Recipe: Basic Sweet Yeast Dough:

And Variations:

Formula:

• 4 ½ to 5 ½ cup a.p.flour

• 2 packs rapid rise yeast

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 t salt

• ½ cup unsalted butter

• 3/4 cup milk

• 2 lg. Eggs

• 1 t vanilla

• (opt.) 1 t cinnamon, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup chopped nuts,
• 1 cup chopped apples

Procedure:Rapid-Rise Yeast / Rapid-Mix Method for Sweet Bread:

·Place 2 cups of the flour, salt, yeast, in the bowl of a stand mixer Hobart or Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the paddle attachment .

·Heat the liquids with the shortening and the sugar until warm 120-130 degrees, or warm to the touch, the shortening doesn’t have to be completely melted, stir to dissolve the sugar.

·With the mixer running on low stir in the warm liquid. Mix to incorporate. Scrape bowl and beat for 2 minutes on low, scrape bowl again.

·Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.

·Add the rest of the flour, and more if needed until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl, scrape bowl and beat 3 minutes more on medium speed.

·Scrape bowl and at this time add raisins, currents, dried fruits, candied fruits or nuts and mixinto the dough just until incorporated.( For Hot Cross buns add (1) cup raisins or currants and 1/3-cup candies orange peel)

·Round up the dough on a floured surface and place in an oiled bowl covered withPlastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise.

Basic Sweet Dough Variation: Hot Cross Buns:

• Punch down dough; turn onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half; divide each half into 9 pieces.

• Form each piece into a smooth round ball. Place balls of dough in two buttered 8-inch square baking pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

• Brush lightly with egg yolk mixture.( one egg yolk and 2-3 Tablesoons water or milk)

• Bake rolls in preheated 375°F degree oven, 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pans.

• Cool on a wire rack.

• Drizzle frosting (see below) across the top of each bun in the shape of a cross. Makes 18 buns.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2-3 Tablespoons milk

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add up to 1 teaspoon of milk or just enough so that the frosting is a good consistency for drizzling. (If it becomes too watery, add more sugar).

Bunny Bread Shaping Procedure:

Bunny Shaping Procedure:

Shape the dough into a ball. Cover and allow to rest 15 minutes.Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 2 cookie sheets.

Cut dough into 8 pieces.

For each bunny; cut 1 piece dough in half and shape half into ball with a kiss in center for the body. Place on a cookie sheet. Cut other half into 2 pieces. Shape half into ball and brush with egg white. Place next to the large ball, tucking slightly under for the head. From remaining half, pinch off 3/4-inch piece for tail and shape 2 ears. Brush tail and ears with egg white and tuck slightly under bunny. Brush body with egg white. One bunny done, Continue making bunnies, place them 4 to a sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until browned. Cool on rack. Mix confectioners' sugar with about 1/4 teaspoon water and a hint of red food coloring (for pink); use to draw face on bunnies. If you like, tie bows around bunnies' necks.

Variations Using this Dough are endless:

Here are afew axamples

Variations: Use for; Cinnamon Buns, Caramel -Pecan Rolls, Streusel Sweet Buns, powder sugar sweet buns, Coffee Cake Rings, Rectangle or Round pan coffee cakes, apple Kutchen, cinnamon Danish type buns, fruit Danish type buns, Baker Crumb Buns.

Use for; Raised Doughnuts, Jelly Doughnuts, Bismarcks, (cream filled doughnuts with shiny chocolate glaze icing), and Crullers.

Frosted or glazed fruit breads, Raisin Bread (See Filling: Fruits and Frostings for Sweet YeastBreads: Coffee Breads for filling ideas and recipes) for flavor varieties.

 Fruit filled streusel Strip Danish, filled cream cheese Danish strips, Individual Danish (Use muffin tins, fill with dough ½ way, top with fruit preserves and streusel, proof and bake).Sweet rolls for dinner rolls assorted shapes, The most common place ball of rounded up dough in muffin cups and proof, glaze and bake, they puff up with mushroom like golden brown tops.

This is the dough forHamburger and Frankfurterbuns, after the first rise divide the dough into 12 pieces let rest 10 minutes, bench proof, then shape into rounds for burger buns and long rope style buns for hotdog rolls, let rise until double and bake off, 350 for 12 to 15 minutes. For larger sandwich buns divide dough into 8 pieces. Replace 2 cups of the a.p.flour with 2 cups of 100% whole wheat flour or 2 cups of white whole wheat flour for whole wheat hot dog or burger buns. For a less sweet roll add 1/4 cup sugar instead of 1/2 cup.

This is the dough for basic sweet type Dinner Rolls add 1/4 cup of sugar instead of ½ cup if you desire a less sweet roll for dinner service, all shapes, clover leafs, butter horns, Parker house rolls, rosettes, knots and Hot Cross Buns with candied mixed fruits and raisins kneaded into the dough before the first rise.

For: Brown and Serve rolls, prepare dinner rolls, after first rise divide dough into 12 pieces and let rest 10 minutes, round up each piece into a ball and place next to each other in a 13x9 rectangle pan for softer rolls that are brown an the top only or on a sheet pan not touching each other fro a harder roll that is brown on the sides also. Let rise until nearly double then bake in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes, don’t allow them to brown. Remove from pans and cool. Wrap and freeze if desired or refrigerate until you’re ready to serve them. Then thaw 10 to 15 minutes, or remove from refrigerator, bake on ungreased baking pan at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Streusel Topping:Ratio Formula; 2 to 1 flour to butter and sugar:

Cream butter and sugar together and then stir in flour and flavorings until crumbs form the size of peas or combine flour and sugar and seasonings and blend in melted butter. If crumbs don’t form and mixture remains floury just add a few Tablespoons of oil or more melted butter until it comes together like crumb bun crumbs.

·        ½ cup butter                            

·        ½ cup granulated sugar or ¼ cup light brown sugar and                      ¼ cup gran. sugar

·        1 ¾ cups a.p.flour

·        1 t cinnamon

·        2t vanilla

Deluxe Special Almond Paste Streusel:

Use 2 cups flour and add 2 oz. almond paste and 1 egg white when you cream the sugars and butter together, mix thoroughly and then stir in flour, cinnamon and vanilla.

Chocolate Streusel: cream together  ½ cup butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup cocoa, stir in 2 cups a.p.flour and 2 teaspoons vanilla and mix until crumbs form. This can be used to top pies, tarts, crumb buns, coffee cakes.

Variation: Fondue Bread: Savory Entrée Bread:

Roll out dough into a 24 x 6 inch rectangle, shape 1 cup of shredded Muenster cheese combined with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into a cylinder. Place it lengthwise along the center of the dough, fold dough over filing, making about 1 to 1 ½ inch overlap; pinch seems to seal. Place ring seam side down in a round pan to form a ring. Pinch end to seal. Cover with a towel and let rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Egg wash and bake at 350 degree for 45 minutes to one hour or until golden and bread it sounds hollow when tapped with your finger. Remove bread from pan immediately; let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Use your imagination for a filling ingredients; out of casing Italian or breakfast sausage browned off and cheese is a great filling; try pepperoni, peppers, onions, and diced tomatoes.

Chopped Bread,

If you have left over dough scrapes rich egg dough, lean hard roll dough whatever, chop it up with the bench scraper, sprinkle some grated cheese on top, sprinkle with some crumbles cooked sausage or ham or bacon, add the rest of your egg wash that’s left over, add some chopped green onions or chopped parsley and mix it all together on your board. Grease a baking loaf pan and fill with the mixed ingredients. Bake at 350 fro 30 to 45 minutes. Cool on rack and then turn out. Slice, and you have a nice marbled sausage and cheese bread.