Yummy Breadsticks (Revisited)

This was originally posted in August of 2009 when I started making bread sticks for my kid's swim team dinners. For the last 5 years they have become a staple at these team dinners during swim season and any other school pot luck function. They get eaten so fast that if you are late to the dinner, you don't get any. It took the coach 4 years before he ever had the opportunity to taste them, and that is because I sent a small container specifically for him.


These bread sticks are a favorite at my house, (at at Swim Team dinners, and band potlucks) and they are fairly simple. I have to do a double (or quadruple) batch every time just so no one feels like they didn't get enough. I guess the best thing is when I make these, I have to make less of everything else :-).

The recipe was given to me by a friend, and they are a welcome addition to any Italian meal.

2 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp yeast

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

6 Tbsp butter or margarine

garlic powder, dried parsley, Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix warm water, sugar and yeast in  mixing bowl (I use my Bosch mixer but can be done by hand or in a Kitchen Aid).  Add the flour, and knead for 5-8 minutes or so with the dough hook. The dough is soft, but it shouldn't be sticky, add more flour in small amounts if needed. Knead well between additions. Let rise until double (when I am in a hurry I also just let it rise for 5 to 10 minutes).  

Place butter in 9x13 baking dish and melt in preheated oven, watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Roll into a rectangle on to lightly floured surface. Cut into strips ( I use my pizza cutter and I cut the strips in half to make them shorter, to have "more" bread sticks for everyone to eat.) Twist each strip of dough by folding in half and wrapping around itself. Dip in butter and arrange in the hot baking dish. After all are in the dish, sprinkle on desired toppings. I use garlic powder, and dried parsley all the time, occasionally I add Parmesan cheese, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. 

 Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. 

Starting Again

Ian is now gone to school, and this year he is in an apartment and has to cook for himself. So he is asking for recipes. I had started a cookbook for him at one point, but inadvertently erased the file during some computer repairing. (Lesson learned, and hopefully not to be repeated.)

I am going to start typing up the recipes again, but figured I would begin to post some here. There won't be pictures at this point because I am just entering them and not cooking them. I may add photos later, but maybe not.

I love to make pancakes from scratch. I don't really care for biscuit mix pancakes. And it is so easy to make them from scratch.

Pancakes

2 cups flour (can use all white, or whole wheat, or combination of the two)

1/2 cup sugar (can reduce it to 1/4th cup if desired)

1 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ( I get aluminum free baking powder, otherwise there is a slight bitter taste in my opinion)

1 1/2 to 2 cups milk

1/4 cup canola oil (or melted butter)

2 eggs

Preheat griddle.
 In a large bowl, Mix the dry ingredients together (can add powdered milk to make 2 cups if you want).  Add milk, and oil and eggs, then stir.  Cook on warm griddle just until bubbles appearing in the center of the pancake don't close, or close slowly. Flip with spatula, and cook until steam stops coming off the pancake.

Syurp

1 cup water 

2 cups sugar 

1 teaspoon maple flavoing

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring water to boil. Add stir in sugar until dissolved. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add Maple flavoring.