Bread And Cake Recipes

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Recipe Index

PENNSYLVANIA ALTAR BREAD APPLE-MOLASSES BREAD

BASMATI RICE PILAF BISCUITS SUPREME BLACK-EYED PEAS AND RICE

BRAN MUFFINS BREAD — A 7-grain bread for toasting or eating plain

SWEDISH RYE BREAD BREAD-WHITE-1 — Ordinary white bread

BOBS BUFFET BISCUITS CHALLAH-1 Jewish bread CHALLAH-2 Braided egg bread

CHALLAH-3 — Jewish egg bread CHESTNUT STUFFING SWEDISH CHOCOLATE CAKE

MEXICAN CORNBREAD DAMPER Holiday rolls with oatmeal and molasses

SIMPLE GARLIC BREAD HONEY GRAHAM CRACKERS PASSOVER ROLLS MUESLI

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS BRAN MUFFINS HOT SPICY COLD NOODLES

OATMEAL HONEY BREAD BUTTERMILK PANCAKE MIX BREAKFAST PANCAKES

PIZZA DOUGH BRONWYN'S OATMEAL SLICE JORDAN POND HOUSE POPOVERS

POPPYSEED BUNDT CAKE GUMBO-STYLE RICE ALMOND SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

SOFT SHORTBREAD IRISH SODA BREAD SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD

SOURDOUGH STARTER GERMAN FRIENDSHIP CAKE CASTILLIAN HOT CHOCOLATE

STOLLEN WIGILIA-10 — Christmas Bread

WIGILIA-9 — Poppy seed rolls EASY REFRIGERATOR ROLLS YOGURT PANCAKES

PENNSYLVANIA ALTAR BREAD

ALTAR-BREAD — An earthy whole-wheat bread used for communion

In Pittsburgh and other Western Pennsylvania parishes of the Episcopal church, it is common to use small, thin loaves of real, fresh, home-made bread at communion instead of the pressed wafers popular in most other places. The bread has a chewy texture to it, keeps tremendously well, and makes a great lunchbox food (each "loaf" is about the size a large cookie). This recipe comes from Father Bill Coats of the Church of the Redeemer in Pittsburgh.

INGREDIENTS (8–10 single-serving loaves)

7/8 cup lukewarm water (The water should be about 110º F)

3 Tbsp honey

1½ Tbsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

1 pkg active dry yeast

2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour (Unsifted)

PROCEDURE

(1) Combine water and yeast in mixing bowl. Add honey, olive oil, and salt.

(2) Add flour. If flour does not completely dampen, add small amounts of water until all of the flour is damp. Be sparing with the water.

(3) Turn out onto a very lightly floured board, and knead thoroughly for 5 minutes until dough is extremely elastic.

(4) Sprinkle a tiny amount of olive oil in a big bowl, then roll the dough in it until the dough is covered with olive oil. Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise for 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.

(5) Preheat oven to 350º F. Punch the dough down, knead again for a few seconds. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin, as if you were making a pizza crust, to a thickness of ¼ inch.

(6) Using something like a large peanut butter jar or a giant cookie cutter, cut out 4-inch circles of the dough and lift them onto a slightly-oiled baking sheet. Press a cross into the top surface of each, so that it can be easily broken apart.

(7) Bake the loaves, on their baking sheet, in a preheated 350º F oven for 10 minutes.

NOTES

You can freeze these loaves easily; either put them in single-serving ziploc bags and use them for school lunches, or freeze a bunch in a large food-storage bag.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: 15 minutes preparation, 2 hours rising, 10 minutes baking. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Fr. Bill Coats

Church of the Redeemer

Pittsburgh, PA

Approved: reid@glacier.ARPA

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APPLE-MOLASSES BREAD

APPLE-BREAD — A simple, fragrant apple nut raisin bread

I found this recipe on the back of a label for a baking loaf pan. It is easy to make and because of the molasses it is very fragrant while baking.

INGREDIENTS (1 large loaf)

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup applesauce

¼ cup dark molasses (treacle)

1 cup raisins

½ cup chopped nuts

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 350º F.

(2) In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

(3) Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

(4) Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside. Combine applesauce and molasses.

(5) Add dry ingredients alternately with applesauce mixture to egg mixture. Fold in raisins and nuts.

(6) Pour into a greased 9¼×5¼×2¾ inch loaf pan. Bake at 350º F for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 15 minutes preparation, 1 hour baking, 30 minutes cooling. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Lou Ann Puetz

Tektronix Inc. (CAE Systems Division), Santa Clara, California, USA

hplabs,amdcad,decwrl!cae780!louannPath: decwrl!recipes

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

BASMATI RICE PILAF

BASMATI-RICE-1 — Basmati rice with carrots

This is a delicate, fragrant rice dish—one of our favorites. I got the recipe from an Indian cooking class. It's a bit of work, but well worth it.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

1 cup Basmati rice (from Indian grocery or gourmet shop)

1 small onion

3 medium carrots

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick, crumbled

2 cloves

4 black peppercorns

¼ tsp cumin seeds

1 Tbsp light vegetable oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp kosher salt (or to taste)

PROCEDURE

(1) Wash the rice in cool water, squeezing gently with your fingers, until the water runs clear. Put the rice in 2 cups of cool water to soak for 20 minutes.

(2) Strain soak water into saucepan and heat. Leave rice to dry in strainer. Preheat oven to 350º F.

(3) While rice is drying, chop onion finely and set aside. Dice carrots and set aside. Measure spices.

(4) When rice is dry, heat oil over medium high flame in heavy, oven-proof skillet or casserole dish. Add spices.

(5) When spices become fragrant, add butter and onions. Cook until onions are tender and light golden brown. Add carrots and cook for 3–5 minutes.

(6) Add rice and cook, stirring very gently for 5 minutes.

(7) Add salt and heated soak water, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until water on top of rice has boiled off.

(8) Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes at 350º F.

(9) Remove from oven, let rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

NOTES

It is important to handle the rice gently so that the grains are not broken. It's also important to use whole spices; ground spices would overpower the rice. This dish can be re-heated in the oven.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 30 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooking and cooling. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Nancy Mintz

AT&T-Information Systems, UNIX System Development Lab, Summit, NJ

ihnp4!attunix!nlm

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

BISCUITS SUPREME

BISCUITS-1 — Simple, fluffy biscuits

This originated in The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, which I consider basic equipment for genteel middle-class living. Here "biscuits" is the North American meaning of the word and not the Commonwealth meaning of the word. In England these would be called "scones."

INGREDIENTS (makes 10–12)

2 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

½ tsp cream of tartar

½ tsp salt

½ cup shortening

2/3 cup milk

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 450º F. Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

(2) Make a well in the center. Pour in the milk all at once.

(3) Stir just until dough clings together; no more.

(4) Knead gently on a lightly floured surface for 10–12 strokes.

(5) Roll or pat to ½-inch thickness. Cut with a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, dipping the cutter into flour before each cut.

(6) Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 450º F oven for 10–12 minutes, or until golden.

NOTES

Lots of cookbooks tell you to use two knives, or some such, to do the cutting-in of the first step. Forks work fine for me (I'm a klutz.) All of the trick to making light, fluffy biscuits is in how you handle them: the less, the better. You can make these as drop biscuits (skip the rolling; drop batter by tablespoons, and bake); they're even better for the lack of handling.

Outside North America you might not know what "shortening" is. Use butter, margarine, copha, or lard. Vegetable shortening really is better for this recipe, but don't forget lots of butter to put *on* them.... I make these for study breaks. They disappear at an exponential rate....

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 10 minutes preparation, 10 minutes baking. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Jean Marie Diaz

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., USA

Ambar@athena.mit.edu

Organization: MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

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Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

BLACK-EYED PEAS AND RICE

BLACK-EYE-RICE — Spicy Caribean Black-Eyed Peas and Rice

I got this originally from my local newspaper.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)

½ lb salt pork (rind removed, cut into ½-inch dice)

2 red bell peppers (seeded, cored, and cut into bite-size pieces)

6 ripe plum tomatoes (cut into ½-inch pieces)

1 medium yellow onion (peeled and chopped)

6 garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped)

1 cup uncooked white rice

2 cups chicken broth

6 cups cooked black-eyed peas

1 cup pitted green olives

¼ cup capers (drained)

6 anchovy fillets (finely chopped)

2 Tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp coarse-ground black pepper

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp salt

¾ cup scallions, sliced on the diagonal

½ cup parsley, (chopped)

PROCEDURE

(1) In a large, heavy casserole, sauté salt pork over low heat until the fat has been rendered. Do not let it brown.

(2) Add peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic to salt pork and cook 5 minutes more over low heat.

(3) Add rice, and stir for a minute. Add remaining ingredients except for scallions and parsley. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of liquid is absorbed.

(4) Add scallions and parsley; gently mix together. Serve hot.

RATING

Difficulty: easy but tedious (a lot of chopping). Time: 30 minutes after the black-eyed peas are cooked. Precision: measure the spices.

CONTRIBUTOR

Nancy Mintz

UNIX System Development Lab, AT&T-IS, Summit, New Jersey, USA

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Path: decwrl!recipes

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Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

BRAN MUFFINS

BRAN-MUFFINS — Easy and good bran muffins

INGREDIENTS (Makes 4 dozen)

15 oz Raisin Bran

5 cups flour

2½ cups sugar

1 tsp salt

4 tsp baking soda

1 cup oil

4 cups buttermilk

4 eggs, beaten

PROCEDURE

(1) Mix the dry ingredients well. Add the liquid ingredients and mix until uniformly moist.

(2) Let stand 45 minutes.

(3) Preheat oven to 350º F. Distribute mixture into greased muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes.

NOTES

These muffins freeze well and age well.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes preparation, 45 minutes waiting, 20 minutes baking. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Katherine Rives Albitz

Hewlett-Packard, Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA

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Path: decwrl!recipes

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

BREAD — A 7-grain bread for toasting or eating plain

This bread was first made from whatever was settin' 'round the kitchen when I started baking. It has a wonderful texture and flavor.

INGREDIENTS (2 large loaves)

¼ cup water at 105º F

1/3 cup turbinado sugar (most any sugar will do, though)

2 pkts active dry yeast

¼ cup butter

¼ cup shortening

1½ cup water

½ cup milk

1 large egg

1 cup non-fat dry milk

1½ tsp salt

1 ½ Tbsp honey

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup rolled oats

½ cup corn meal

¼ cup bran

¼ cup cracked wheat

¼ cup buckwheat

½ cup soy flour

1 cup rye flour

2½ cups whole wheat flour

3 cups white flour

butter

PROCEDURE

(1) Melt the shortening and the butter. Let them cool a bit, so as not to kill the yeast when they are added to the dough. If you want to scald the milk, do so, and also let it cool (it is common practice to scald milk before baking with it, though I never do.)

(2) Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the ¼ cup of lukewarm water.

(3) Mix the cinnamon, oats, corn meal, bran, cracked wheat, buckwheat, soy flour, and rye flour. Add the rest of the water, the milk, butter, shortening, egg, and honey, and mix well. Stir in the dissolved yeast mixture. Mix in the salt, and the whole wheat flour.

(4) Stir in the white flour, about ½ cup at a time, until the mixture is stiff enough to knead. You'll probably have about half of it left.

(5) Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, onto a floured surface. Knead the dough, adding more white flour as necessary to keep the dough workable. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about ten minutes. It's okay if you end up using less than or more than the three cups of white flour; just use whatever it takes.

(6) Put the dough back into a bowl that's been very lightly greased. Let it rise, covered, in a still, warm place (around 85º F is best, though room temperature will work) for 45 minutes, or until it has doubled in bulk.

(7) Punch the dough down, divide in half, shape into loaves, and place each half into a loaf pan which has been very lightly greased. Let rise again, for another 45 minutes, in a still, warm place, until the loaves have about doubled in bulk.

(8) Preheat the oven to 350º F as the bread finishes rising. Bake the bread for 35–40 minutes, until it sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the loaf pans, and rub the top of the loaves with some butter to give them a nice, soft, chewy crust.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: about 3 hours (half of it rising time). Precision: approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

Alan M. Marcum

Sun Microsystems, Mountain View, California

sun!nescorna!marcum

Path: decwrl!recipes

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

SWEDISH RYE BREAD

BREAD-RYE — A sweet, dark whole-grain rye bread

This recipe comes from my great-grandmother, who emigrated from Sweden and brought this recipe with her. It makes a sweet, dark bread, and (like most whole-grain breads) it tends to be a bit heavy.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 3 loaves)

2 cups milk

1 cup water

½ cup brown sugar

½ oz dry yeast (two packages)

6 cups rye flour (approximate)

3 cups white flour (approximate)

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup dark molasses

2 tsp anise seeds, crushed

1 tsp salt

PROCEDURE

(1) Scald the milk and combine it with the water and brown sugar in a very large bowl. (You need something that holds at least 4 or 5 quarts.) When the mixture is lukewarm, dissolve the yeast in it, then stir in 2 cups rye flour and 1 cup white flour to make a paste.

(2) Let the mixture rise in a warm place until it is light and foamy. This usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour. Check it frequently—it can really make a mess if it rises enough to overflow the bowl. (I'm sure they could make a great horror movie about a gigantic blob of bread dough that keeps getting bigger and bigger as it consumes everything in its path....)

(3) Stir in the granulated sugar, oil, molasses, anise seed and salt, and enough flour to make a stiff dough, using 2 parts rye to 1 part white. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic, adding more flour to keep it from sticking to your hands.

(4) Clean and grease the bowl. Put the dough in the bowl, turning it to grease all sides. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean towel and let the dough rise until it's doubled in bulk. Punch it down and let rise until double again.

(5) Divide the dough into three loaves and put in greased pans. (I usually make round loaves and bake them on cookie sheets.) Cover with the towel and let rise until double again.

(6) Bake for about 45 minutes at 350º F. Because of the high sugar content, this bread can burn rather easily; watch it closely so it doesn't get too dark.

NOTES

Rye flour can be a little hard to find these days. You may have to visit a store that specializes in natural foods. Avoid the kind that is very coarsely ground with big chunks of bran in it, though; this doesn't seem to have any gluten at all in it, and since the proportion of rye flour is so high in this recipe, the texture of the bread will come out all wrong. You need something that looks more like ordinary flour.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: 30 minutes preparation, several hours rising, 1 hour baking and cooling. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Sandra Loosemore

Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation, Salt Lake City

decwrl, utah-gr!uplherc!esunix!loosemor

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

PLAIN OLD BREAD

BREAD-WHITE-1 — Ordinary white bread

This recipe is derived from the basic bread in the American Heart Association Cookbook.

INGREDIENTS (2 loaves)

½ oz quick rising dry yeast (2 envelopes)

¼ cup lukewarm water

7 Tbsp dry milk

2½ Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1¾ cup water

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

6 cups all-purpose flour

PROCEDURE

(1) In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup lukewarm water.

(2) In a large mixing bowl, mix the powdered milk, sugar, salt and 1¾ cups water together. Stir with a whisk until smooth, then add yeast mixture.

(3) Sift in 3 cups of flour and mix until smooth.

(4) Add the oil; mix.

(5) Gradually sift in the remaining flour. When it becomes stiff enough to handle remove from the bowl and knead it as you add the flour. Knead it for 5–7 minutes after the last flour is added.

(6) Place the dough in a oiled bowl and turn it over to coat uniformly. Then place it in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size (about 45 minutes).

(7) Remove from bowl and knead a little. Divide into two equal parts, shape into loaves, and place in loaf pans. Let rise again until doubled in size.

(8) Preheat oven to 375º F.

(9) Bake 45 minutes.

(10) Remove loaves from pans and cool on a wire rack.

NOTES

This is good everyday bread. Be careful: it's easy to eat too much and get fat. You may want to have someone who has made bread before help the first time as the amount of flour may have to be adjusted depending on the slight differences in your mesurement of the liquids and the humidity of the day. Once you have done it it is easy to do by the feel of the dough.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: 20 minutes preparation, 2 hours rising, 1 hour cooking and cooling. Precision: measure carefully.

CONTRIBUTOR

Pat Caudill

Tektronix, Inc., Portland, Oregon, USA

patc@tekcrl.TEK.COM

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

BOBS BUFFET BISCUITS

BUFFET-BISCUIT — Some not-so-plain biscuits

This recipe is from Bob Clover of Sausalito, California and was first published in Sunset magazine.

INGREDIENTS (24–30 biscuits)

40 oz biscuit mix (e.g. 1 box of Bisquick)

¾ cup parmesan cheese, grated

¾ cup green onions, chopped

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups milk

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 350º F. In a big bowl mix the biscuit mix, onions, eggs, milk and ½ cup of the cheese.

(2) Put the dough into a 9×13 inch baking pan and smooth it down. You will have to flour your hand or spatula to do this. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and then use the spatula or knife to score the dough into square biscuits. Cut all the way to the pan.

(3) Bake in a preheated oven at 350º F for 40 to 45 minutes. When they are done a wooden toothpick stuck into the dough will come out clean.

(4) When you take them out of the oven, flip the pan upside down over a rack to get the biscuits out, then flip the rack over to get everything back right side up again.

NOTES

This is good if you are having a lot of company or want a lot of leftovers.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 20 minutes preparation, 45 minutes cooking Precision: approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

Pat Caudill

Tektronix, Inc., Portland, Oregon, USA

patc@tekcrl.tek.com tektronix!tekcrl.tek.com!patc

CHALLAH I

CHALLAH-1 — A traditional Jewish bread

Challah is a traditional Jewish bread that is part of many festivals, including sabbath dinners and weddings. For making a wedding loaf, this recipe can be doubled and used to make one braided loaf. It will fill up the entire oven, and you will have to find a cookie sheet big enough to put the loaf on.

INGREDIENTS (2 loaves)

2¼ cups water

1 Tbsp active dry yeast (one package)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp salt (optional)

¼ cup oil

2 eggs, beaten

9–10 cups flour

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp water

PROCEDURE

(1) Dissolve the yeast and sugar in lukewarm water (105º F). (Lukewarm water feels neither hot nor cold when a drop is placed on your wrist.) Let sit for 10 minutes to proof the yeast. If there are no bubbles in the water after this time, the yeast is inactive and you should start over with new yeast.

(2) Add the salt (optional), oil, eggs, and most of the flour to the 2¼ cups of water. Mix.

(3) Place dough on floured board and knead for 5–10 minutes.

(4) Place dough in a clean bowl, brush some oil on the top (optional), and cover the bowl with a towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1½ hours.

(5) Punch the dough down and let rise until doubled again (maybe another hour).

(6) Punch dough down and place onto floured board. Form into two loaves. You can make normal loaves, or you can cut the dough and braid (with three or six pieces per loaf), or you can make braided or unbraided rolls, or you can roll the dough out until it's about ¼ inch thick and then spread fried onions over it. Place loaves into oiled pans.

(7) Cover pans and let rise for about 30 minutes. (Skip this step if you've rolled the dough out and covered with onions.)

(8) Mix the egg yolk with 1 Tbsp of water. Brush loaves with this mixture. (Again, skip this if you've rolled the dough out.)

(9) Bake at 400º F for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 350º F and bake for 40 additional minutes. If you are making rolls, you probably need to bake for a total of 20–25 minutes.

NOTES

You can add poppy or sesame seeds to the dough, or you can sprinkle the seeds on top. This bread is traditionally made with white flour, but is still good if made with all or part whole wheat flour. I think its good taste comes from the oil and eggs in the dough.

RATING

Difficulty: easy, as bread goes. Time: preparation: 3–5 hours (including rising); baking: 1 hour. Precision: measure ingredients carefully.

CONTRIBUTOR

Aviva Garrett

Santa Cruz, California

Excelan, Inc., San Jose, Calif., USA

ucbvax!mtxinu!excelan!aviva

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

CHALLAH II

CHALLAH-2 — Braided egg bread

Challah (pronounced "hallah") is a type of braided egg bread traditionally eaten on the Jewish Sabbath. It is eaten by tearing off hunks rather than by cutting with a knife. I got this recipe from a housemate a couple of years ago; I don't know its origins before that, but it has become one of my favorite recipes, and one with which I have experimented a good deal. I've tried several other challah recipes, but find I like this one the best.

INGREDIENTS (2 Large Loaves)

DOUGH

½ oz active dry yeast (2 packages)

2 cups warm water

4 tsp salt

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil (or up to ¼ cup more, to taste)

3 large eggs

9–10 cups all-purpose flour

GLAZE

1 large egg

sesame or poppy seeds

PROCEDURE

(1) Mix yeast in warm water. Let sit 5 minutes.

(2) In a large bowl combine salt, sugar, eggs, and oil.

(3) Add yeast mixture.

(4) Slowly add flour, stirring until not too sticky. When the dough becomes too thick to stir, turn it out onto a floured board and knead, adding flour as necessary. Scrape the working surface with a plastic dough spatula from time to time, to keep a dry skin from forming on it. You may find that you need more flour, but don't add too much more, or the dough will become heavy. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).

(5) Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled large bowl, turning to coat the dough with oil. A ceramic bowl is best. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1½ hours, or until doubled in bulk.

(6) After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 6 balls. Let the dough balls sit for 5 minutes, covered.

(7) Keeping dough balls covered while working, remove a ball and roll it between your hands (or on working surface) into a cord about 1 inch wide by 20 inches long. The dough is quite elastic, making it nicely workable, yet also tending to make it shrink back slightly after being lengthened. I find it best to lengthen it in a series of passes. Form 3 cords this way, and then start from the middle and braid them into a single loaf. Tuck the ends under. It's a little harder to figure out how to start braiding from the middle, but the loaves come out more even and attractive that way. Don't pull the cords while braiding. Place the loaf on a lightly oiled baking sheet, and cover it with a cloth while you form the other loaf. Keep the loaves well apart on the baking sheet, since they will expand a lot.

(8) Cover the loaves and place again into a warm, draft-free place to rise for 45–60 minutes.

(9) After the loaves have risen, gently brush the tops with beaten egg using a soft brush, and then sprinkle with the seeds.

(10) Bake at 350º F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

NOTES

The variation in oil makes quite a difference in the moisture of the bread: If you use the larger quantity, the bread comes out very nice and moist, but when it cools it becomes somewhat oily. The amounts of sugar and oil may sound high, but try it this way once before cutting back. I have tried other recipes that use less, and they don't taste nearly as good.

Here's the fun part: variations. Because this dough is so workable, you can form it many different ways, limited only by your imagination; I once made a whole collection of different shapes and sizes, for a festive dinner party. Some of the variations I have tried include:

- Forming the braided loaf into a wreath-like loop (and joining the individual ends)

- Braiding 5 ways instead of 3

- Braiding 3 braided loaves into a recursive loaf (this actually didn't turn out very well: it ended up looking knotty, rather than intricate, and being somewhat tough)

- Baking a small loaf on top of a larger loaf (traditional)

- Varying the loaf sizes. One time I made individual-sized loaves, so that everyone could have their own loaf at dinner. Another time, I divided the dough into 2 halves, set one aside, and made a loaf out of the other half. Then, I divided the remaining piece into 2 halves, and continued the process until I had an array of loaves, each half the size of the previous. I managed to get 9 loaves by doing this, the smallest of which was about ¼ inch by 2 inches

- Varying the length-to-width proportions; traditionally, challah loaves are quite wide relative to their length. I find that shorter, wider loaves are doughier (and thus tastier), but longer loaves look more elegant.

- Adding extra ingredients, such as raisins and/or nuts.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: 30 minutes dough preparation, 1½ hours first rising, 1 hour loaf forming, 1 hour second rising, 30 minutes baking. Total: 4½ hours. Precision: Approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

Mike Schwartz

University of Washington, Computer Science, Seattle, Washington, USA

ihnp4!uw-beaver!schwartz schwartz@cs.washington.edu

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

CHALLAH

CHALLAH-3 — Jewish egg bread

This is my families version of Challah. It calls for saffron, but I've never actually made it as such (Hey, I'm just a poor college student, I can't afford saffron).

INGREDIENTS (four loaves)

¾ oz yeast (3 packages)

¾ cup warm water

2 tsp sugar

½ cup sugar

½ cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp salt

¼ cup honey

2 cups raisins

8 eggs

9 cups flour

GLAZE

2 egg yolks

5 tsp water

PROCEDURE

(1) Dissolve the yeast with the warm water and sugar.

(2) Add the rest of the sugar, butter, salt, honey, raisins, and eggs.

(3) Add the flour, a cup at a time, until it is hard to stir.

(4) Turn out onto a well floured counter, and knead until smooth and blistery, adding more flour as necessary (about 10–15minutes).

(5) Put into greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double, about 1 hr.

(6) Punch down. Separate into 4 sections, and separate each section into 3 more sections. Roll each piece out to the size of your cookie sheet. Braid 3 strands together, and place on cookie sheet.

(7) Let rise until double (about 1 hour).

(8) Mix egg yolks and water for glaze. Spread on loaves.

(9) Bake in a preheated oven at 350º F for 15–30 minutes until there is a golden crust.

RATING

Difficulty easy, if you know how to make bread Time: 20 minutes preparation, several hours rising, 30 minutes cooking Precision: Raisins are to taste. Measure the rest of the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Jerry Godes

Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA

jerryg@dartmouth.edu

Sender: recipes@decwrl.DEC.COM

Distribution: alt

Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA

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Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

CHESTNUT STUFFING

CHESTNUT-STUFF — Poultry stuffing with chestnuts, bread, and wine

This recipe has long been part of my Thanksgiving Day tradition. I have long since forgotten its source.

INGREDIENTS (Stuffs 12–16 lbs poultry)

½ lb butter

1 cup chopped onion

4 cups celery (including leaves), chopped coarsely

¼ cup chopped parsley

6 cups dry white bread cubes

1 lb chestnuts, roasted, peeled, and chopped

salt and pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

¼ cup light cream

¼ cup white wine

PROCEDURE

(1) In hot butter in a large skillet, sauté onion, celery, and parsley, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

(2) In a large kettle, combine bread cubes, chestnuts, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Toss to mix well.

(3) Combine cream and wine; mix well. Add to bread mixture, along with the vegetables and drippings in skillet. Toss lightly, using 2 forks.

NOTES

In North America, use "half and half" for light cream.

RATING

Difficulty: easy but tedious. Time: 1 hour preparation. Precision: approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

Marilyn Kushner

Microlab, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

Marilyn@merlin.berkeley.edu

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

SWEDISH CHOCOLATE CAKE

CHOKLADKAKA — A rich chocolate Bundt cake

I got this recipe from my mom, who got it from an American book called Swedish Baking. I like to make this because it does not need to be frosted, which makes it an easy dessert.

INGREDIENTS (one Bundt cake)

2 Tbsp dry bread crumbs

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 oz melted, unsweetened baking chocolate

2 cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 325º F.

(2) Butter a Bundt pan and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp dry bread crumbs, until it is well coated. This makes a much better crust than flour does.

(3) In a large bowl, add the sugar to the shortening and cream well. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Stir in the melted chocolate.

(4) Sift together the dry ingredients.

(5) Combine the cream and vanilla extract. Add to the chocolate mixture alternately with the dry ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

(6) Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 50–60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan a few minutes before removing.

NOTES

This is not an authentic Swedish recipe because their flour is different enough to cause problems in baking. However, the results seem authentic.

RATING

Difficulty: easy to moderate. Time: 20 minutes preparation, 1 hour baking. Precision: measure carefully.

CONTRIBUTOR

Kate Hedstrom

UC San Diego

San Diego,Ca

sdcsvax!sdcc12!np42cb

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

MEXICAN CORNBREAD

CORNBREAD-1 — Corn bread with peppers and cheese

I got this recipe from net.cooks in the fall of 1983. It's really good! We always make a batch of Mexican cornbread when we cook chili; it's also a good dinner with just a salad and the beer of your choice. The original recipe came from akgua!akguc!mah.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 8)

1½ cups self-rising cornmeal

¾ cup cooking oil

2 eggs

½ cup onions, chopped

2 Tbsp green pepper, chopped

2 or 3 jalapeno peppers, chopped

8 oz sour cream

8 oz cream style corn (one small can)

3 oz pimentos (one small can)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 325º F.

(2) Mix all ingredients except cheese together.

(3) Pour half of mixture in a well-greased skillet. Use an iron skillet if you have one. Spread cheese over the mixture, then pour remaining batter on top.

(4) Bake in 325º F oven for 1½ hours, or until done.

(5) Serve warm.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes preparation, 90 minutes baking. Precision: approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

Nancy Mintz

from a net.cooks recipe by akgua!akguc!mah

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

DAMPER

DAMPER — Bread as made by drovers in the outback

I don't know how many of you realise it, but there is a wealth of TV programmes about cooking from around the world. We are lucky in that Australia's SBS network (Special Broadcasting Service—"multicultural television") has a regular slot for food and wine at a convenient time on Saturday evenings. Over the last couple of years we have seen series on French, Indian, Chinese, English, Vegetarian, Australian, and Sri Lankan cookery, among others. If you're missing out, why not call your local station? This recipe comes from a series called "Australian Tableland". Traditionally, damper should be cooked in the coals of a camp fire, but the temperature in an oven is much more consistent!

This recipe has the advantages of being simple and—with ordinary care—reliable.

INGREDIENTS (1 damper)

2½ cups self-raising flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp butter

1 tsp sugar

1 cup milk (or use ½ cup of powdered milk and 1 cup water.)

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 350º F.

(2) Mix together the dry ingredients and the butter. Add the liquid and mix well. Knead for about 5 minutes (if you don't know about kneading, look in a good cookery book with plenty of pictures—it's difficult to describe in words).

(3) Shape into a flattened ball, and place on a greased and floured baking sheet or in a greased and floured round cake tin (I recommend the latter, about 7 or 8 inch diameter, as it gives a better shape). Bake for 30 minutes. Use a dutch oven if you are cooking in an open fire, and use your experience as to cooking time.

NOTES

Serve in moderately thick slices while still fairly hot. I'm told that golden syrup (a treacle-like substance made as a by-product of cane sugar refining) is the traditional thing to spread on it, and that goes well. Jam is good, too.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 10 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooking. Precision: measure carefully.

CONTRIBUTOR

Stephen Withers,

The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.

UUCP: seismo,mcvax,ukc,ubc-vision!munnari!murdu.oz!stephenw

CSNET: stephenw%murdu@munnari.oz

Holiday rolls with oatmeal and molasses

PROCEDURE

(1) Combine oatmeal, whole-wheat flour, salt, shortening, molasses, and honey. Pour boiling water over all. Mix and let cool.

(2) While cooling, dissolve yeast in warm water with the honey. Add egg to cooled batter, then mix in dissolved yeast.

(3) Add flour until dough is just soft enough to knead. Knead lightly.

(4) Place dough in a greased bowl; cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk; about one hour.

(5) Punch down dough and cut into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball in put into a greased 9-inch pan.

(6) Let rise again for 45 minutes.

(7) Bake in a preheated oven at 350º F for 40 minutes.

NOTES

Note: These rolls are reaally wonderful, but they need time to rise. start them as early in the day as possible. Don't even think about using the quick-rise yeasts.

RATING

Difficulty: easy to moderate. Time: several hours preparation, 1 hour baking and cooling. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Marilyn Kushner

Microlab, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

Marilyn@merlin.berkeley.edu

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

SIMPLE GARLIC BREAD

GARLIC-BREAD-2 — Quick and easy garlic bread

This is a quick and painless way to make garlic bread in a hurry. It might not be a gourmet recipe, but it is easy and tasty.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

butter

garlic salt

grated cheese

1 loaf of Italian or French bread

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat broiler. Slice loaf of bread lengthwise and butter both halves.

(2) Sprinkle garlic salt and grated cheese on both halves.

(3) Place under broiler until brown (about 3 minutes).

NOTES

This also works well with almost any other kind of bread.

RATING

Difficulty: trivial. Time: 3 minutes preparation, 3 minutes cooking. Precision: no need to measure.

CONTRIBUTOR

Dennis Wombough

AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, New Jersey

ihnp4!hou2a!dkw1

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

HONEY GRAHAM CRACKERS

GRAHAM-CRACK — North American crackers with graham flour, honey, and cinnamon

I originally got this recipe from a newspaper and played around a bit until I thought it tasted like Sunshine Honey Grahams. I've occassionally used ordinary whole wheat flour when I didn't have any graham flour and it still worked alright. Graham flour is coarser.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 36–40)

½ cup butter

2 cups graham flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup honey

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup hot water

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 350º F. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour until mixture has the texture of cornmeal. Stir in baking powder, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add egg and hot water and mix until well blended.

(2) Knead dough 2 or 3 minutes. Set half aside. Roll out into a square about 1/8 inch thick. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Score dough into 2-inch squares, using a sharp knife.

(3) Bake at 350º F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Roll out and bake remaining half of dough. Cool baked crackers and gently separate into squares.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate (judgment required). Time: 10 minutes preparation, 20 minutes cooking and cooling. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Miriam Nadel

Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, Calif., USA

mhnadel@gryphon.CTS.COM philabs, trwrb!cadovax!gryphon!mhnadel

hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, ihnp4, nosc!crash!gryphon!mhnadel

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

PASSOVER ROLLS

MATZO-ROLLS — Bread-like Passover rolls

This recipe comes from a poster-sized sheet of recipes printed by Manischewitz many years ago (probably before I was born). Besides making reasonably good mock "rolls," it's also great fun for kids to make (very sticky!).

INGREDIENTS (Makes 12)

2 cups matzah meal

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 cup water

½ cup peanut oil

4 eggs

PROCEDURE

(1) Combine matzah meal with salt and sugar.

(2) In a medium saucepan, bring oil and water to a boil.

(3) Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the matzah meal, mixing well.

(4) Beat in the eggs thoroughly, one at a time (this is where it starts to get sticky). Let the mixture stand for about 15 minutes (can be refrigerated).

(5) With well-oiled hands, shape it into rolls and place on a well-greased cookie sheet (you will have to keep re-oiling your hands).

(6) Bake in a preheated 375º F degree oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 35 minutes preparation (including waiting), 50 minutes baking. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Tovah Hollander

UCLA Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Los Angeles, California USA

ihnp4!sdcrdcf,seismo!hao!cepu!tovah

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

MUESLI

MUESLI-1 — cold, enriched porridge

The trouble with buying packaged muesli is that it generally contains salt and sugar, often in larger quantities than you might choose for yourself. Making your own muesli is quick and easy, and you can change the ingredients and alter the proportions to suit yourself. After a few experiments, I've settled on this recipe:

INGREDIENTS (4 cups)

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup assorted dried fruit

1 cup bran

¼ cup sesame seeds

½ cup nuts

¾ cup shelled sunflower seeds

1 cup banana chips

PROCEDURE

(1) Mix all ingredients together.

(2) Serve (about 5 heaped dessert spoons seems about the right amount) with milk, cream, yoghurt, or whatever you like on breakfast cereal. I've heard that fruit juice is an alternative, but I haven't tried it.

NOTES

Use your own choice of dried fruits. I like to cut 4 or 5 pieces of dried apricot into slivers, making up the balance with sultanas or raisins. I generally use unsalted peanuts, but I'm sure most nuts would be fine (how about almonds?). One word of warning: if you use quick-cooking oats instead of rolled oats, the result is decidedly mushy.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes. Precision: No need to measure.

CONTRIBUTOR

Stephen Withers

University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

stephenw@murdu.oz

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

MUFFINS-1 — Award-winning blueberry muffins

These muffins won a blue ribbon during the years that I was eligible for the Dade County (Miami, Forida) Youth Fair. I think this particular recipe came originally from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, but I could be wrong.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 12 muffins)

1¾ cups flour

6 Tbsp sugar

2½ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt

1 egg beaten

¾ cup milk

1/3 cup cooking oil

¾ cup blueberries

1 tsp lemon peel (optional)

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 400º F. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.

(2) In a separate bowl, combine the egg, milk, and oil.

(3) Add egg mixture, all at once, to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Yes, the batter should be lumpy. (If you try to stir all the lumps out, your muffins will be very tough.)

(4) Carefully fold in blueberries and optional lemon peel.

(5) Grease muffin cups, or line with paper bake cups; fill each 2/3 full.

(6) Bake at 400º F for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pans; serve warm with butter.

NOTES

The less you stir once you've combined the two mixtures, the better your muffins will be. (To a point—but overmixing is much more common than undermixing.) Frozen blueberries work fine, if you can't get hold of fresh berries. I'm sure other kinds of fruit will work fine, too, but I haven't tried them.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate (proper mixing technique required). Time: 10 minutes preparation, 25 minutes baking. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Jean Marie Diaz

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., USA

ambar@athena.mit.edu

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

BRAN MUFFINS

MUFFINS-2 — Very rich and moist muffins with bran, raisins, nuts, and dates

I experimented a lot to find the ultimate bran muffin recipe. I started with a recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, but I've changed it enough that I'm willing to take all the credit for it.

INGREDIENTS (12 large muffins)

1 egg

1¾ cups cream

¾ cups vegetable oil

1 cup wheat bran

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup dark molasses

¾ cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup rice flour

1/3 cup uncooked oatmeal

1 cup chopped nuts

¾ cup raisins

¾ cup chopped dates

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease the bottoms of your muffin pan. Chop the nuts and dates.

(2) Beat the egg, then add to it cream and oil. Mix this together well, then mix in the bran and let it sit there and absorb liquid for about five minutes.

(3) In another large bowl measure and slightly blend the wheat and rice flour and the oatmeal.

(4) Now that it's been about five minutes, add the baking powder, salt, and molasses to the soaking bran and mix thoroughly.

(5) Dump the bran mixture into the flour mixture and blend a bit, then fold in the nuts, raisins, and dates. Try not to mix too much because overmixing can degrade the texture of the muffins.

(6) Fill muffin tins about to the top and bake at 350º F for about 25 minutes.

NOTES

You can use milk instead of cream, but the muffins will not be as rich and moist. Using 1/3 hazelnuts and 2/3 walnuts adds a distinctive flavor.

I like to let the batter sit in the refrigerator for a while (a few hours to overnight) before I bake it.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: 15 minutes preparation, 30 minutes baking and cooling. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Brad Chen

DEC Western Research Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif., USA

chen@decwrl.dec.com

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

HOT SPICY COLD NOODLES

NOODLES-SPICY — Easy spicy-hot cold noodles for summer

This recipe is an easy prepare-ahead dish for a hot summer day. It makes a good barbecue side dish for all of us who are tired of potato salads.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4–6)

1 lb fresh Chinese noodles

4 scallions (or green onions), chopped

2 tsp chili oil

2 tsp sesame seed oil

2 Tbsp vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper (fresh ground)

1 tsp MSG (optional)

2 fresh red peppers chopped.

PROCEDURE

(1) Cook the noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain. Rinse them in cold water until they are cool, then set aside to drain.

(2) Make the sauce by mixing together all of the other ingredients.

(3) Heat 4 Tbsp oil in a wok. When it is hot, pour in the sauce mixture, and then the noodles. Stir well to cover the noodles with sauce, then remove and cool.

NOTES

You can serve this dish warm if you want, but it is better when cold. It is a good dish to prepare the previous day and leave in the refrigerator overnight.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 15 minutes to prepare, 2 or more hours chilling. Precision: No need to measure.

CONTRIBUTOR

Rob Horn

Infinet, North Andover, Massachusetts, USA

decvax,seismo!harvard!wanginst!infinet!rhorn

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

OATMEAL HONEY BREAD

OATMEAL-BREAD — A yeast bread for people who like oatmeal

INGREDIENTS (makes 2 loaves)

2 cups uncooked oatmeal e.g., Quaker's Old Fashioned Oatmeal

2/3 cup honey

2 Tbsp salt

3 Tbsp butter

1 cup boiling water

2 pkgs active dry yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

2/3 cup milk

5–6 cups unbleached flour (may substitute up to 2 cups whole wheat)

oil

PROCEDURE

(1) Put the oatmeal, honey, salt and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add boiling water and mix together. Let stand for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

(2) Following the yeast package directions, add the yeast to lukewarm water, and let it soften for about 5 minutes. Add the yeast mixture to the oats and honey mixture. Mix in the milk and stir well.

(3) Stir in the flour, ½ cup at a time. When the dough is too stiff to stir, pour it out onto a well-floured surface, and knead it firmly, adding a little flour if necessary. Knead it until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 6–8 minutes). Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough into a large greased bowl, coating the entire ball of dough.

(4) Cover with a damp cloth, and place in a warm, cozy, humid place. (I put it in a cool oven, with a small saucepan of hot tap water sitting on the bottom of the oven.) Let rise for about 1½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.

(5) Punch down the dough, and split in half. Spread the dough into two greased loaf pans, coating the dough as before, and cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for about an hour in a warm, cozy, humid place.

(6) Bake at 350ºF for 35-40 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a bread rack for about ten minutes.

NOTES

Kneading is difficult to describe in words, but many cookbooks have pictures. The idea is to exercise the dough and work some more flour into it. Bread freezes very well; give it an hour or so to thaw, then heat it up at 350ºF for about ten minutes. Instant and quick-cooking oatmeal is not satisfactory in this recipe. Besides the ubiquitous Quaker oats, you can use any commercial rolled oats or steel-cut oats. If you use the steel-cut oats, then soak for 1 hour in step 1.

RATING

Difficulty: easy if you already know how to knead dough, moderate otherwise. Time: 30 minutes preparation, 4½ hours waiting time. Precision: All amounts (including times) are approximate.

CONTRIBUTOR

Harry S. Delugach

University of Virginia, Dept. of Computer Science, Charlottesville, VA

BRONWYN'S OATMEAL SLICE

OATMEAL-SLICE — Baked oatmeal biscuits (cookies)

This recipe comes from my wife's sister-in-law's grand-mother (seriously). Real good stuff.

INGREDIENTS (1 batch)

1 cup self-raising flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup dessicated coconut

1 cup raw sugar

1 egg

½ lb butter

1 Tbsp golden syrup

PROCEDURE

(1) Combine flour, oats, coconut, sugar and egg.

(2) Melt butter and add golden syrup, then pour over combined ingredients and mix.

(3) Spread over flat baking dish (½ inch thick), and cook for 25–30 mins at 350º F. Slice when warm.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 10 minutes preparation, 30 minutes baking. Precision: Measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Michael Gigante

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne Vic., Australia

seismo!munnari!cidam.oz!mg mg%cidam.oz@australia.csnet

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

BUTTERMILK PANCAKE MIX

PANCAKE-MIX — A make-it-yourself mix for buttermilk pancakes

This recipe comes from the More Make-a-mix Cookery cookbook put out by HP Books. The premise of this book and its predecessor, Make-a-mix Cookery is that you can save time and money by making your own mixes for every stage of dinner planning. It seems to work.

INGREDIENTS (10 cups of mix)

2 cups buttermilk powder

8 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

8 tsp baking powder

4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

PROCEDURE

(1) Sift the ingredients together well. Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

INGREDIENTS (10 pancakes)

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup water, or more as needed.

1 ½ cups buttermilk pancake mix (see above)

PROCEDURE

(1) Mix ingredients until blended together.

(2) Let it stand five minutes.

(3) Cook some pancakes.

(4) Eat and enjoy.

NOTES

Use the mix within 6 months of when you make it. The pancakes made from this mix aren't as sweet as those made from Aunt Jemima mix, but they are good. You can always add sugar, of course.

Although we haven't tried this (yet), you could probably vary the recipe by using a different type of flour to make, for example, your own buckwheat pancakes.

If you can't find buttermilk powder in your local grocery store, try a bulk food store.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes to make the mix if you have the ingredients. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Geoff Loker

University of Toronto, Ontario

USENET: ihnp4 decwrl utzoo uw-beaver!utcsri!utai!gkloker

CSNET: gkloker@toronto

Approved: reid@glacier.ARPA

BREAKFAST PANCAKES

PANCAKES-2 — Light and fluffy breakfast pancakes

The formula comes from The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. I bought the book when I was visiting California a few years back. The pancakes are to my liking, but my wife has had to endure vast quantities of failures before I got the right technique. These pancakes are amazing for their stupifying ability. No more than three can be eaten in one day. A slow and painful death will result from exceeding these guidelines.

INGREDIENTS (8–10 6-inch pancakes)

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp sugar

1 ¾ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs

3 Tbsp butter, melted

10 floz milk

PROCEDURE

(1) Put a frying pan on a low to medium heat and melt the butter.

(2) Whilst the butter is melting, measure the flour and sift into a large mixing bowl.

(3) Add the salt, sugar and baking powder.

(4) Measure the milk in a measuring jug.

(5) Separate the eggs and place the whites in a cup, adding the yolks to the milk.

(6) Add the melted butter from the frying pan. Remove as much from the pan as you can, but don't be too particular. The remaining butter in the frying pan will be used to cook the pancakes in. I use a rubber spatula to get most of it off the pan. Leave the ring on, but don't put the pan back on it. (I have an electric cooker which takes a long time to heat up). In this way you can start cooking the pancakes as soon as the batter is ready.

(7) When the butter has coagulated, add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix them up. I use a metal spoon. It is at this stage you can judge whether the mixture has the right consistency.

(8) Wash the measuring jug and dry it thoroughly. Pour the egg whites into it and whisk with an electric hand-held whisk. I whisk them until they are quite hard.

(9) If there are lumps in the batter, you can user the whisk to get rid of them.

(10) Using the spatula (from the butter, right?), transfer all the egg whites into the big bowl.

(11) Fold the egg whites into the batter with the metal spoon until they are all incorporated. The batter is now ready.

(12) Put the frying pan back on the heat and wait until it is to a reasonable temperature. I can't be more specific because it depends on your cooker and the frying pan that you are using.

(13) Make the pancakes one at a time, turning them over when the underside is cooked. Eat immediately with butter and maple syrup.

NOTES

The order that I do things is the result of much experimentation. I have a Creda Cavalier and use a Fissler German-made corrugated-bottom frying pan. With this combination I set the ring to 2.75-3.0. One way to test is to place a small dollop of batter in the frying pan. It should take about 1-2 minutes to brown. As the underside is browning, bubbles should be forming on the top surface. The consitency of the batter and the temperature of cooking are correct when the bubbles fail to burst when the underside is fully cooked.

Now that I know what I'm doing, they're easy, but I had a awful lot of failures to start with. Don't expect success the first time. You won't be disappointed. The effort is worth it in the long run. What is important is to get the moisture content of the batter correct. If it is too sloppy; then the pancakes will be flat and stodgy. If the batter is too dry; then the pancakes will burn before they are cooked.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate until you learn the technique. Time: 30 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooking. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Simon Kenyon

The National Software Centre, Dublin, IRELAND

simon@einode.UUCP

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

PIZZA DOUGH

PIZZA-DOUGH-1 — Simple pizza dough

I don't remember where I learned this simple recipe for pizza dough. It makes enough dough for two 12×18 pan pizzas. I like it because it is so easy to memorize and it makes good pizzas.

INGREDIENTS (2 pizza crusts)

5 cups flour

2 pkgs active dry yeast

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

2 cups water

PROCEDURE

(1) Mix all of the dry ingredients first, then add the water. It will appear to be too dry. Do not add water. Keep working the dough until it is smooth. (This requires a little faith but it really works).

(2) Let the dough rise once (approx 1 hour). Punch it down and knead again.

(3) At this point you may choose to freeze some of the dough. If you do freeze it, be sure to wrap it well and freeze it quickly. With either fresh or thawed dough, let the dough rise a second time.

(4) After it has risen, punch it down and use it for your pizza. The dough will rise a little while you put the rest of your pizza toppings on it. Then bake as appropriate for pizza thickness and toppings.

NOTES

I have tried variations like whole wheat, and just about any flour combination that works for bread works for pizza dough.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 20 minutes preparation, 2 hours rising. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

R Horn

Infinet, Inc. North Andover, MA

decvax, seismo!harvard!wanginst!infinet!rhorn

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

JORDAN POND HOUSE POPOVERS

POND-POPOVERS — Popovers from the Jordan Pond teahouse

In Acadia National Park, near Bar Harbor Maine, is Jordan Pond. A century ago the teahouse at Jordan Pond was a gathering place where the aristocracy had tea and popovers with strawberry jam each day at 4 o'clock. The Jordan Pond Tea House burned down in 1978, but has been rebuilt. It now serves people sporting clothes announcing "mommy and daddy went to Naugatuck, and all they brought me was this crummy shirt", and who show up in station wagons, but the popovers are the same that were served to the idle rich of another era.

INGREDIENTS (2 large popovers)

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 cup all-purpose flour (Important! Sift before measuring!!)

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 425º F. Beat the eggs at high speed with an electric mixer for 3 minutes, or until the mixture turns lemon yellow.

(2) Slow the mixer to a crawl, and dribble in ½ cup of milk, taking about 20 seconds to pour it in.

(3) Into another bowl, sift the flour and measure 1 cup as exactly as you can, then add salt and baking soda and sift again. With the mixer still running on its slowest speed, add the dry ingredients to the eggs and milk.

(4) Turn the mixer off and use a rubber spatula to make sure that all of the flour has blended in with the liquid.

(5) Set the mixer to medium speed and dribble in the remaining milk. Blend for 1 minute.

(6) Turn the mixer to its highest speed and beat for 10 minutes (or 5 minutes if you have a Kitchen-aid style mixer that uses a wire whip for beating). Extra beating can't hurt.

(7) Filter the batter through a fine-mesh screen strainer to remove any lumps, then pour into well-buttered popover cups or custard cups. (If you must use a muffin tin, fill only the 4 corners.)

(8) Bake at 425º F for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven, turn heat to 350º F and bake for 15 more minutes (20 minutes if your oven door has a window).

NOTES

Serve immediately, with fresh jam and room-temperature butter. These popovers turn out significantly better if they are baked in crockery custard cups rather than in metal or glass.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: 15 minutes preparation, 30 minutes baking. Precision: measure carefully.

CONTRIBUTOR

Brian Reid

DEC Western Research Laboratory, Palo Alto CA

reid@decwrl.DEC.COM -or- ihnp4,ucbvax,decvax,sun,pyramid!decwrl!reid

POPPYSEED BUNDT CAKE

POPPYCAKE — A light, delicate cake

I got this recipe from my mom. I'm not sure where she got it.

INGREDIENTS (1 bundt cake)

1 cup butter or margarine

1 ½ cups sugar

2 ½ cups flour (sift before measuring)

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup buttermilk

2 oz poppy seeds (about ¼ cup)

1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla extract)

4 eggs (separated)

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

PROCEDURE

(1) Soak poppyseed in the buttermilk for 15 minutes.

(2) Cream together butter and sugar. Add yolks to creamed mixture. Add almond extract or vanilla.

(3) Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk mixture, a little at a time.

(4) Beat egg whites very stiff as for angel food. Fold egg whites into mixture.

(5) Pour half of this batter mixture into well-greased Bundt pan.

(6) Sprinkle with a mixture of ¼ cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.

(7) Pour in remaining batter.

(8) Bake at 350º F for 1 hour.

(9) Cool and invert onto serving dish, then remove Bundt pan.

NOTES

When folding in egg whites, be gentle. Lift and turn the batter instead of using a stirring motion. Don't worry if a little bit of egg white remains unmixed; the egg whites will collapse if you mix it too much. I have tried both vanilla and almond extracts with this recipe, and prefer the former.

RATING

Difficulty: easy to moderate (folding the beaten eggwhites into the batter takes some skill). Time: 30 minutes preparation, 1 hour cooking, 1 hour cooling. Precision: Measure carefully.

CONTRIBUTOR

Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)

"Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent..."

amdahl, sun!rtech!jeff -or- ucbvax, decvax!mtxinu!rtech!jeff

GUMBO-STYLE RICE

RICE-GUMBO — A basic steamed rice for gumbo dishes

If you are making the gumbo for appetizer servings, make a 1/3 recipe. If you make this ahead, leave out the bell peppers, since they sour quickly.

INGREDIENTS (makes 6 cups)

2 cups white rice, preferably converted

2½ cups chicken stock, homemade or canned

1½ Tbsp onions, very finely chopped

1½ Tbsp celery, very finely chopped

1½ Tbsp green bell pepper, very finely chopped.

1½ Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder

pinch white pepper, cayenne and black pepper

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat the oven to 350º F.

(2) Combine all the ingredients in a 5×9inch loaf pan. Seal the pan snugly with aluminum foil. Bake until the rice is tender, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

NOTES

You can use the rice right away, or leave it in the oven to stay warm for a couple of hours. If you save it longer than that, reheat in the top of a double boiler or stir it in a skillet with a little butter.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes preparation, 70 minutes cooking. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Vicki O'Day

Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA

hplabs!oday

ALMOND SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

SHORTBREAD-1 — Shortbread-like biscuits

This recipe was given to my Great Aunt when she lived in Scotland, by a friend who worked in a bakery in Leven Fife. It is based on the standard short bread recipe.

INGREDIENTS (20 biscuits)

4 oz butter

2 oz margarine

8 oz soft brown sugar

3¼ cups plain flour

¾ cup flaked almonds

1 small egg

PROCEDURE

(1) Rub butter and margarine into the flour.

(2) Add sugar, beaten egg and almonds.

(3) Knead the mixture thoroughly.

(4) Form mixture into an oblong shape about two inches square at the end.

(5) Wrap in silver foil and leave in the refrigerator over night.

(6) Cut into about 1/8-inch-thick slices using a serrated knife.

(7) Place on greased baking sheet and cook for 10–15 minutes at 350º F.

RATING

Difficulty: easy to moderate. Time: 10 minutes preparation, overnight wait, 15 minutes baking. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Martin Prime

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK

mcvax!ukc!rlvd!martin

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

SOFT SHORTBREAD

SHORTBREAD-2 — Soft shortbread

My mother makes this; she got the recipe from a friend.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4–6)

1 cup soft butter

1 cup flour

½ cup corn starch

½ cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 325º F.

(2) Beat butter and vanilla until foamy.

(3) Add dry ingredients and blend. Do not overstir.

(4) Spoon onto an ungreased pan.

(5) Bake at 325º F until done (10–20 minutes depending on thickness)

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes preparation, 20 minutes cooking and cooling. Precision: approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

Guy Middleton

University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont.

gamiddleton@watmath

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

IRISH SODA BREAD

SODA-BREAD — Two white soda loaves

This is a basic soda bread, following the Irish mode. I scaled up the recipe from one of Beard's, and changed it some. It is quite crusty, and really all-purpose. This soda bread takes around a third the time and a half the effort of a comparable yeast bread. Since no yeast bread is much like it, I don't know what would be comparable. People who have never tried a soda bread will note many differences, like the order you add things (flour and then the liquid...).

INGREDIENTS (2 loaves)

8 cups white flour (unbleached)

3–4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp baking soda

1 cup currants (optional)

1 tsp butter or oil

PROCEDURE

(1) Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

(2) Preheat the oven to 350º F.

(3) Stir in buttermilk, a cup at a time. You should make a fairly soft dough that will nonetheless hold its shape. Thus, you may need the full amount of buttermilk.

(4) Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board (this is a stock phrase; do it anyway). Knead until it is smooth and soft, probably about 7 minutes. You should have to keep adding a little flour to the board for the first few minutes to keep the dough from sticking.

(5) Are you using currants? Knead them in, then. Or don't, accordingly.

(6) Tear the dough in half. Form each half into a ball. With a knife, slash a cross in the top.

(7) Place the balls, cross up, well apart, on a greased baking sheet.

(8) Put this sheet, bread side up, into the oven.

(9) Bake for 35 or 40 minutes. The loaves are done when they sound hollow at a knocking hand. They should also get to be a nice light brown color. The cross will split open, and the resultant points will get hard and dark brown. Soda bread has a tendency to crack in the oven. This is no big deal.

NOTES

You can substitute, per James Beard's recommendation, about 4 cups of whole-wheat flour for half the white. Since this will be heavier, use about 40% more baking powder. The bread made this way is markedly different.

RATING

Difficulty: easy to moderate. Time: 30 minutes building, 45 minutes baking. Precision: Measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

David Hendler

Aiken Computation Lab (Harvard Univ.)

hendler@harvard.harvard.edu

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD

SOUR-FRENCH — An old-fashioned sourdough French bread

This is a hearty bread, possibly heavier than many people are used to. The flavor is wonderfully tangy, and complements just about any meal. Try it with garlic butter! This bread is slow raising. I usually spend two days on it—start the dough one day, let it rise overnight, then form the loaf and bake the next day. This recipe is from The Complete Sourdough Cookbook, by Don and Myrtle Holm.

INGREDIENTS (1 loaf)

1 cup sourdough starter

½ cup milk (any type, but I prefer whole milk)

1 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp shortening

2½ cups flour

PROCEDURE

(1) Combine milk, sugar, salt, and shortening in a pan. Heat until shortening melts, then cool to lukewarm (about 110º F.

(2) Stir milk into starter. Add flour gradually, forming dough that pulls away from sides of the bowl.

(3) Kneed until smooth (about 15 min.), adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the board. When done, the dough will be fairly heavy, but smooth in texture.

(4) Place in a well-greased bowl and raise in a warm place until doubled.

(5) Form into a long loaf (about 16 inches long). Place on a greased baking sheet and let rise again, until almost doubled.

(6) Cut diagonal slits in top of loaf with a sharp knife, and bake in a 400 degree oven until done, about 30–35 min.

(7) Remove from pan, and let cool in a draft-free location.

NOTES

Be careful that the milk mixture has cooled before adding it to the starter. If it's too hot, you'll kill the starter and the bread won't rise. Since the dough rises for a long time, I usually cover it with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.

If you want a chewy crust, brush the top of the loaf with a mixture of corn starch and water before baking. Also, placing a pan of water in the oven while baking will make the crust a little softer. I usually brush the loaf with butter after baking.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: 1 hour preparation, long rising time, ½ hour baking. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Bill Turner

Hewlett-Packard Personal Software Division, Santa Clara, CA

Approved: reid@glacier.ARPA

SOURDOUGH STARTER

SOUR-START — Starter culture for making sourdough bread

Many people think of sourdough as something from the Gold Rush days. Not so! Sourdough was the first way raised breads were made. "Way back then," there was no such thing as active dry yeast, and all breads (along with a number of other goodies) needed sourdough starter to rise. There are a number of recipes for sourdough starter, but this is one I've used, and it works fairly well. It came originally from the cookbook The Complete Sourdough Cookbook by Don Holm.

INGREDIENTS (makes 3 cups)

2 cups warm water (about 110º F)

2½ cups flour

1 pkg active dry yeast (optional)

PROCEDURE

(1) Get a container for the starter. Crockery is best, but just about anything can be used, except metal. Try to get something with a lid. I use a vinyl plastic food-storage container.

(2) Mix flour and water (and optionally yeast).

(3) Let the starter sit (uncovered or loosely covered) in a warm place until bubbly and sour, about 3–5 days.

NOTES

If you do a lot of bread baking, there will probably be enough yeast spores floating around your kitchen so that the added yeast isn't needed. The less yeast you add to the starter, the more "authentic" the flavor. If the starter starts turning orange or green, throw it away. Other nasty things have started growing in it!

After the starter is ready, it can be used immediately. Try to use some of the starter once every few days, or it will start to die. The starter can be refrigerated to last longer (use at least every other week). Make sure the starter is at room temperature before using.

After using some of the starter, replenish what you take with equal amounts of warm water and flour. Let the starter sit until nice and bubbly before using again.

Usually, the first starter made will need a while to "come up to strength." Best bets for first recipes are ones that don't require much raising, such as pancakes, or ones that have additional yeast.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes preparation, 5 days waiting. Precision: no need to measure.

CONTRIBUTOR

Bill Turner

Hewlett-Packard Personal Software Division, Santa Clara CA

hplabs!hppsdc!bill

GERMAN FRIENDSHIP CAKE

SOURDOUGH-CAKE — A 10-day Sourdough cake

This is known as the friendship cake—it's a bit like a chain letter in that you have to find a set of friends to pass on the starter to. During preparation put the starter into a very large bowl (it foams up), and cover with a lid or withcling film.

INGREDIENTS (Starter and one cake)

1 cup cake starter

STARTER FOOD

1 cup normal milk

1 cup self-raising flour

1 cup sugar

CAKE

2 cups self-raising flour

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup oil

2 tsp cinnamon and vanilla

2 eggs

½ cup raisins

½ cup nuts (or other fruits)

15oz pineapple chunks, drained (one can)

PROCEDURE

(1) Blend the "starter feed" together, and then hand mix in the starter. I find it easiest to mix the flour and sugar together dry, add the milk to the starter, and then slowly add the flour and sugar to the liquid. The starter should never be beaten with a blender or refrigerated. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, cover with cling-film or a damp towel, and leave to brew.

(2) Thoroughly mix the sourdough, then leave to brew again.

(3) As day 1

(4) As day 2

(5) Print off three copies of this recipe. Here now is why this is called a friendship cake. Take 3 cups of Sourdough mixture, and give them away with copies of the recipe as starters to your friends. Then proceed with the baking.

PROCEDURE

(1) Blend all ingredients thoroughly with remaining starter.

(2) Pre-heat oven to 350º F (English gas mark 4)

(3) Pour mixture into a well-greased baking tin.

(4) Bake for 1¾ hours (less in a fan oven), cool.

NOTES

If you don't get cake starter from a friend, you can probably buy it in a baking supply store. Vary the spices to taste. The cake is quite pleasant if you forget them.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 10 days brewing starter, 30 minutes preparing cake, 2 hours baking and cooling. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Andrew Macpherson

STC Telecommunications, Harlow Technical Center, England

andrew@tcom.stc.co.uk

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

CASTILLIAN HOT CHOCOLATE

SPANISH-COCOA — Thick, rich Spanish hot chocolate

I first tasted this wonderful beverage while touring in northern Spain with a choir. It's not like any hot chocolate I've had anywhere else, and I was delighted to find a recipe in The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two

. It is the best hot chocolate in the world (at least to me.)

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6)

½ cup unsweetened powdered cocoa

1 cup sugar

7 tsp cornstarch (cornflour)

½ cup water

4 cups milk

PROCEDURE

(1) Mix the cocoa and sugar together.

(2) Dissolve the cornstarch (cornflour) in the water and combine with the cocoa-sugar mixture in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir this until it is a smooth paste.

(3) Begin heating this mixture, continuously stirring it with a whisk. Gradually pour in the milk. Continue stirring as you bring it to a simmer.

(4) Simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. The cocoa is ready when it thickens and is glossy and smooth.

NOTES

The consistency of the finished product should resemble chocolate pudding that didn't quite set. If you halve this recipe, you'll get just the right amount for two large mug-fulls. This cocoa is especially fantastic when you dip churros into it (a churro is a sugary, deep-fried, doughnut-like stick, and if anyone wants to send out a recipe, I'd be most grateful).

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 15 minutes. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Tovah Hollander

UCLA Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Los Angeles, California USA

sdcrdcf,hao!cepu!tovah

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

STOLLEN

STOLLEN — Traditional German Christmas bread

Germans traditionally eat Stollen around Christmastime. This recipe comes from someone I went to school with. She, and her parents, who are from southern Germany, recommended it as quite an authentic recipe. It is indeed a very tasty and rich bread.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves)

¼ oz active dried yeast (1 package)

¾ cup warm water

½ cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 egg yolk

½ cup soft butter

3 ½ cups flour

1 cup chopped blanched almonds

½ cup citronat (candied lemon peel), cut into small pieces

½ cup orangenat (candied orange peel), cut into small pieces

½ cup raisins

1 Tbsp grated lemon peel

PROCEDURE

(1) Dissolve the yeast in the water and proof it.

(2) Add the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, butter and half of the flour. Beat for 10 minutes.

(3) Blend in the remaining flour, nuts, fruits, and peel.

(4) Let rise about 1½ hours, until doubled.

(5) Punch down, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

(6) Knead the dough.

(7) Roll into one or two rectangles, butter it, and fold over the edges to make a rolled loaf.

(8) Place on a greased cookie sheet with the folded edges down. Spread with a combination of 1 egg white and 1 Tbsp water. Let rise until doubled in size (45 to 60 minutes).

(9) Bake 30–35 minutes at 375º F until golden brown.

NOTES

My loaves of stollen come out somewhat wide and short. Some traditionalists make them long and narrow. You can also make them in normal bread pans instead of on cookies sheets, in which case you should increase the baking time somewhat.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: hand-on time: 30 minutes; rising times: 1 ½ hours + overnight + 1 hour; baking time: 30-35 minutes. Precision: measure the ingredients, though you can experiment with the fruits and nuts.

CONTRIBUTOR

Aviva Garrett

Santa Cruz, California, USA

Excelan, Inc., San Jose, California

ucbvax!mtxinu ihnp4!cae780!excelan!aviva

Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

PLACEK SWIATECZNY

WIGILIA-10 — Christmas Bread

This recipe could be used as part of a 12 course meal known in Polish as Wigilia, or on its own. Wigilia is eaten after sundown on Christmas Eve.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 1 loaf)

5 eggs

2½ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups icing sugar

2 tsp baking powder

¾ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped fine

2/3 cup raisins

4 oz orange peel, chopped fine

½ tsp salt

1 cup butter

1 Tbsp grated lemon peel

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp vodka or brandy

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat oven to 350º F. Beat eggs with sugar using an electric mixer for 5 minutes at high speed.

(2) Mix chopped nuts, raisins, and orange peel with 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix remaining flour with baking powder and salt.

(3) Cream together the butter, lemon peel, and vanilla extract until fluffy. Beat in vodka, then add egg mixture gradually, beating constantly. Add the flour mixture and beat for 5 minutes. Fold fruit-nut mixture into the batter. Turn into a greased and floured 9×5×3-inch pan or a 1½ quart ring mold.

(4) Bake at 350º F for 1 hour.

(5) Cool cake in pan on wire rack for ten minutes, then turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.

(6) Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to mellow for a couple of days.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: ½ hour preparation, 1½ hours cooking and cooling, 2 days aging. Precision: Approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

Original recipe passed down through the generations and

translated from Polish into English (with a few mods) by

Edward Chrzanowski

MFCF, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

echrzanowski@watmath.waterloo.edu or ihnp4,allegra,utzoo!watmath!echrzanowski

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

STRUCLE Z MAKIEM

WIGILIA-9 — Poppy seed rolls

This recipe could be used as part of a 12 course meal known in Polish as Wigilia, or on its own. Wigilia is eaten after sundown on Christmas Eve.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 2 rolls)

ROLLS

½ oz active dry yeast (two standard envelopes)

½ cup warm water

4½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cups sugar

½ tsp salt

½ cup butter

2 eggs

2 egg yolks (save whites for the filling)

½ cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

POPPY SEED FILLING

2 Tbsp butter

10 oz poppy seeds, coarsely ground

2 Tbsp honey

2 tsp lemon juice

2 egg whites

½ cup sugar

¼ cup candied orange peel, chopped fine

¼ cup steamed raisins (steamed, or soaked in hot water, until soft)

2 tsp grated lemon peel

ICING

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

PROCEDURE

(1) Make the dough: soften the yeast in warm water in a bowl.

(2) Mix flour with sugar and salt. Cut in the butter until mixture has a fine, even crumb.

(3) Beat eggs and extra yolks; mix with yeast, then stir into the flour mixture. Add the sour cream and the vanilla and mix well.

(4) Knead dough on floured surface for 5 minutes. Divide in half and roll each half into a 12 inch square. Cover.

(5) Make the filling: melt butter in a large pan. Add poppy seed and stir-fry for 3 minutes.

(6) Add honey, lemon juice, and raisins to poppy seeds. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes.

(7) Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff moist peaks form. Fold in orange and lemon peels and then gently fold in poppy seed mixture.

(8) Spread half of the filling on each dough square (after you uncover them). Roll up as you would for a jelly-roll and seal the edges. Place on greased baking sheets and cover. Let rise until doubled in bulk (approx. 1½ hours).

(9) Preheat oven to 350º F. Bake about 45 minutes, then remove from oven and cool.

(10) Make the icing: mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spread this mixture evenly over the rolls.

NOTES

You can grind poppy seeds in a mortar and pestle. Specialty food stores sell grinders specifically designed for poppy seeds. Some spice shops sell poppy seeds already ground, but like all spices they lose their freshness much more rapidly after they are ground. This year (1987) in Poland, the people are having a very hard time finding enough poppy seeds for their strucle z makiem because there is a government crackdown on the growing of all poppies in an attempt to control opium production.

RATING

Difficulty: moderate. Time: 3–4 hours including yeast rising time. Precision: Approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

Original recipe passed down through the generations and

translated from Polish into English (with a few mods) by

Edward Chrzanowski

MFCF, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

echrzanowski@watmath.waterloo.edu or ihnp4,allegra,utzoo!watmath!echrzanowski

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

EASY REFRIGERATOR ROLLS

YEAST-ROLLS — An utterly reliable recipe for yeast rolls.

I believe this recipe started its life on the back of a Fleischman's Yeast package, but it has been memorized and modified for about ten years now. It is the most reliable yeast recipe I've ever seen: it's never failed on me, and it always does an amazing amount of rising (my family calls them mushroom rolls).

INGREDIENTS (Makes 24 rolls)

6¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp dry yeast (each package is about 1 Tbsp)

½ cup milk

1½ cups water

¼ cup butter

1 egg

vegetable shortening or more butter

PROCEDURE

(1) Combine 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved yeast.

(2) Heat milk, water, and butter until liquids are very warm (120–130º F). Add to dry ingredients.

(3) Beat 2 minutes at medium speed (I've never used an electric mixer, by the way. Just stir until things are evenly combined and not terribly lumpy.)

(4) Add egg and 1 cup flour. Beat at high speed 2 minutes. Add enough additional flour to make a soft dough. This is where the arm muscles get their exercise!

(5) Grease top of dough (with butter or vegetable shortening). Cover the bowl and refrigerate it overnight.

(6) Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Shape them into balls, and place each in a greased muffin cup.

(7) Cover; let rise in a warm place (75-100º F) until doubled. This will take between 1 and 1 ½ hours. Towards the end of the rising period, preheat the oven to 400º F.

(8) Bake at 400º F for 12 to 15 minutes. Store the rolls tightly covered—that is, if there are any left.

NOTES

This is the first really good yeast bread recipe I discovered when I started making bread in the sixth grade. Done carefully, it can approach a delicate, cakelike texture. It doesn't have to be shaped into rolls, of course -- try it in a regular bread pan, or in fancy shapes. I use Fleischman's dry yeast. I suppose cake yeast can be used, but it always seemed like a nuisance to me.

RATING

Difficulty: easy. Time: 1 hour of work spread over 2 days. Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

Jean Marie Diaz (aka AMBAR)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA

"I choose this place to call my own;

The only grace I've ever known.

I never tire of legends grown;

We dream too much, and time has flown...."

Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com

YOGURT PANCAKES

YOGURT-CAKES — Amazingly good baking-powder and yogurt pancakes

Cooks like to show off by making fancy glamorous recipes to serve to their friends by candle light. Here is a simple ordinary recipe to serve to your family for breakfast in the morning. I love pancakes and I make many varieties and I am an inveterate experimenter. This recipe is the one I have developed over the years to replace buttermilk pancakes because I never have buttermilk on hand in the refrigerator like my grandmother did. I made this recipe this very morning with blueberries in it. I do have yogurt in my fridge, though, and the yogurt can substitue for the buttermilk.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4–6)

5 large eggs (or 6 medium eggs)

1¼ cups milk

8 oz plain yogurt (I use Dannon and Knudsen. Other brands might require different amounts)

½ cup vegetable oil (or less for dieters; but use at least 2 Tbsp)

2 1/3 cups white flour (measure carefully, after sifting)

4 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

PROCEDURE

(1) Preheat griddle and oil very very lightly.

(2) Separate the eggs; beat the yolks in a bowl big enough to hold the whole recipe. Add the yogurt and beat again; add the milk and oil and beat again. Rinse the eggbeater.

(3) In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt). Sift together. I use a flour sifter for this, but if you insist on measuring your flour without sifting it, then you can try using a wire whip to blend the dry ingredients.

(4) Using a clean eggbeater, beat the eggwhites until they are fluffy.

(5) Dump the dry ingredient mixture into the big bowl containing the milk mixture, stir for about 2 seconds just to get the dry ingredients under the surface of the liquid, and then dump the beaten eggwhites into the big bowl.

(6) Now beat this mixture lightly and slowly with a fork until it is more or less uniform. If you beat too much, or too fast, then it will get gummy. Don't try to get rid of lumps.

(7) Cook on the hot griddle.

NOTES

I like to put fresh blueberries in these pancakes after I pour them on the griddle. Make sure that your maple syrup is hot and that your butter is soft. You can heat syrup in the microwave or you can heat it by sticking the syrup jar in a pan of boiling water. This same recipe also makes really good waffles if you reduce the milk to 1 cup, but if you are going to make waffles, you shouldn't cut back on the oil. If you are dieting, stick to pancakes.

RATING

Difficulty: easy to moderate. Time: 10 minutes plus cooking time. Precision: measure carefully.

CONTRIBUTOR

Brian Reid

DEC Western Research Lab, Palo Alto CA

reid@decwrl.DEC.COM -or- decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4,sun!decwrl!reid

Minutia Matters

Index

Sunday

Bread And Cake Recipes

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