Last week, a friend texted me with a couple of questions about the bread she was baking and why it wasn’t getting the nice brown color on top that she wanted. I sent back a few tips, and then she told me how much fun she was having with baking projects in this cold winter weather.
And as I sit here writing this week’s newsletter, looking out at the six inches (!!!) of snow that has blanketed my back yard, I can whole-heartedly agree!
Here in Tennessee, when this much snow falls (okay, fine, when any snow falls), everything shuts down and you just stay home, and I can think of no better time to get to baking.
Lately I’ve been thinking about the very first breads I learned to make standing at the kitchen counter with my mom. She had this giant marble slab made for rolling dough and pastries inset into the kitchen island, and we would stand there together working on our projects. So, this week, as many of us have a few extra days at home with nothing but time in between runs down the sledding hill and movies with hot cocoa, I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite bread recipes, and the first ones I learned to make - Angel Biscuits and Oatmeal Bread.
Angel Biscuits (named for their light, fluffy composition) use baking powder and baking soda like a biscuit recipe, but also yeast like a traditional dinner roll. These three rising agents all contribute to the tender texture of what I call more roll than biscuit. They make wonderful little ham sandwiches and are excellent toasted with butter and a little honey, but more often than not, they disappear straight out of the still warm pan as people are drawn to the aroma in the kitchen. It’s an old-fashioned recipe, so yes, you hand knead the dough. And yes, it’s worth it.
The Oatmeal Bread is a hearty, country-style loaf perfect for holding up to thick stews and gravies, and makes wonderful cheese toast or cinnamon toast. The dough is easy to work with, and I have re-written it in a “no-knead” format. It’s a great beginner bread, but it’s also one I turn to time and time again.
Both of these doughs rest in the refrigerator overnight, and the timing can be flexible, so you don’t have to give your whole day to bread-baking. There’s still plenty of time for snowball fights!
MONDAY - Leftovers from last week
So the snow days threw me for a loop, and my plan for Chicken Cutlets and Pasta went out the window (mainly because I was too busy playing in the snow with the Kiddo and forgot to defrost the chicken and after that fun/tiring day I didn’t feel like cooking and that’s okay!), but we have enough leftovers and they need to be eaten anyway.
TUESDAY - Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
I recently did a freezer inventory and actually typed up everything in our freezers, and during my deep-freeze deep-dive, I found a meatloaf! So now I just have to make some mashed potatoes and peas. And bonus, I still have some of those Angel Biscuits for swiping around the plate.
WEDNESDAY - Chicken in a Pot with Orzo
My original plan when I made the grocery list for this week and bought a whole chicken was just to do another roast chicken like I love to do. But the temperatures still aren’t going to be above freezing and this recipe from Nigella Lawson looks so darn cozy. Cooking the whole chicken in my dutch oven with orzo pasta and a lemony broth? Yeah I’m going to try that!
THURSDAY - Cresent Pizza Rolls and Salad
Will the kids be back in school? No one knows for sure, but my money is on nope. I’m not sure where my energy level will be after what promises to be a week of snow and no school, so it’s something fun and easy. We’ll roll pepperonis and string cheese inside referigerated cresent roll dough and bake them up with marinara sauce on the side.
FRIDAY - Friday night pick-up!
SATURDAY - Dinner at Yaya’s (the in-laws!)
She says Spaghetti and Meatballs - we’re all for it!
SUNDAY - Dinner at Dad’s
Slow cooker chicken thighs and a tikka masala sauce with basmati rice and steamed broccoli.
LUNCHES for this week - “Scoop Salad” Plate
My friend came over to cook this weekend and along with some casseroles to restock our freezers we made Chicken Salad, Pimento Cheese, and a Greek Quinoa Salad. A scoop of each with a handful of crackers and some fresh fruit, and it’ll be like lunch at a cute little cafe all week.
EXTRAS for this week
The snow and cold has me in the mood for something bright and lemony, so I’m testing a Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Cake with a lemon drizzle over the top.
Angel Biscuits
Makes about 48 biscuits/rolls.
· 5 cups all-purpose Flour
· 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
· 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
· 1 teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· 3 tablespoons granulated white Sugar (divided)
· ¾ cup Vegetable Shortening
· 1 pkg Dry Yeast (not instant)
· ½ cup lukewarm Water
· 2 cups Buttermilk
· ½ - ¾ cup extra Flour for kneading
· 2 tablespoons melted Butter for pan(s), plus extra for brushing on top
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and two tablespoons of the sugar. Set aside.
In small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve remaining one tablespoon sugar and yeast in lukewarm water. Let it sit for about five minutes as the yeast activates.
While the yeast activates, cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture is well blended and looks mealy with just a few pea sized pieces.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Slowly pour the buttermilk and the yeast mixture into the well. Briefly stir the liquids together, then incorporate the flour, stirring to create a dough. It may look shaggy, this is okay, just keep working it until there is no dry flour at the bottom of your bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for several (8-10) minutes until dough becomes smooth and soft. Dough will be very sticky, add extra flour as needed (usually ½ cup – ¾ cup).
For kneading, I usually go with a fold and push away method. See video.
Place dough into a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
When ready to make the rolls, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile brush two 9x13 pans with melted butter.
Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface to ½ - ¾ inch thick. Cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter, re-roll scraps as needed. Place rounds in buttered pans, cover with a light dish towel, and allow to raise for an hour.
Preheat oven to 350⁰ and arrange the rack in the upper third. Bake one pan at a time for 17-20 minutes until golden brown on the tops. Brush the tops with more melted butter, serve and enjoy!
NOTES: You can split the dough into two bowls or containers for the overnight rest. I will sometimes do this if I want to make half of my dough into regular rolls and the other half into cinnamon rolls.
Many times I will also use one 9x13 pan for rolls for my family and then two smaller 8x8 disposable foil pans to make some for giving away.
Oatmeal Bread
Makes two loaves.
· 1 cup old-fashioned rolled Oats
· 1 cup Boiling Water
· 2 teaspoons Honey
· 2 packages dry Yeast (not instant)
· 1 teaspoon White Sugar
· ½ cup warm Water
· 1 cup Milk
· 1 tablespoon kosher Salt (Morton’s or store brand)
· ¼ cup Brown Sugar
· 4-5 cups Flour
· 2-3 tablespoons melted Butter for brushing tops of loaves
Combine oats, boiling water, and honey in a large bowl. Set aside for five minutes.
Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in another small bowl or measuring cup. Allow to activate for five minutes.
In a heatproof measuring cup, heat the milk in the microwave, for 30 seconds, then stir. Mix together warm milk and brown sugar.
Stir brown sugar-milk mixture and yeast mixture into the large bowl with the oats. Stir in salt and 4 ½ cups of flour 1 cup at a time until a dough forms. It will be stiff and shaggy. That’s okay!
Let dough rest, covered, at room temperature for an hour. During this time, complete 3 folds (see note below) about every 20 minutes.
After the hour and the three sets of folds, cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 24 hours.
On the day of baking – remove dough from fridge and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into two equal pieces. Shape into loaves, and place each in an oiled loaf pan. Cover with a light kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, 1 ½ - 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325⁰. Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes until golden. Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes before removing.
Brush the tops with melted butter when they come out of the oven.
NOTES: For “folding” your dough – Use your hand to gently grab the side of the dough in the bowl furthest away from you. (Wetting your fingers will help if it is very sticky.) Fold it over itself to the other side of the bowl. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this 4 times (four quarter turns). Repeat this set of folds 2 times, waiting 20 minutes between each set.
To shape loaves – pat each dough half into a rectangle the same length as your loaf pan. Roll the dough into a cylinder shape and gently nestle it into the pan, seam side down.