pieces 2 inches wide.

Total amount of time needed from start to finish (including time to bake) is about 2 hours.

Pfannkuchen (German Pancake)

This always reminds me of a softer, creamy version of yorkshire pudding.  When it becomes apple season, I can't stop making these!
Prep Time:
10 min
Cook Time:
30 min
Servings:
4
Submitted by:
Jacqui



Ingredients

• 1/2cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces)
• 1tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 2large eggs
• 2/3cup half-and-half
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 1/4pounds Granny Smith apples or Braeburn apples (3 to 4 large apples), peeled, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1/4cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
• 1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1teaspoon lemon juice
•  Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

• 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat oven to 500 degrees.
  
  
• 2. Whisk to combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, whisk eggs, half-and-half, and vanilla until combined. Add liquid ingredients to dry and whisk until no lumps remain, about 20 seconds; set batter aside.
  
  
• 3. Heat butter in 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon; cook, stirring frequently with heatproof rubber spatula, until apples are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice.
  
  
• 4. Working quickly, pour batter around and over apples (see illustration 1 from "Step by Step: Preparing the Pancake). Place skillet in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees; bake until pancake edges are brown and puffy and have risen above edges of skillet, about 18 minutes.
  
  
• 5. Using oven mitts to protect hands, remove hot skillet from oven and loosen pancake edges with heatproof rubber spatula; invert pancake onto serving platter (see illustrations 2 and 3 from "Step by Step: Preparing the Pancake"). Dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into wedges, and serve.
  

Croissants
This recipe is for the home baker who wants a flaky croissant with a layered structure found at great bakeries.  It has detailed instructions and you should follow them carefully if you want to end up with the same final product.  These are best made in a room cooler than 80 degrees, it's very important to keep the butter at a cool temperature to get the correct flaky texture.  Enjoy! 
Prep Time:
6 hours
Cook Time:
12 minutes
Servings:
22 croissants
Submitted by:
Jacqui



Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter plus 24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted European-style-butter, very cold
• 1 3/4 cups whole milk
• 4teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 4 1/4cups (21 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

• 1/4cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
•  Salt
• 1large egg
• 1teaspoon cold water

Directions

• 1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and immediately stir in milk (temperature should be lower than 90 degrees). Whisk in yeast; transfer milk mixture to bowl of stand mixer. Add flour, sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt. Using dough hook, knead on low speed until cohesive dough forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Increase speed to medium-low and knead for 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at room temperature 30 minutes.
• 2. Transfer dough to parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet and shape into 10 by 7-inch rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• 3. BUTTER BLOCK: While dough chills, fold 24-inch length of parchment in half to create 12-inch rectangle. Fold over 3 open sides of rectangle to form 8-inch square with enclosed sides. Crease folds firmly. Place 24 tablespoons cold butter directly on counter and beat with rolling pin for about 60 seconds until butter is just pliable but not warm, then fold butter in on itself using bench scraper. Beat into rough 6-inch square. Unfold parchment envelope. Using bench scraper, transfer butter to center of parchment, refolding at creases to enclose. Turn packet over so that flaps are underneath and gently roll until butter fills parchment square, taking care to achieve even thickness. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes.
• 4. LAMINATE: Transfer dough to freezer. After 30 minutes, transfer to lightly floured counter and roll into 17 by 8-inch rectangle with long side parallel to edge of counter. Unwrap butter and place in center of dough. Fold sides of dough over butter so they meet in center. Press seam together with fingertips. With rolling pin, press firmly on each open end of packet. Roll out lengthwise into 24 by 8-inch rectangle. Starting at bottom of dough, fold into thirds like business letter into 8-inch square. Turn dough 90 degrees counterclockwise. Roll out lengthwise again into 24 by 8-inch rectangle and fold into thirds. Place dough on sheet, wrap tightly with plastic, and return to freezer for 30 minutes.
• 5. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter so that top flap opens on right. Roll out dough lengthwise into 24 by 8-inch rectangle and fold into thirds. Place dough on sheet, wrap tightly with plastic, and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• 6. SHAPE: Transfer dough to freezer. After 30 minutes, transfer to lightly floured counter and roll into 18 by 16-inch rectangle with long side of rectangle parallel to edge of counter. Fold upper half of dough over lower half. Using ruler, mark dough at 3-inch intervals along bottom edge with bench scraper (you should have 5 marks). Move ruler to top edge of dough, measure in 11/2 inches from left, then use this mark to measure out 3-inch intervals (you should have 6 marks). Starting at lower left corner, use sharp pizza wheel or knife to cut dough from mark to mark. You will have 12 triangles and 5 diamonds; discard scraps. Unfold diamonds and cut into 10 triangles (making 22 equal-size triangles in total).
• 7. Position 1 triangle on counter. (Keep remaining triangles covered with plastic.) Cut 1/2-inch slit in center of short side of triangle. Grasp triangle by 2 corners on either side of slit and stretch gently, then stretch bottom point. Place triangle on counter so point is facing you. Fold down both sides of slit. Roll top of triangle partway toward point. Gently grasp point with 1 hand and stretch again. Resume rolling, tucking point underneath. Curve ends gently toward each other to create crescent. Repeat with remaining triangles.
• 8. Place 12 croissants on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets at least 21/2 inches apart. Lightly wrap with plastic. Let stand at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 21/2 to 3 hours. (Shaped croissants can be refrigerated for up to 18 hours. Remove from refrigerator to rise and add at least 30 minutes to rising time.)
• 9. After croissants have been rising for 2 hours, adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 425 degrees. In small bowl, whisk together egg, water, and pinch salt. Brush croissants with egg wash. Place croissants in oven and reduce temperature to 400 degrees. Bake for 12 minutes, then switch and rotate baking sheets. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes longer. Transfer to wire rack and cool about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

• TO MAKE AHEAD: After shaping, place 10 croissants 1 inch apart on parchment-lined sheet. Wrap with plastic and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Transfer to zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake frozen croissants as directed from step 8, increasing rising time by to 2 hours.
• Three tricks to guarantee flaky croissants:  Use High Protein Flour such as King Arthur, use higher fat European style butter because it has a lower water content, and briefly freeze the packet to ensure the butter and dough surrounding it are at equal temperatures.

Baked Eggs Florentine a la Benedict
This is the perfect technique to deliver baked eggs where the whites are cooked but not rubbery and stuck to the sides of the ramekin while also still having a creamy, runny yolk.  Serve with Bacon or Ham and top with a creamy Hollandaise Sauce for the perfect brunch.
Prep Time:
10  min
Cook Time:
20 min
Servings:
6 -1 egg servings
Submitted by:
Jacqui



Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
•  Salt and pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•  Pinch cayenne pepper
•  Vegetable oil spray
• 6 large eggs
• 12 slices cooked bacon
• Hollandaise Sauce

Directions

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.
• 2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in half-and-half; bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly. Simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in spinach, Parmesan, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne.
• 3. Lightly spray six 6-ounce ramekins with oil spray. Evenly divide spinach filling among ramekins. Using back of spoon, push filling 1 inch up sides of ramekins to create 1/8-inch-thick layer. Shape remaining filling in bottom of ramekin into 1 1/2-inch diameter mound, making shallow indentation in center of mound large enough to hold yolk. Place filled ramekins in 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish. Bake until filling just starts to brown, about 7 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking.
• 4. While filling is heating, crack eggs (taking care not to break yolks) into individual cups or bowls. Remove baking dish with ramekins from oven and place on wire rack. Gently pour eggs from cups into hot ramekins, centering yolk in filling. Lightly spray surface of each egg with oil spray and sprinkle each evenly with pinch salt. Return baking dish to oven and bake until whites are just opaque but still tremble (carryover heat will cook whites through), 6 to 8 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking.
• 5. Remove dish from oven and, using tongs, transfer ramekins to wire rack. Let stand until whites are firm and set (yolks should still be runny), about 10 minutes. Serve immediately topped with Hollandaise Sauce and a side of bacon.

Notes

• TO MAKE AHEAD: Follow recipe through step 3, skipping baking of lined ramekins. Wrap ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To serve, remove plastic and heat lined ramekins, directly from refrigerator, for additional 3 to 4 minutes (10 to 11 minutes total) before proceeding with recipe.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

"This cake will fill your kitchen with a wonderful smell that will draw the family together. It makes a great brunch or social function dish too!"
Prep Time:
20 Minutes
Cook Time:
45 Minutes
Servings:
8
Submitted by:
Joy



Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 
  

• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup white or brown sugar (for topping)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for topping)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch round pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, mixing just until incorporated. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle half of mixture over batter in the pan. Cover with remaining batter, then top with remaining cinnamon sugar.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Notes
I don’t have nuts in this recipe because I’m allergic to most kinds of nuts but you can add chopped nuts into both the topping and the cake and I hear it's great!