PUMPKIN PECAN LOAVES

        This is a true family favorite and designed for home-grown winter squash and pumpkins.

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups pumpkin or winter squash, cooked and pure'd
  (or 1 can of 15 oz. pumpkin plus 2/3 cup water)
1 cup oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or change to 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips)

 In a bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Combine pumpkin, oil and eggs in another bowl and stir these into dry ingredients just until combined.  Fold in pecans or chocolate chips.  Spoon into two greased and sugared 9x5x3 inch loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center.  Cool ten minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Carmel Glaze:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream or canned milk
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine butter, sugars and cream in a saucepan.  Cook until sugar dissolves.  Cool slightly and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Drizzle over cooled loaves.

ZUCCHINI BREAD and MUFFINS

This recipe has been fiddled with a lot to make it work just right.  It's a blessing because it uses so much zucchini!

1 cup oil
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2  cups brown sugar
4 cups shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon real vanilla (or 1 tablespoon artificial )
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

     Mix oil, eggs, sugars, zucchini and vanilla until smooth.  Add dry ingredients and mix until moistened.  Pour into 2 greased and sugared loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.  Make sure toothpick comes out clean.  For muffins, fill greased tins 2/3 full and bake 20-22 minutes.
     Cool ten minutes in pans before inverting onto cooling rack.

LEMON ICING:
1 teaspoon melted butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons milk
1 cup powdered sugar
     Stir together until smooth. Drizzle or spoon onto loaves/ muffins when slightly warm, or completely cooled.

MAMA'S BEST ROLLS

  (Mama is my grandmother Duella Eyre Hamblin, known for her magic in the kitchen)

Yield: Approximately  3 ½ -4 dozen rolls. I always double the recipe and freeze some for later Bake: 350 for 13-15 min.or til golden brown.

 May make ahead and freeze in pan or in ziplock bags.  To serve:  thaw, reheat in pan, covered with foil for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

1. Whisk these DRY ingredients together in large bowl:

3 cups high gluten flour                                                              Tips for success:

½ cup powdered milk                                           a.  use fresh Lehi Roller Mills or high gluten flour

5 teaspoons SAF instant yeast                              b.  SAF yeast

2 ½ teaspoons salt                                                c.  Real butter

¼ cup sugar                                                          d.  Don’t let over-rise

2.  Add these WET ingredients all at once to the dry:

½ cup canola or vegetable oil

2 ½ cups hot water

2 beaten eggs  - Make sure these are not cold. Defrost in microwave if necessary.

     Mix together wet and dry ingredients thoroughly - until very smooth.

3.  LAST, add  3 more cups high gluten flour.

     With a sturdy wooden spoon, mix the remaining flour into dough. This will take a  strong hand. Grasp both hands around spoon.  You become the dough hook and while occasionally turning the bowl, stir into a soft ball.  Signs that you have mixed it enough:  Dough should be very smooth and not sticky to the touch and the spoon should snap off the ball of dough easily.  More flour may be needed if dough continues sticky; just add by small increments until the dough feels right. Cover and let rise 20 min - ½ hour til double

 Tips for Rolling out dough:  Put dough on lightly floured surface.  Flatten it slightly with your hands until it is even all around.  Begin to roll, working from the middle out on all sides.  Roll to approx. ¼ to 1/3 inch thickness.  “Shrink” the dough by gently lifting it and giving a light shake. After shaping rolls, let rise in warm place until double.

Parker House Rolls:  Roll dough to 1/3 inch thickness. Brush dough with melted butter.  Cut with round glass, can or roll cutter to desired size.  Fold in half, butter on the inside.  Place in jelly roll pan; 8 down, 4 across.

Crescent Rolls: Divide dough in two. Pat each into an even circle. Roll, working from middle out on all sides, to about ¼ inch thickness. “Shrink” dough.  Brush with melted butter.  With pizza cutter, slice in fourths, then eighths, then into 16 pieces.  Roll from wide side down into a tight roll.  Place tip down on jelly roll pan; 7 down, 3 across. 

Orange Fan Rolls:   Pat dough out into an even rectangle, then roll evenly from middle out into a large rectangle to approx. ¼ to 1/3 inch thickness.  Shrink.  Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with about 1/3 cup sugar over surface. With orange zester, zest peels of 2  oranges. Slice dough with pizza cutter into 1 ½ inch squares. Gather up 5 squares in a stack and place in greased muffin tin, with edge sides down in pan. Make a cinnamon variation by sprinkling cinnamon on top of the sugar, and adding raisins, cranraisins, or nuts if desired. Cranraisins with the orange rolls would be fabulous, too.

Glaze for orange rolls:   Microwave ¼ cup butter with ¼ cup milk for 1 minute.  Add 1 pound  pkg. powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.  Add ½ tsp. orange flavoring, or juice from one orange, which may require that you add more sugar. Make to desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled rolls on baking rack.

STORY TIME:    In the fall of 2002,  Jenean Knowlton and I had a short-lived bakery business out of our homes in Alpine, Utah, based almost exclusively on my roll and cinnamon roll recipes, I had quite a few people before this who would call me during holiday times to bake for them.  Jenean joined me at Thanksgiving time and we advertised to make rolls and pies; she the pies and I the rolls.  I warned Jenean that I thought I could take orders only up to 50-55 dozen, and to not give me more than  I could handle.  Jenean kept on taking orders for the rolls, without counting the tally until she called me up to tell me that the total roll count for orders was 220 dozen.  At that time, my kitchen was of limited size and I had  but one conventional oven.  I about fainted when she told me the tally, but I got organized the night before.  With my young daughters and my mother, we worked non-stop the day before Thanksgiving, stirring, rolling and cutting out the rolls, baking them all in my little oven.  Customers dropped in at my house to pick them up.  On Thanksgiving morning, I made ten more dozen rolls for my large extended Bangerter family; I thought that was easy street compared to the day before.

     Jenean had told her customers that she would deliver their pies.  She and her husband, Nels, went absolutely insane trying to deliver those beautiful pies.  After it was all said and done, Jenean, normally chipper and a fabulous cook said to me, "I don't think I like to bake any more."  From them on, we did not advertise, but I continued to make rolls for those who called me during holidays.

MAKE AHEAD CRUSTY ARTISAN LOAVES

3 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast
4 teaspoons salt
6 1/2 cups flour, divided

Mix half the flour with other dry ingredients.  Add warm water and mix until thoroughly smooth. Stir in rest of flour. Mix well, but don't knead.  Let rise for at least three hours, covered.  Refrigerate at least one hour.  Shape and place on stone or sheet sprinkled with corn meal and let rise one hour.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Pour one cup of water in bottom of metal bowl or pan and place in bottom of oven under baking bread.   Bake for one half hour.

STORYTIME:
My daughter Katherine married Tyrell Bowen August 24, 2011. Katherine wanted spinach-artichoke spread for their outdoor wedding reception and I imagined the spread would be wonderful with some bread that had a firm and chewy texture.  I made this dough and shaped it into long, skinny loaves, twisting it. After baking,  the loaves were frozen and just before the reception, cut into small rounds.  When I saw how the guests were piling up with dip and bread, I knew it wouldn't last long.  Uncle Cory was heard to say that he could take it intravenously. It was no surprise, the spread was gone halfway through the evening (and the homemade marinated meatballs).   I do have to say....we had far more guests at Katherine's reception than anticipated, to the tune of 500 plus. Midway through the evening, Katherine and Tyrell sliced a piece of their wedding cake for a taste and a picture.  The next time I turned to look, the cake had vanished!  It was such a beautiful evening, that many lingered at their tables, and had to fill up on mint brownies, lemon bars, cream cheese apricot-almond squares, cut up fruit and slushy punch.  We ran out of clear plastic plates that night.  Uncle Grant and Aunt Cleadonna sent someone to the store for more, and in the meantime, they had to wash plates and cups to keep up, poor souls!

NO FIDDLE BREAD-STICKS

A no-fuss, parmesan encrusted bread-stick.
Yield: 1 jelly roll pan.

1 1/2 cup very warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Approx. 4 cups white flour, divided.

Mix together dry ingredients with 2 cups of the flour.  Add very warm water and stir til mixture is smooth.  Add more flour a little at a time, just until dough is soft but non-sticky.  Knead 8 minutes by hand, or 3-4 minutes in bread mixer.  Cover dough and let rest for 20 minutes.

Melt 1/2 cup butter.

Spread 1/4 cup butter in bottom of jelly-roll pan.  Place dough into buttered pan and flatten with finger tips to make fit.  Brush with remaining butter. Sprinkle lightly with garlic seasoning and moderately with parmesan cheese. Cut with pizza cutter into strips lengthwise, then in thirds - across.   Let rise 20 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

PIZZA NIGHT

Your kitchen is the Best Pizza Parlor with this crust and sauce!

PIZZA CRUST                                                                
yield: 3 medium crusts, or two large.

2 cups very warm water
1 Tablespoon instant yeast, i.e. SAF
    If using regular yeast, dissolve in warm water first
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups flour - divided

• Stir together salt, sugar and yeast, and HALF the flour.   Add the water and oil all at once.  Mix thoroughly til smooth. 
• Now add 2 more cups flour, stirring til well combined, then add final cup of flour, but only enough to make the ball smooth and not sticky. 
•  Knead for ten minutes on clean surface, or use bread mixer.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Divide dough into sections. Spray pizza pans with non-stick spray, or if using a stone, sprinkle with corn meal.  Place rounded mound of dough onto pizza pan and push with finger-tips until dough spreads out to edges. You can also use a rolling pin.  Make sure the dough is "Shrinked" after arranging it onto the pan.
• Spoon Pizza sauce on pizza dough 
• Let dough rise for at least 1/2 hour and while it does:
• Sprinkle with generous portions of mozerella cheese
• Arrange favorite TOPPINGS:  pepperoni and olives, ham and pineapple, garlic chicken, (use ranch dressing for sauce, adding extra garlic) Canadian bacon and mushrooms, sausage, tomatoes, green onions, peppers, etc. 
• Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Bake pizzas one at a time in middle of oven for 12-14 minutes. Crust should be golden brown and the top bubbly. Bottom of crust should be a light golden brown.

ITALIAN SAUCE
Simmer the following for 10 minutes:
2 - 8oz. cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon brown sugar This should make a generous portion of sauce for 3 medium pizzas; use according to your taste. 

SKY HIGH BISCUITS

Biscuits are a blessing!  With sausage gravy, soup, or as a  treat with strawberry jam.

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

Stir the following dry ingredients together:

• 3 cups sifted flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Add: 

• 12 Tablespoons butter, cut into flour with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly and butter is in pea-size chunks.

Make a well in center of flour and add all at once:

• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup milk or may use 1/2 buttermilk.

Stir quickly with large spoon or fork just until the batter is well-moistened and begins to cling together in a form. (If dough appears dry, add 1-2 tablespoons more milk)  Don't overwork, which will lead to tough biscuits.  Now create a soft ball and gently knead without pressing firmly, just 3-4 times with  floured hands.

 Flatten gently onto a floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness. I like placing the dough on floured saran wrap which makes easy clean up. (I usually don't use a rolling pin, but you can if you avoid pressing firmly.) Dust the pin if it sticks to dough.

Prick dough clear through with a floured fork at 1/2 inch intervals which will allow steam to be released during baking, helping the biscuits rise more evenly.

Cut biscuits out as close together as possible, pressing firmly, but not twisting.  Shake out gently. Arrange biscuits close together on cookie sheet, barely touching.

Don't re-roll scraps; they will be tougher to eat. The little pieces are a treat the way they are!
Place on rack in upper third of oven.  Bake 8-12 minutes until lightly crusty and golden brown. Serve hot!

Alternate ways to try:

• Use half lard and half butter
• Use heavy cream instead of butter
• Make your own baking powder:  1/4 cup cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons baking soda.  Store in tight-sealed jar at room temp for up to 4 weeks.

CINNAMON ROLLS

ALPINE DAY CINNAMON ROLLS            
Yield: 2 dozen medium, or 18 large
She's "high maintenance", but a treasure and worth a lot if you treat her right. *see HINTS.  2 dozen is hardly worth the trouble.  I always double this and give them away or freeze them in the pan, covered with foil. Defrost ahead of time and heat up with foil on top in 325 degree oven. WARNING:  Keep this dough warm at all times; it's finicky!  Place in warm place to rise, and place newly cut rolls on warmed jelly roll pans to warm in another warm place. Let them rise according to their course, even if it takes longer than an hour in their pans.  Don't bake until they are fully risen.

5 teaspoons instant yeast (i.e.SAF)

½ cup warm water

2 cups milk, scalded

½ cup shortening

7 cups flour

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt

1 cup potatoes, mashed (or equivalent flake potatoes with liquid, etc)Real mashed potatoes for best results!

2 eggs at room temperature, slightly beaten *hint: eggs can be defrosted in microwave for one minute

raisins, optional

nuts, optional

butter, melted

cinnamon

sugar

In glass bowl, heat water, milk and shortening in microwave until scalded and shortening is melted, (about 4 minutes).   Beat eggs in medium bowl; add mashed potatoes (or equivalent).  In large bowl, whisk together HALF the flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp salt and dry yeast . Pour warm liquids into the flour mixture, then add beaten eggs and mashed potatoes. Mix together thoroughly. Stir in the rest of the flour 1-2 cups at a time, adding a little more if necessary to make the dough into a soft ball.  Dough should be formed, not sticky to the touch,  but not elastic like bread dough.  Stir with a sturdy wooden spoon, (two hands if necessary; develop your muscles!) until the spoon can snap off the dough with little or no dough sticking to it. You can also use a bread mixer, making sure the dough comes out as above.

This dough requires a warm place to rise.  Turn on oven to 350 for 1-2 minutes; turn off.  Put a moist tea-towel over dough and place in oven.  Let rise til double, about 45 minutes.

             Remove from bowl onto a slightly floured surface.  Divide dough in two, (into four, if doubling).   Before rolling, pat the mound into a rectangle shape. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick rectangle.  Shrink the dough slightly by sliding your hands under it and giving it a gentle flip.  Brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar and generously with cinnamon;  nuts or raisins and fruit if desired.  Starting with long side, roll up jellyroll style, keeping the roll tight. Even the roll out with both hands and pinch edges closed.  Cut into 1-1/2 to 2 inch slices.  A 2 inch roll makes quite a large roll, about 12 per pan.  I like the 1 1/2 roll, as it is more reasonable to eat, and I arrange them 15 per pan. Warm the jelly-roll pan briefly in the oven. (The dough is supper sensitive to cold!) Place on greased jellyroll pan and then to a warm area again to let rise until double (1/2 hour to 1 hour usually). Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.  Cool at least 10 minutes before frosting.

IMPORTANT HINTS: 
 *Use only high quality “high gluten” flour, or flour that is “better for bread.". For years I have bought my "High -gluten flour" at the Bosch Kitchen Center on Orem Center Street; I love this flour, but it's a little pricey. I have found I really like Lehi Roller Mills flour- IF- it is fresh.
 *Use yeast that isn’t old and doesn’t have an after taste.  I like SAF.  If you don't have instant yeast, "proof" your yeast first in the 1/2 cup of warm water, adding a teaspoon of sugar.
 * Use Crisco brand for the shortening, and always * real butter.
 *Put jelly roll pans in the oven to warm before placing the cut rolls on them. 

FROSTING:

½  cup butter

1 cup milk, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 lbs. powdered sugar
Cream cheese, optional

 This makes enough frosting for a double batch.  Scald 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup butter and boil together 1 minute.  Pour in 2 lbs powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Add vanilla flavoring to taste.  For thinner frosting, add up to 1/2 cup more milk, one tablespoon at a time, to desired consistency.  May make a cream cheese frosting by beating 8 oz. cream cheese before adding the last 1/2 cup of milk. Spoon onto warm, not hot, or completely cooled cinnamon rolls. 

STORYTIME

 Daughter Jayni:
     If there ever was a moment to boast about my mother's cooking, this would be it.  My mother's cinnamon rolls are FAMOUS.  For years I just thought that cinnamon rolls were always fabulous, until I tasted one from somewhere else.  In my younger years, I sold cinnamon rolls on Saturday mornings on the corner of our street.  I wasn't out there for very long, because 6-8 dozen cinnamon rolls would sell FAST.  My mother would receive calls requesting orders for cinnamon rolls.  At one point, my mother started a home bakery, where she overloaded herself with cinnamon rolls.  Pretty soon the kitchen became too small, and my mother too tired.  From then on, only a few close friends and family placed orders.  There isn't a time that I mention my mother's cinnamon rolls that I don't hear someone say:  "Those are the BEST rolls I have ever tasted!"