Buttermilk Rolls

In recent months, I have enjoyed making different bread recipes.  I have memories being in my Grandfather's house, watching him make loaves of bread.  He had these HUGE kitchen mixers.  I was always fascinated with those mixers.

Grandpeepaw and Nana

 

Every time my Mom watches me cook, she tells me that I cook just like Grandpeepaw.........we are MESSY!

 



The ingredients for today's recipe:

1 package active yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg beaten
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons melted butter
5 cups flour

To begin, pour warm water in your mixer bowl.  Add the yeast and let it proof.  This means that the yeast will start to "bubble."  Add the next 6 ingredients, along with 3 cups of flour.  Mix well.  Slowly add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time.

You will know that the dough is ready because it will gather up on the dough hook.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl.  Put the bowl on top of the stove, with the oven on a very low heat.  Cover with a towel and let it rise 2 hours.

After 2 hours, punch the dough back down.

 

 

Tear small pieces of dough and roll them into balls.  Put them in a greased pan and let them rise another 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Brush with melted butter after removing them from the oven.

 

 





Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings

One of my favorite meals is a big bowl of chicken and dumplings.  Over the years, I've adapted how I make it.  Here is the latest and greatest.

For the broth:

Several pieces of chicken, with bones
2 carrots cut into large chunks
2 celery stalks cut into large chunks
2 onions, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
Palm full of peppercorns
Bunch of parsley, thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt - 2 tablespoons
Pepper - 2 tablespoons
2 teaspoons chicken base (or more to taste)

Cover these ingredients with water - about 4 quarts.  Let that simmer for several hours. Drain and save the broth.  Take the chicken pieces and pick out the meat.  Add the meat back into the broth. Discard the solids - some of which would be great in your compost!

I really like white meat so at this point I add a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Poach the chicken breast until done.  Remove from the broth, shred and add back into the broth.

For the dumplings:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 pint of buttermilk

In your mixer (with the dough hook) add the flour, baking powder, salt and shortening.  Let that mix until you have a mealy consistency.  Add the buttermilk and let that form into a dough ball - knead about 5 minutes.

Take the dough and put it on a floured surface.  Roll the dough into thin pieces, keeping the dough well floured.  When the dough is thin, about 1/4 inch thick, use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into pieces.  Flour the dough pieces again.  The flour will thicken your broth.

Happy Hubby Helping!

 

Note:  If you don't want to take the time to make dough dumplings, my mom always used the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box.  These dumplings are great also!  They poof up and are very "doughy" - which I like!  I've also heard of people using canned biscuits - breaking the biscuits into small pieces and dropping them into the broth.

 

Bring the broth to a rolling boil.  Shake the dough pieces into the broth.  Cook on a full boil, stirring gently.  After 5 minutes, turn down the heat to low and put the lid on.  The broth will thicken as it cooks.  The dumplings are ready to serve after 20 minutes.

 

 



Enjoy!

Granny's Fried Chicken

Today's adventure was a lesson about Granny's fried chicken.  My Granny was raised in the South and wherever she moved, she had chickens.  My mom told me that Granny wouldn't eat her laying hens.  Instead, every spring she would go and buy young chicks.  Before they were ready to lay hens, when they were still young, called spring chickens, she would kill them and make fresh fried chicken.

Granny!

 



My mom said Granny would take the chicken by the head, and snap her wrist and twist.  She told me that this would remove their head!  GROSS!  Granny would then let the dead chickens flop around on the ground.  When they finally stopped moving, she would dunk the chicken in boiling water.  Then she would hand the chicken to my mom who had the job of removing the feathers.  She said that even when you thought you were done removing feathers, Granny would hand her some pliers and she would have to remove the pin feathers.

After that Granny would gut the chicken and keep it in cold water, until she was ready to cook it.  Hungry now?

Right from the start, mom had a disclaimer.  She said, "This will not be as good as Granny's.  The fresh chicken made it better." 

To begin, we put the chicken in a large bowl and covered it with buttermilk.  The chicken should stay in the buttermilk for at least 2 hours - overnight is better.

The flour mixture is:

4 cups flour
3 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic

Mix this really well.  Take the chicken and dredge it in the flour mixture.  Mom said that Nana liked to put a little corn meal in the flour for added texture.

Mom had me bring my cast iron skillet because she said that was how it was supposed to be done.  While I was there, she dug out her cast iron skillet and said that it was Granny's.  LOVE IT!

Mom put a little vegetable oil in the skillet.  She heated the oil up and told me that the oil is ready when you put a little flour in it and it sizzles. 

Once the oil is ready put the chicken in and don't touch it until you see brown going up the sides.  That is how you know how to turn it.

 

 

 

Today's lesson was great.  I loved hearing stories about mom and Granny, but most of all, today was about family.  I hope that you are lucky enough to enjoy your family.  God has truly blessed me!  I have the best family in the world!

Dad playing cards with Jonah, Jake and Dominic

 

Mom and Dad enjoying a great fall evening and a great dinner!

 



Jerry and Tonette chowing down!

 





Enjoy!