Super soft rolls, sort of sweet, sort of buttery, absolutely and totally and completely delicious. This makes 9, you can double it.

You can double this recipe and put them in a 9x13 but I really prefer them in this 9 pack in a 8x8 or 9x9 pan.  They're so easy, really, just make more fresh when you need them.

I am the bread queen, apparently, and I love so many sorts of bread and recently, I've been into the hard, crusty, rustic, bread.  Sometimes though, like today, I want soft and tender and slightly chewy but fluffy... how hard can THAT be? Well, c'mon it's me, it's not THAT hard. I have a recipe for you that is a morph of a bunch of recipes that I've tried and this particular combination...nails it!

I do it in the kitchen aid mixer, you can do it by hand of course it just takes some rather substantial kneading to combine the butter into the dough  I have done it by hand so it does work.  I prefer the machine :D

TRACY'S SUPER SOFT SWEET ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

*TRY to weigh your flour, if you can't then do the loosening, scooping then shaking to even off the top method*

250 g all purpose flour (about 2 cups) plus a Tablespoon or two if needed
1/4 c milk powder
2 1/2 TB sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp yeast

1/2 cup water (or a little more if needed)
1 large egg
3 TB soft (room temperature) butter

METHOD AND THE PLAY BY PLAY PICS

Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of the mixer.  Add the water and egg and combine until it's a ball,  

    

When it comes together, drop the butter on and let it go... don't fret, it'll almost break but it will come together in a smooth ball...   

    

Ah, lookie lookie, this is about 6-8 minutes, yeah, it takes time. IF after 6-8 minutes, it's not pulling away from the sides at all, add a tablespoon of flour to give it a helping hand.  It's done when it's pulled away and is smooth.  Form in a ball, with oiled hands, and drop in a bucket, with a lid, to rise to double... about an hour 

    

Here's the before and after rise... 

    

Pat the dough out and roll to a log.  Divide into three, divide each in three.  We want 9

    

Roll each piece out and roll it up, jelly roll style and place in a sprayed and parchment lined 8x8 or 9x9 pan.

    

OH look at my little lovelies.  Leave them to rest an hour and a half.  Egg wash the little plump darlings and pop them into a preheated 350 oven for 20-23 minutes

    

OH look at these beauties.  22 minutes at 350.  Remove from pan immediately and transfer to a rack to cool.  TRY to wait to eat them...

     

These are soft, pully, tender, buttery, moist, fluffy, and just crazy delicious

    

Go make these

they're amazing

/tracy

Pressure Cooker version of Mississippi Roast, yeah, 90 mins instead of 9 hours, there's nothing wrong with that at all

MISSISSIPPI ROAST

Pressure Cooker Version

For the three people, apparently, who haven't seen this recipe online

INGREDIENTS

2-4 (this is 3lb) chuck roast

one packet of dry ranch dressing mix

one packet of dry brown gravy mix

one stick of butter (my favorite part of the recipe)

however many pepperoncini peppers you want and some of the juice

1/2 cup water

THE METHOD

I threw the meat in a little hot oil in the pressure cooker and browned one side.  I flipped it and sprinkled the gravy mix, dressing mix over the meat, added the stick of butter and threw in a handful of peppers. 

I did add a little water in the bottom, as well as a little juice from the jar of peppers. 

LOCK AND LOAD, 75 minutes, leave to release naturally, about 15 minutes. 

Open and behold! Tender ridiculousness in a pressure cooker.  

I took the meat out, sort of shredded it, thickened the sauce with a little cornstarch slurry (2TB corn starch mixed in with a 1/2 cup water) drizzled into the boiling liquid then boil a minute or so. 

I have the meat out to reheat later and the gravy in a container to nuke.  I'm going to pressure cook some mashed potatoes and cook the carrots at the same time (in with the potatoes then take them out and put them aside when you mash the spuds, really, so simple)  

Calling it DINNER, DONE 

FAB! 

Do this in the pressure cooker, you're going to go mad for it

I have a youtube video: 

rather than the play by play pics... enjoy! 

 OH and go make this!!

Russian pancakes, it's what you want for breakfast, they are thick, hearty, delicious, did i mention delicious?

I love a good pancake, c'mon, you do too!  I love the gigantic circles of fluffiness I get at local diners, Cracker Barrel, Denny's and Jim's, oh yeah, so good.  I will admit, my home pancakes are good but not the same.  I decided a while back not to fight it but to embrace it.  I searched for pancakes from around the world.  I already made English pancakes (crepes) very well, Welsh cakes (well they're not REALLY pancakes) and Dutch gigantic filled pancakes.  I discovered that I had not made thick, yeasty Eastern European versions of the pancake.  I futzed and played with various recipes and versions and came up with this particular version that I make for me and for Connor.  Serve them hot from the pan with powdered sugar sprinkled over them then serve with sour cream (seriously, trust me!) and jam. You're going to want to make these.  They take an hour to proof BUT you can whip up the batter then make your coffee, deal with dogs and chickens, write a blog post and before you know it, the hour is up and you can can start frying, and best of all, EATING these little culinary gifts from the heavens!

TRACY'S VERSION OF RUSSIAN PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup warmed milk (I nuke it for 40 seconds)
1 TB sugar
1 tsp yeast (leave to proof a few minutes if you're unsure of the yeast)
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour (have another 1/4 in case you need it)
1/4 tsp salt


METHOD:

In a bowl or 4+ cup glass measuring jug, combine the milk and sugar, add yeast and mix well.  IF you're unsure of the yeast, leave it to proof a few minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients all at one time.  Mix well with a fork until most of the lumps are gone.  IF it's too thin (mine was in this case) add another 1/4 cup of flour.  You want the batter slightly thicker than regular (American) pancake batter, it should leave ribbons when you lift the fork.

Cover and leave to proof about an hour.

Heat a pan over medium heat and add a little oil, just to barely cover the bottom.  Without stirring, scoop the gloppy thick batter by spoonful into the pan, leave room!!  Leave them alone till the sides look as though they're drying/cooking and you can see a brown edge.  Flip once, gently, and leave to cook the rest of the way through. IF they're browning quickly, turn down the heat, they take a few minutes to cook through.

Dust with confectioners sugar (icing sugar) and serve plain, with honey, with jam, with sour cream and jam (trust me, this is the way to go) or with maple syrup that your mom brings you from Canada in vodka bottles... or maybe that's just me.

EAT EAT EAT

Let me know how much you love them!

HERE are the play by play and action shots; ok, not that much action but the delicious pictures!

THE PHOTO EVIDENCE

Mix the milk, sugar, yeast and leave it for a bit

    

Add the egg and one cup of flour, as well as the salt, mix it up with a fork

     

Mix and lift, hmm, this is too thin so add another another 1/4 cup of the flour, see how much thicker? Yeah, that's what we want.

    

Mix to remove most lumps, cover with plastic and leave it to poof, that's a technical cookery term, obviously.  OH look at the bubblyness!  THAT is what we're looking for

    

Heat a flat pan with some oil, don't deflate the batter, just scoop large spoonfuls into the hot fat, do not mess with it.  Leave till it browns around the edge and you see the massive bubbles on top.  These are THICK and are supposed to be!  Flip once and cook the rest of the way.

    

Serve these babies up with some powdered sugar and on the side put a blob of sour cream, yes, do it, and some strawberry jam or preserves.  You're going to love these

   

Go on, make these, they're so good, so so good, so so so good. 

/enjoy

Cabbage Roll Casserole, in the Pressure Cooker, quick, easy, delicious, and no rolling!

I love cabbage rolls, I love cabbage, rice, meat and tomato.  I make a cabbage roll casserole to feed an army and I cook it in the oven.  I ALSO make a cabbage roll casserole to feed my family, in the pressure cooker.  It's a big bowl of yummy warmyness (yes, that is a word).  Add a blob of sour cream, and a hunk of bread or even better, a crusty roll, and you have yourself  one heck of a fabulous winter meal.  Warm and healthy and did I mention the yummy warmyness? :D

TRACY'S CABBAGE ROLL CASSEROLE IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground beef
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into bite size pieces
1 carrot, chopped small
1 rib celery, chopped small
1 onion, chopped small
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 TB of butter, optional but really, use it
1/2 cup rice
1/2 can 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 + water
salt, pepper, bay leaf

METHOD

Brown the ground beef and onions in the pressure cooker, add the carrot, celery,  garlic and till the veggies start to soften.  Add the salt, pepper and rice and stir in well.  Add the blob of butter, adding butter to a dish that has tomatoes really does cut some of the acidity and add a little extra richness.  Try it.
Add the cabbage, tomatoes and bay leaf.  Stir.  Add water so the liquid is about 2 inches deep in the bottom of the pressure cooker.

LOCK and cook on high pressure for 15 mins, leave 5 mins before you open the vent.

Stir, serve, eat, repeat.

This stuff freezes beautifully, it microwaves beautifully.  You can easily futz with it, add more rice, more veggies, no rice, the possibilities are endless, THIS recipe is your jumping off spot.
Oh and it's delicious, did I mention the yummy warmyness? HAHAHA  Make it!  Enjoy it!

THE PICTURES


Brown the meat and veggies, add the blob of butter, shush it all around

    

Add the rice, cabbage and tomatoes

   

 Stir it around, add some water, see, about 2 inches in there.  Stir some more then lock and load, high pressure for 15 minutes, leave about 5 when it's done.

    

Ahhhhhhh, the big reveal, so yummy.

  

This is my kind of one bowl, warm and delicious meal.  Confession time, this is best eaten curled up on the couch with a book, a glass of wine OR on the couch with a good movie and some family nearby.  

Go make this, 

/enjoy

MERRY CHRISTMAS, my friends

I have a bunch of recipes in the works so fear not my friends, there'll be a new pile of them soon!!

I wanted to thank everyone for their support over the last year (and before) and am excited about the plans I have for the blog in the future...

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

HAPPY WHAT IT IS THAT YOU CELEBRATE! 

MERRY HAPPY EVERYTHING! 

/Tracy
x

OH and christmas dinner is a 8 lb standing rib roast (500 for 6 min/lb then leave in CLOSED oven at least 3 hours), mashed potatoes (casserole the day before), steamed peas, gravy and maybe rolls... i can't cook on christmas, I hope to have LOOT to play with!