Abs Favorite Recipes

Archive for August, 2010

So after making my wheat bread the other day I started to think about buns. I hate the store bought kind we buy the cheap ones from the day old store. They are small and don’t have a lot of taste. I have never tried them because I just figured they where a lot of work. So I started to google and was pleasantly surprised to find they are no harder really then making bread. There is a little more work in that you heat the liquid but its only one rising time and a short baking time. I also love food blogs because when you find a recipe that has been posted to more then 2 or 3 blogs you know its good!

Source: Wifes with Knives

Prep Time: 15 minutes Rise Time: 40 minutes Bake Time: 10-12 Minutes

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 4-1/2 cups flour
• 1 package instant yeast (2-1/4 teaspoon)
• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the milk, water, honey and butter until butter is melted.  Check temperature.  Depending on the temperature, let cool to 120F.  Carefully beat in egg.

Mix 2 cups of the flour, yeast and salt.  Mix into the milk mixture.  Stir in the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time.  Beat well after each addition.

When the dough pulls together, (it will form a soft ball) turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.  This should take about 5 minutes.  (I used my Kitchen-aid  mixer)Add a little more flour while mixing with the dough hook, a little at a time until dough is no longer sticky.

Divide dough into 12-16 equal parts.  I used my scale like the blogger said and it worked nicely so I had 12 buns of equal size.  Shape into smooth balls, flatten slightly, and place on a greased cookie sheet.

I know my pan is older then dirt but it works!

Cover loosely with a towel and allow to rise for 40 minutes I put mine on a heating pad. Boil 2 cups of water on the stove then pour into a pan. Place pan of water on bottom rack(lowest setting). Make sure the rack your baking the buns on are on the middle rack.  When buns have almost doubled bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes.

Let cool completely before slicing.

Yields: 12-16 Buns

So I held my breath when I went to cut them but they sliced perfectly!

So the verdict after eating that sandwich for lunch?

I liked it so much I am making homemade sloppy joes for supper so we can all enjoy them! My next thing will be to try making hot dog buns you use the same recipe but shape them different. I am looking forward to trying them soon.

Tuna Casserole was one of the first recipes I added to my blog when I started it last year. I found the recipe to be a pain because some times it came out great and other times it came out mushy or dry. So I started trying some other recipes. This is a mixture of a few of them and I am happy with the results!

Source: Abs Kitchen

Prep Time: 15 mn Cook Time: 30 mn

• 2 cans tuna
• 2 can cream of mushroom soup
• 6 sandwich single slices of american cheese
• 3/4-1 cup peas
• 2 cups milk
• 4 cups of macaroni, parboiled
• 1-1/2 cup crushed chips(corn or potato)

Combine the tuna, milk and the cream of mushroom soup. Stir together, then add salt and pepper to taste. Mix this with the parboiled noodles and peas(I cook the peas with the noodles to save a step). Put half the tuna mixture in a greased 13×9 pan. Put the cheese slices on top and put the remaining tuna mixture on top. Sprinkle the crushed chips on top. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.

Yields: 6-8 servings

I am happy with my new tuna noodle casserole recipe. I think its got better flavor and the noodles don’t seem to get as mushy as the old recipe. Putting the layer of cheese in the middle works well and you could use some different cheeses to change it up you could also try using canned salmon in this recipe as well.

I am hoping to get back into a better rhythm with posting recipes here again. I have tried a few new recipes the last few months and need to get them added. A friend of mine posted on her blog a few weeks back that she was starting to make homemade sandwich bread. I have thought of doing this myself but my homemade bread never seems like it would work very well for sandwiches. My friend posted this recipe the other day and I had to try it! It turned out okay and tasted great but I was still concerned it would crumble as a sandwich. So I started googling, got to love Chef Google :p .  I was looking for a whole wheat recipe because it is healthier and my husband likes wheat bread. I tend to not like it because its drier. I found out that wheat bread tends to need a little less flour when mixing and so I found a recipe for a white bread and decided to create a whole wheat bread. I am very happy with my results I must say. I will warn that this recipe may need more tweaking and I will come back and edit it if need be. I did not take many pictures because I did not expect it to turn out so well the first try to be honest. Any ways here it is.

Source: Adapted from here (www.browneyedbaker.com)

Prep time: 15 minutes Rise Time: 2hrs Cook Time:30-40 minutes

• 6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour(your going to need more will explain below)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups warm whole milk(about 110 degrees)
• 2/3 cup warm water(about 110 degrees)
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 6 tbsp honey
• 2 envelopes(about 4 1/2 tsp) instant yeast

Mix 6 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix the milk, water, butter, honey, and yeast in a small bowl. Turn the machine to low and slowly add the liquid. When the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and satiny, stopping the machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook, if necessary, about 10 minutes. (After 5 minutes of kneading, if the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time*read note below*, until the dough is no longer sticky.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead to form as mooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.

Place the dough in a very lightly oiled large bowl, rubbing the dough around the bowl to coat lightly. Cover the bowl with a towel and place on a heated heating pad for 40-50 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.

Cut the dough in half. With each half gently press the dough into a rectangle 1 inch thick and no longer than 9 inches. WIth a long side facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam-side up and pinch it closed. Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Cover with a towel and return to the heated heating pad till the dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes.

Keep one oven rack at the lowest position and place the other at the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place an empty baking pan on the bottom rack. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the boiling water into the empty pan on the bottom rack and set the loaf pans onto the middle rack. Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove bread from oven and let cool in pans for 5 minutes Remove the bread from the pans, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve.

Yields: 2 loafs

*I don’t know the exact amount of flour I used. I started out with 6 cups and added 1 tablespoon at a time. I am sure I added at least a extra 1/2 cup. You can always add flour so it better to start with less and work your way up.

This recipe turned out so well. I could not believe how moist this bread was. You can taste the honey and if your not a honey fan you could try using regular sugar I bet. It was also very easy to slice and I can easily see this working well for sandwiches or toast. I sliced the 2nd loaf and put it in the freezer for later. When storing home made bread it seems freezing is the best way to go. It is also better to put it in a zip lock bag and let it sit on the counter rather then putting it in the refrigerator. If you don’t eat a lot of bread you could freeze it then take out slices and pop them in the toaster to unthaw. When properly packaged bread can be frozen for 3-4 months.

I will say again this recipe is still a work in progress but it turned out quite well and I wanted to share it. Happy Baking!