Food&Recipes – Page 6 – Mary's Musings

A Fond Memory While Canning Applesauce

The middle of July may seem like an odd time to be canning applesauce, but actually, it’s the perfect time! This is the time of year when all my canning equipment is unpacked and ready for the tomatoes and cucumbers to ripen. While I’m waiting for other vegetables, it’s also the perfect time to work with apples. They usually have been stored commercially in climate-controlled areas since last fall and by July they are much easier to peel and are usually less expensive.

On Monday I made a drive out to the local fruit farm and picked up about 3/4 of a bushel of apples. I first picked out 1/2 bushel of the nicest Fuji apples I could find. Then I collected a peck of Ida Reds. Fuji apples are “sweet & mildly sweet” and the Ida Reds are “crisp, tangy & sharp.” As I cut them up, I chose some of each to get the benefits of both flavors.

How Much Exactly is a Bushel?

I looked up the definitions of bushel and peck, because it’s been a long time since I bought that many apples by that measure. A “bushel” is first a measure of volume. In the U.S. a bushel is equal to 8 gallons, 12 quarts, 64 pints or 4 pecks. (The Imperial Bushel, used in the U.K. is similar, but it can be used to measure dry or liquid products.)

A bushel can also be used as a measure of weight…and the government has established standard weights for each type of fruit, vegetable, nut and grain. A bushel of tomatoes, for example is supposed to weigh 56 pounds, as is a bushel of shelled corn. But if the corn is still in ears, a bushel is supposed to weigh 70 pounds. Leaves and greens take up more space with less weight.

A better way to clarify for the ordinary person like me, is to describe what you can do with a bushel of apples. For example, a bushel of apples typically holds about 125 medium apples. That’s enough to make about 15 quarts of applesauce or around 15 apple pies. That information is so much more helpful for me.

So, this week, I bought 1/2 bushel of Fuji apples and a peck of Ida Reds (shown above). For future reference, that many apples made 28 half-pints of applesauce (equal to 7 quarts) and two apple crisps with about 12 apples left over. Not sure what I’ll make now, but my hands are pooped out and I’ll have to make a decision soon. Once the apples come out of storage they don’t keep well.

A Fond Memory While Cutting Apples

I cut apples up for 3 1/2 hours on Tuesday and filled my 12 qt. pot to the brim with cut apples.

Cutting up apples is a pretty solitary job and I found myself thinking about all the times I watched and helped my mother cut apples for pies (my dad’s favorite). When I was very young, I fondly remember her singing a silly song called, “A Bushel and a Peck.” I finally took a minute to look up the lyrics and sure enough, I found them! It is really silly, but what a fond memory!

Continuing With the Canning Process

By the time the apples had cooked down, the full 12 qt. pot was filled only halfway.

Then I scooped the soft apples into the food processor and gave them a quick zap. I don’t mind the sauce being a little lumpy.

Then I put the sauce back into my smaller 6 qt. pot to simmer. I had to add a sauce pan for the overflow. At this point we tasted it and decided it needed a little sugar, so I added about 1 1/2 cups.

When divided up, the sauce filled 24 half-pint jars, plus 4 plastic containers that went into the freezer. The 24 jars went into the canner and were water-bath processed for 20 minutes. Now these lovely jars are ready for winter!

You might ask…do we really eat that much applesauce! While it’s great as a side dish for pork, I do use applesauce as an ingredient in some vegan baking, as a substitute for eggs.

Do you have any treasured memories that come up when you’re doing something your parents taught you to do? Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Canning Four-Bean Salad

Remember that six pounds of green and yellow beans I picked a few days ago? (https://marykisner.com/garden-update-july-15-2022/) Over the weekend we managed to turn them into 18 pints of beautiful Four-Bean Salad!

I wanted to show you how we did it! I will tell you, canning in the Kisner household is definitely a team activity. I could not do it without Bert’s strong muscles to handle the canner. He was always willing to help, but years ago we invested in a canner that is hard for me to lift even empty…and it couldn’t be put on our glass-top stove burners. We now have a pretty slick set up…as long as Bert is willing to manage the actual canning process.

Since we can’t use the stove burners, he uses his propane burner that he set up to melt lead for reloading. It gets almost too hot so he’s had to put extra shields on top of the burner to help regulate the temperature.

Of course, that also means we do the actual canning in the garage. I’m grateful he knows how to do all this stuff!

My job is in the kitchen getting the jars sterilized and the food prepped. Since this recipe is basically making “pickled” vegetables, which includes mostly vinegar and sugar, the canning can be done with a water bath process. However, we use the same canner, he just doesn’t seal the lid and fills it with water.

When I can, I try to make a batch that will fill the canner…no point in going to all that work for 5 pints. So, I doubled the recipe…using 6 pounds of green and yellow beans, 4 cups of chopped celery, etc. Here is the recipe I’m using:

While Bert was getting the garage set up, I ran the dishwasher with the jars to sterilize them.

First, I mixed up the pickling solution and set it on a back burner to simmer.

Next, I prepped the vegetables. I had the beans all snapped and ready to go.

Then I had to chop the celery, onion and red pepper.

I measured out the kidney beans and chickpeas and rinsed them well.

I was using my largest pot that was full to the brim, before I added the beans! There was no room to add water to boil AND I didn’t have a long enough spoon to stir the pile.

Plan B kicked in! Bert went to the attic and found his HUGE stockpot that he uses to store cookie dough at Christmas. We dumped everything into the big pot (which of course, would not fit on the stove), moved it to the propane burner in the garage, and then added enough water to blanch the vegetables. I found Bert’s GIANT wooden spoon that he used to use to mix up cookie dough and we were able to finish blanching the vegetables out there.

The next dilemma was to drain the vegetables and move them back to the kitchen so I could pack the jars. I pulled out my HUGE colander strainer to scoop the vegetables into the original pot that did fit on my stove. By then, the vegetables had softened and fit back into the pot. Whew!

While I filled the jars, Bert emptied the hot water out of the big pot, set it aside, and put the canner on the burner to begin warming the water for canning.

When all divvied up, the vegetables filled 18 jars! The canner holds 19 jars. Perfect! So, the recipe, when doubled makes many more than 10 jars!

I used the pickling solution to fill the jars and had to add about 2 cups of vinegar to top them off. Once I got them filled, Bert took over, capped them and got them out to the canner. He handled the timing and watched the burner while I cleaned up the kitchen.

I now have 18 beautiful jars of pickled vegetables that will look and taste great all year! Of course, the recipe says to wait a month before opening, so along about Labor Day, I’ll check them out.

If you want to try this recipe, check your instructions that came with your canner to get the time correct for your altitude. Be mindful when you double a recipe…it might make more than you expect!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Making Chicken Cakes for Your Backyard Chickens

Let me be clear…I do not have chickens in my backyard. I wish I did, but now that I can’t eat eggs I don’t see the point and Bert would prefer to not deal with chickens as pets. However, a friend who does have chickens in her backyard wondered if I would test a recipe for a baked seed cake recipe. I guess similar cakes can be purchased but she wanted a cake that would have wholesome ingredients with no extra chemicals or additives. Why not!

Here is the recipe:

My friend provided all the ingredients, which helped a lot. Many of the ingredients were unfamiliar since I don’t work with chicken feed, so I had to figure out which bag had “scratch grain” and which was “layer feed.”

For example, the “scratch grains” were called a “poultry treat,” but basically it was an assortment of grains.

The “layer feed” was high in protein and had pre- and probiotics.

I certainly didn’t have “chick grit” in my kitchen!

The rest of the ingredients at least sounded like things I was familiar with, like sunflower seeds, whole wheat flour and cinnamon!

I measured out all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl I mixed the eggs, molasses and coconut oil. Then I poured the wet ingredients into the pile of dry ingredients.

I was able to mix it up with a big spoon. The recipe said I could do it with my hands, but the spoon worked fine.

My plan was to use my small loaf-shaped pans so I sprayed them with oil and filled them about halfway. I needed to press firmly in the corners and along the sides to pack it tightly.

I had a small cookie cutter and cut a hole to put the string through.

Once I removed the bit of packed seed, I inserted a small piece of dowel rod and packed the seeds around the stick. I left the dowel rod in while baking.

The last cake of seed dough I divided into two baking cups, making two smaller cakes. I wanted to see how those cups worked.

I forgot to spray oil on the paper cups…big mistake! I had to practically rip the paper off the cakes.

After baking for 30 minutes at 325 degrees, I let them cool for a few minutes. While they were still warm, I was able to twist and remove the dowel rods and run a table knife around the edges of the pans. The larger cakes popped right out of the pans. The smaller paper cups should have been sprayed but the cakes were fine.

I let the cakes cool on the racks overnight so they could harden and were not sticky. I was able to string a piece of twine through the holes and they are ready to hang in the chicken house or barn. Hope the chickens like them!

In the past I’ve also been asked to try to make a chicken coat. That was a learning experience too! Check it out at https://marykisner.com/when-does-a-chicken-need-a-coat/.

Give this cake recipe a try or share with a friend who has backyard chickens! You may be rewarded with some eggs! Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Blueberries Galore!

My fingers are shriveled and my back is tired…all to preserve the 20 pounds of blueberries I picked up today from the Kiwana’s blueberry sale. Whew! I just finished washing and freezing 22 pints of blueberries. It always feels great to get them all safely tucked into the freezer. I have enough to last a year and I can almost taste the first batch of blueberry muffins I have in mind! (Check out my favorite muffin recipe: https://marykisner.com/the-best-vegan-muffin/).

This year the blueberries came from New Jersey. In the past they’ve been sourced from Maine. They were quite clean already but I still rinse them in cool water and remove any squashed or unripe berries. They can be washed, scooped directly into freezer bags and put in the freezer. When frozen they can easily be measured out like a pile of marbles and baked into goodies, added to fruit cup or eaten on cereal.

Out of these 20 pounds, I think I had to throw away about 1/2 cup of squashed berries and stems…not bad. The bags stack neatly on the freezer shelf and will be a real treat in the middle of winter.

We tried growing our own blueberries a few years ago, but our soil must not be right and we had to fence them completely because the deer, bunnies and birds would help themselves as they wandered by. An ongoing battle in Pennsylvania!

I’m all for letting folks that are good at growing things we can’t, be my source to stock up my freezer. In the dead of winter around here local blueberries are NOT available! Knowing there may be food shortages this winter, I’m always on the lookout for things that I can add to my freezer without having to grow them myself. Check out farmers markets near you to do the same!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Dehydrating Strawberries and Apricots

Strawberries are in season in Pennsylvania…everywhere, except in my garden! So rather than get upset, I managed to find fresh, yummy strawberries at local farmer’s markets. I thought I’d start with just two quarts, while I worked to remind myself how to do it. The dehydrator sits quietly in my garage most of the year, but from July to September it gets heavy use. Dried fruits make great snacks and toppings for cereal. Dried vegetables make quick additions to vegetable soups. The last few days, I focused on strawberries and as you’ll see…relearning how to use the equipment is always my first step.

I pulled out the book that goes with my dehydrator:

Then I picked up two quarts of strawberries at a local market:

I also had a few apricots sitting on the counter that were ripe and decided to add them to a tray:

I pulled the trays out of the dehydrator and got to work. Washing and slicing very ripe strawberries is work, but delicious…I think every now and then one would jump right into my mouth!

My First Attempt to Dehydrate Strawberries

First, I washed the strawberries:

Just a few minutes in cold water was enough.

Apricots were pretty easy:

Filled 4 trays (out of 9) so I spaced them out.

Temperature set at 135 degrees for 6-8 hours.

Well, let me tell you something I had forgotten:

Soft, juicy fruit needs a sheet of parchment paper under it…otherwise, it will gradually sink into the grid of the tray and practically glue itself to the grid!

After 6-7 hours, they were ready to remove. Yikes! They were stuck fast! I could chip most of them off but it was tedious.

…I just couldn’t chip these off the tray. I had to soak them in a tub outside until I could wash them off.

Actually, the larger pieces of apricot did much better because they weren’t so juicy.

So, my first attempt made two small bags of dried fruit, but I had to take the trays outside to soak off all the bits of fruit that was glued on the plastic grid!

My Second Attempt

The next day, I ran to the grocery store and picked up more strawberries…not local but less juicy.

This time, I lined the trays with a sheet of parchment paper on top of the plastic grid.

I can buy parchment exactly the right size for the tray…14 inches square.

When dry, the strawberries popped right off the paper!

My second attempt made as many dried strawberries with MUCH less hassle! Yea! These will be great on top of granola and oatmeal!

What did I learn?

Always use parchment paper under soft juicy fruit (especially strawberries and bananas). The parchment is essential under fruit roll-ups, like applesauce or mixed blended fruit.

I think I’ll print this statement and tape it to the inside of my manual! Live and learn.

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

From Wheat Berries to Bread

Baking bread has always been my favorite activity when I want to do something that reminds me of my mother. I learned the “feel” of a well-kneaded loaf of bread when I was young and carried that skill over to my family when I became a mother. When sticky buns made an appearance in my mother’s kitchen, I was always glad I had hung around and could try the first batch.

Fifty years ago, we had few choices at the grocery store…white bread was everywhere. There was much in the news about how white flour had lost much of its nutrition by sifting out the wheat germ and bleaching it with chemicals. Of course, then we used wheat germ in cookies and added the bran back to our diets with bran cereal! When I cruise the bread aisle today, I’m always struck with how many choices I have of whole wheat and multi-grain artisan bread and buns. However, I still enjoy the process of making my own bread.

I’ve already shared my Oatmeal Bread recipe (https://marykisner.com/marys-oatmeal-bread/) but I’m still struggling to find a good whole wheat recipe that tastes good and isn’t as heavy as a brick. Last week, I did an internet search with “the best whole wheat bread recipe” to see what came up. Lo and behold, a recipe called, “The Very Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipe” was at the top of the list! The recipe was from https://www.fivehearthome.com/. It looked pretty simple so I thought I’d give it a try.

The day before I was going to bake, I went to the health food store and picked up about 10 lbs. of white whole wheat berries and a small bag of Vital Wheat Gluten. This powder will add more wheat gluten so the loaf sticks together better.

I set up my wheat grinder and got it running. Within an hour or so I had about 10 lbs. of beautiful flour ready to go.

I’ve had a grinder from this company since the early 1970’s. This is their new version and will even grind quinoa into flour! www.organicsbylee.com

Now I’m ready to bake! I did notice the grocery store carries King Arthur brand of “White Whole Wheat flour” now, so I shouldn’t have to grind my own if I don’t want to.

Here is the recipe:

Here are the rest of the ingredients:

Directions:

Step 1: Measure out the flour, vital wheat gluten and yeast into the mixer bowl.

Steps 2-3: Add 2 1/2 cups of very warm water. Mix up for 1 minute (I did this by hand) and let rest for 10 minutes.

In 10 minutes, the yeast is going to town.

Step 4: Add salt, oil, vinegar and honey. Mix for 1 minute.

Step 5: Add and mix in 2 1/2 to 4 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time.

Step 6: Knead in the mixer until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and feels smooth rather than sticky (5-15 minutes). Turn the dough out on to a floured surface. Form into a smooth ball.

Steps 7-8: Grease 2-3 bread pans. Divide dough into three oblong loaves and put them in the pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. for one minute and then turn off the oven. Place the pans in the warm oven and allow them to rise for 20-40 minutes, until the dough is nicely domed above the tops of the pans.

Step 9: Without removing the pans from the oven, turn on the oven again to 350 degrees F. and set the timer for 30 minutes. The oven will go through the whole preheat cycle now, which sets the crust.

Step 10: The bread is done when the tops are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190-200 degrees F.

Step 11: Once the loaves are baked, immediately remove the hot bread from the pans to cool on a rack.

I think this recipe will be my go-to recipe for whole wheat bread. I was so happy with it that I ordered a 25 lb. sack of white whole wheat berries from Amazon! Beats trying to bag it up myself at the health food store!

Give it a try…even mistakes taste good! Enjoy!

Please leave a comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Making Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer

I love egg rolls! Since I was diagnosed with egg and dairy allergies several years ago, I have been very careful about eating anything that was mixture of ingredients. I have avoided casseroles of all kinds, especially if I didn’t make it myself…too often they have hidden eggs, cheese and other dairy products. Somehow, egg rolls fell into that “unknown mixture” label and I avoided them. I recently came across a recipe for egg rolls and discovered there were no eggs anywhere in the recipe! I went to the grocery store and read the ingredients on the wrappers…no eggs! To think I’ve avoided egg rolls all this time when I didn’t need to!

This picture shows egg rolls that had been deep fried. Look so good!

I also wondered why they were called egg rolls…when no eggs were involved! An early reference to egg rolls appeared in a 1917 Chinese recipe pamphlet published in the United States. The 1917 recipe described a meat and vegetable filling wrapped in an egg omelet, pan fried, and served in slices. (Wikipedia, Egg Rolls).

According to Wikipedia, while they are closely related to the spring rolls served in mainland China, the American egg roll was probably invented at a Chinese restaurant in New York City in the early 1930s. Originally, egg rolls included ingredients like bamboo shoots, roast pork, shrimp, scallions, water chestnuts, salt, MSG, sugar, palm oil and pepper. Notable, they did not include cabbage at the time, which is the main filling ingredient in modern egg rolls.

A 1979 article in The Washington Post speculated two possible theories for the word “egg” in the name: “1) that the Chinese word for ‘egg’ sounds very similar to the Chinese word for ‘spring’, and 2) that Chinese chefs in the South relied on using actual eggs when trying to make the thin noodle skin from flour and water.” (From Wikipedia, Egg Rolls).

The other issue I had with egg rolls was the necessity to deep fry them…sounded messy! But this recipe said I could use my air fryer or even bake them in the oven! That sounded possible!

So, here is the recipe for the egg rolls:

(From https://lilluna.com/fried-eggrolls-recipe/)

The ingredients were pretty simple: egg roll wrappers, cooked chicken, cole slaw mix and salt. I added little minced onion just for flavor.

The ingredients shown with my first batch of egg rolls ready for the air fryer.

Preparing the stuffing

Step 1: In a large frying pan (or wok) saute the cole slaw with a little olive oil until wilted (I added the minced onion here).

Step 2: Add shredded chicken for a few minutes until all mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I just added the can of chicken, broken up with a fork.

Making the egg rolls

Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons of slaw/chicken mixture to the middle of the egg roll wrapper. Fold up the sides one at a time and for the last fold add a little water so it sticks. Makes 11-12 egg rolls.

Step 4: Fry your egg rolls until golden brown.

Air Fryer Instructions:

Lightly spray or brush the basket or tray with olive oil. Place egg rolls in the air fryer. Be sure they are not touching. Cook at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, turning halfway.

Oven-Baked Instructions:

Lightly coat egg rolls with cooking spray and place, seam side down in a greased pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown, turning halfway.

Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Reheat in 350 degree oven, 10 minutes if thawed; 18-20 minutes if frozen, turning halfway.

With our son visiting, these egg rolls did not last very long! Yummy!

Another idea:

One of the suggestions in this recipe was to try filling the wrapper with apple pie filling. That would be like a mountain pie cooked over a campfire! Sounds like a great dessert!

I can see lots of potential for stuffing! I’m sure I’ll get better at rolling the egg rolls up too! Give it a try! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Using Quinoa Flakes

Quinoa is a grain that has lots of potential, but personally, a pile of it on my plate doesn’t excite me. I have a powerful grain grinder that I can make it into flour, which expands ways I can use the grain. I also found a box of Quinoa Flakes that I thought could be used in my standard Oatmeal Bread recipe (see https://marykisner.com/marys-oatmeal-bread/).

The back of the box showed several ways the flakes could be used…as a hot cereal, in cookies and muffins.

Today was the day I needed to bake bread so I thought I’d try using it…mostly to see if it changed the flavor or texture of my favorite bread. I followed my standard recipe and added 1/2 cup of Quinoa flakes when I added the 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats. Here’s the difference in the size of the flakes:

Rolled oats on the left, quinoa flakes on the right.

I wasn’t sure if that little bit in four loaves of bread would even be noticeable but amazingly…it was!

The bread was very light and had a nice consistent texture. There was no noticeable difference in taste. It was a nice enhancement to my standard oatmeal bread and added a little more protein to the bread. I think I’ll make it part of my standard recipe!

I think I’ll try adding a tablespoon of the flakes to my morning bowl of oatmeal just to enhance the protein. Give it a try! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Making Chocolate Pecan Granola Bars

Trying to find a sweet healthy snack food is hard when I have to avoid eggs and dairy, so when I found this recipe on Facebook I thought I’d give it a try. The author of this website (https://thevegan8.com/) is Brandi Doming, who also wrote a cookbook by the same name. Her recipes are simple and easy to follow.

Here is the recipe:

The hardest part of this recipe was getting the pan ready! Lining an 8×8″ pan with parchment paper was a real pain! I ended up first trimming the paper to fit the width of the pan, twice, and then trying to anchor it to stay put. I finally grabbed some clothespins to hold it until I could pour in the mixture.

Looks really professional, doesn’t it! Haha!

Here are the dry ingredients:

In the end, I did add the 1/2 cup of white sugar (on the recipe but not in the picture) because I remembered the cocoa powder tended to be a little bitter.

The brown rice crisp cereal is just whole grain “Rice Krispies.” At the store I kept looking for a flake cereal…wrong!

I set this bowl aside and started on the wet ingredients. Here they are:

Maple syrup and almond butter…looked pretty disgusting, but eventually smoothed out!

The I added the flaxseed, vanilla and salt to the mixture and heated until bubbling.

When the wet and dry ingredients were well mixed, I spooned the mixture into the prepared pan. Pressing it down into the corners was important.

After filling the pan, I was able to trim the parchment so it didn’t drag on the shelf of the oven.

After baking for 27 minutes and cooling for 30 minutes I was able to cut it into 8 bars. It didn’t feel like it would stick together if I cut it too small. Then I slid the pan into the refrigerator to finish cooling.

When fully cool, I was able to lift the parchment out of the pan completely and remove the bars. They mostly stuck together and I put each bar in a small zip bag. I really think I’ll eat it like trail mix.

Next time I’ll work harder to pack it tighter in the pan. That might help it stick together better! However, it did taste good! That’s what counts! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Mary’s Oatmeal Bread

One of the first blog posts I wrote (February 12, 2021) was about my homemade oatmeal bread and sticky buns. It is still there in the archive, but for some reason even I can’t make the link work. That means if I want to reference it in another article it can’t be found! Very frustrating.

So, today I’m going to repost the story. This is my go-to recipe when I want a good sandwich bread and it freezes well. Of course, my big batch makes at least 6 loaves of bread, which is beyond the scope of my standard mixer. When I also want to make some sticky buns, a big batch is essential. So, it’s time to bring out the BIG mixer!

Many of you know that each Christmas Bert bakes hundreds of chocolate chip cookies for gifts (this year it was about 140 dozen!); and, if you stop by as they are coming out of the oven you might even get to try a few. Bert has been doing this marathon baking since before we got married…so over 50 years! For many of those years he did it all by hand with a giant wooden spoon, and lots of muscle!

Several years ago he finally decided to invest in this huge commercial mixer that he moves into the kitchen when it’s time to bake those cookies. Luckily, I get to use the mixer when I’m making a big batch of bread. Most of the time I mix bread in my KitchenAid mixer (I think it’s a 7 qt. bowl). The big mixer has a 12 qt. bowl. It is so slick to mix up a big batch of bread.

I usually use my Oatmeal Bread recipe. We like it and it feels more nutritious with the oatmeal in it. Since I cannot have eggs or dairy, by baking my own bread I have control over the ingredients. You can use any bread recipe you like to make sticky buns…probably even frozen commercial dough!

Here is my recipe. Not a lot of detailed instructions about mixing up bread, but it’s what I use. If you don’t know how to bake bread at all, there are many cookbooks (like Joy of Cooking) and YouTube videos that will walk you through the process.

The 3-loaf recipe on the left works well in my 7 qt. standard mixer. If your mixer is smaller, just decrease the total water by 1/2 to 1 cup. You will use a little less flour in the end.

Here are the basic ingredients:

The yeast is in the small jar…I store it in the refrigerator.

I use a loose dry yeast and measure it out with measuring spoons. If you want to use packaged yeast, each package is a little less that a tablespoon of yeast. I keep my yeast in the refrigerator in a glass canning jar, while the extra is kept in the freezer. Here are two example packages of the yeast I buy:

Mixing up the Dough

Step 1:

First, I put the rolled oats, sugar and salt into the mixer bowl. Then I pour the boiling water on them, stir them around and let sit for about 10 minutes to cool.

Step 2:

After 10 minutes or so, I use a small bowl to start the yeast…yeast plus 1 cup of warm water and a tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit until dissolved and bubbly (about 5 minutes).

Step 3:

Add cool or room temperature water to the mixer bowl, depending on whether the oatmeal mixture is still pretty hot.

Add oil to the mixer bowl. Using the same measuring cup (now greased with oil) measure out the honey…no sticking!

Step 4:

Begin adding flour about 2 cups at a time until most of the flour is added. Let the mixer run for 8-10 minutes to knead the dough. Add a little flour at a time if the dough is still sticky.

Step 5:

Dump the dough onto a floured table/board and work into a nice smooth bowl.

Step 6:

Place the ball of dough into a large oiled bowl to rise. Cover with a cloth. Let rise until doubled.

Step 7:

When the dough has doubled in size (about an hour), punch the dough down, fold in the sides and turn the ball of dough over so it’s smooth side is up. Let rise another hour.

After punching down, ready to rise for another hour.

Step 8:

Shape the dough…into loaves of bread or rolls or sticky buns. This large batch of dough made 4 pans of sticky buns and 4 loaves of bread!

Shaping the Sticky Buns

First, I prepare the pans by greasing them with butter-flavored Crisco.

Then I sprinkle about 1/4-1/2 cup of brown sugar over the bottom of the pan.

I sprinkle that with ground cinnamon. (You can also add chopped walnuts over the bottom of the pan).

Then I take a chunk of dough and pat it out to a rectangle. This gets sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon also.

Then roll up the rectangle of dough into a log.

Slice the log into 1″ rounds and place cut side down into the prepared pans.

If you have a little roll leftover, just put it in a greased pan for a little loaf of cinnamon bread.

Let the pans rest for about 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake about 25 minutes.

Flip the pans of buns directly onto a foil covered board or table top. Use a table knife to lift the pan off the buns.

(Advice: Fill each pan with soapy water immediately and let them soak while you clean up…the “sticky” topping is a real pain to clean up if you let it harden and cool in the pan!)

Shape the Loaves of Bread

Take any extra dough not used for sticky buns and divide into loaf-shaped portions. Place into greased pans.

Let the loaves rise in the pan about 45 minutes. Bake about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

This is a great recipe to stock the freezer. Of course, I always think if the sticky buns are frozen I won’t be so tempted to eat them..haha…a few seconds in the microwave and they are just fine! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.