Weber Turkey

We cook 13 minutes per pound, and add 10 briquettes, each side, every hour

(that's Onion Herb Bread on the left, recipe is below)

Dad's Onion Herb Bread

 Regarding the "mashed potato" ingredient, I just use a couple of peeled Yukon Gold potatoes mashed after boiling- I don't worry about measuring them, usually it's closer to a couple of cups. This is what I used for this batch:

Mix these dry ingredients and the mashed potatoes together:

Heat up 1 cup of milk with 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter and add:

Stir in 3 beaten eggs to above mix:

It should look something like this:

Slowly mix in flour till the dough is NOT sticky and has a "satiny" like feel/surface:

Put this in a 8 or 9 inch diameter souffle dish, let rise till double in size:

It will end up looking something like this:

Lately I've been making this bread in a traditional loaf pan to make sandwiches which come out like this:

The crumb:

Toasted turkey sandwich...

My Dad had won some awards with this bread in the early 60s (so the family legend goes). He made it every year where it sat like a giant bread mushroom in the center of the table on the holidays. We've switched out the rosemary and instead have used dill, which is very good also. It's a good dough to play with different spices- enjoy.

Dad's Potato Rolls

 Regarding the "instant mashed potato" ingredient, I just use a couple of peeled Yukon Gold potatoes mashed after boiling- I don't worry about measuring them, it usually is closer to a couple of cups, but no matter. This is what I used for this batch:

This is how my dough looks after a slow rise in the fridge the next day:

Rolled out 1/2 inch thick and a 3 1/2 inch diameter glass used as a biscuit cutter: 

Cover and let rise till doubled in size before baking:

After baking:

A look at the crumb:

These are good, a slight crunch to the bottoms with a damp interior. They make a great turkey roll sandwich during the holidays. Sometimes I split the dough up and put olives, dry cheese (Asiago) or sun dried tomatoes into the batches just to mix it up.

 I have also included the same day, rapid rise yeast method for this recipe below, but find the slow rise refrigerator recipe more to my liking. You can also roll the dough out thicker than 1/2 inch before cutting for a loftier roll.

Here's the Same Day Rapid Rise method recipe (just swap out the yeast):

Danish Coffee Cake

Looks something like this when done:

"Crumble" surface close-up:

Crumb:

Pain Ordinaire French Bread

This bread has 4 ingredients; flour, water, yeast and salt.

You will need:
6 Cups of flour (I use bread flour)
2 1/2 Cups warm water (120 to 130 degrees to activate yeast)
2 packets yeast (or equivalent if you use bulk yeast)
2 teaspoons salt dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water

Bake at 450 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes

Put 4 or 5 cups of flour in a mixing bowl. Stir 2 packets of yeast into 2 1/2 cups warm water (120 to 130 degrees)- mix with flour. Pour 2 teaspoons boiling water onto 2 teaspoons salt (to semi dissolve salt), add to mixing bowl. Add another cup of flour. Continue adding a small amount of flour until the dough can be handled without being too sticky. This recipe uses approximately 6 cups of flour.

Get all up in that dough and knead it...

 

I mix and knead in this one bowl because...I'm kind of lazy-there is less to clean up. Don't let that stop you from kneading on a counter/bread board or marble slab. I had a Kitchen Aid mixer that I inherited and it didn't fit on the counter, and there was the clean up. Don't get me wrong the mixer was fantastic, I just do it all by hand the way my Dad used to do it.

After 2 hours of sitting in a warm draft free spot

Punch the dough down after the initial rise adding a little flour.

After 1 1/2 hours sitting in warm draft free spot

Time to divide and shape the dough.

I just "air dangle" the dough and roll it between my hands into a rope (because, once again, I'm lazy)-thus explains the lack of uniformity and beauty of my baguette. I do the same for the loaf, counting on the expansion in the bread tin to hide my oafish heavy handed treatment of the dough.

Place a pan in the bottom of the oven. This is to create some steam that will give the loaves a crunchier crust. Place racks so the loaves are centered in the oven while baking.

After 45 minutes or so start your oven.

An hour later after loaves have been in a warm draft free spot

Slash the loaves and pour a cup of water into the broiler pan in the oven to create steam 5 minutes before putting bread in.

I rotate the sheet half way through baking because our oven heat is uneven. Tap loaves for "hollow" sound, and they're done. Place on a rack and let set for 15 or 20 minutes before slicing.

We leave the baguette standing up (vertically) on the cut end for a couple of days for a chewier crust, or put everything in plastic after it cools for a softer crust. We buy a 25 lb. sack of bread flour for $7.79 and a 2 lb. bag of Red Star active Dry yeast for $3.49 at Costco and we're ready to bake for 6 to 8 months at our house- the yeast last us about a year.

Banana Bread

1 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup sugar
1 stick of butter (1/2 Cup)
cream the above ingredients
3 or 4 bananas
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Cups flour
1 Cup chopped nuts (your choice)
Mix all wet ingredients then add & mix dry
Bake 375 for an hour or so