Bake in a preheated 400º oven until golden on a flat sheet. This will take approximately 30 minutes, but monitor the pretzels carefully after 20. If you are using an electric oven, bake the pretzels on a high rack, or the bottoms will overbrown. If no egg-wash was used, brush the pretzels very lightly with melted butter as they emerge from the oven.
 
Serve fresh and hot with a handy supply of your favorite hot sauce!  Other tasty dippers and toppers range from garlic butter to melted cheese to the traditional pretzel favorite, honey mustard.  Note that this recipe makes some satisfyingly thick pretzels - if you enjoy slightly thinner ones, the dough may be divided 12 ways instead of 8.

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Shiner Bock Beer Bread
 
If you've ever been to Salt Grass Steakhouse, a Texas chain, you'll enjoy their Shiner Bock bread as much as the rest of the food!  They wouldn't give me the recipe, but there's a few copy cat recipes floating around on the internet.  This is mine which comes pretty close to the real thing...
 
1 3/4 cup Shiner Bock Beer (warm and flat)
2 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp Dry Active Yeast (one package)
1/4 cup Warm Water
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
 
Dissolve in a large mixing bowl yeast with warm water, add honey and stir. Mix in wheat flour, salt, and all purpose flour. Stir in oil and slowly add beer. Mix all ingredients together. Place dough on a floured service and knead for at least 10 - 15 minutes (or use stand mixer with dough hook for about 5 minutes). The dough may need a little more flour added to it if while kneading if it's sticking to your hands. The finished dough will feel smooth and spongy and will not stick to your hands or the sides of the bowl.
 
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic until it doubles in size in a warm and draft-free area.  When dough has doubled, punch in the middle, turn dough over onto itself once and let rest for 5 minutes. Divide into four equal parts and shape into round loaves. Place loaves on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Score twice on top of each loaf with a knife. Cover loosely with plastic wrap until the loaves double in size.
 
Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Enjoy with garlic butter!

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Biscuits
 
Go to store.
Buy a can of Grands.
Follow directions.
 
After all, who in their right mind makes their own biscuits nowdays?  OK, OK.  My mom, she'll admit, never had a knack for biscuits.  My home economics teacher in high school taught me how to make light and fluffy biscuits from scratch.  This is a simple recipe, but it works...

2 cups All Purpose Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Shortening
2/3 cup Low Fat Milk
 
Place all ingredients except milk in mixing bowl.  Mix by hand about 2 minutes or with mixer about 1 minute.  Add milk and mix until dough starts to cling to beater.  Avoid overmixing.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead about 20 seconds or until smooth.  Roll to 1/2" thickness and cut with 2-1/2" biscuit cutter.
 
Place on greased cooking sheet and brush with melted butter if desired.  Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.  Makes about 8-10 biscuits.
 
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Texas Sourdough Bread
 
Now we're talkin'.  This is the real stuff.  Some folks are scared to death to try sourdough bread thinking it's extremely difficult.  Pain in the ass to keep starter going, fickle dough, unreliable results, etc.  Most of that is pure fiction.  Sourdough, while somewhat weather dependent, is easy to make.  Even if you lose your starter, it's no big deal to start over.  This recipe is also great for nice dinner rolls:
 
Make the starter:
 
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbls potato flakes (must be flakes)
 
Mix ingredients and place in a large crock or glass jar in a warm draft-free location for at least 4 hours.  Pour off 1 cup of the mixture.  At this point, you can put this in another glass jar and refrigerate both jars or you can make bread:
 
1 cup starter
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tbls salt
1/3 cup sugar
9 cups bread flour
 
Mix together to form stiff dough and knead with mixer or hands until smooth and elastic.  Place in a bowl, oil the top and cover with plastic wrap.  This can sit overnight in a warm place.  Allow dough to double in size.  Punch down, fashion two loaves and place in greased/floured bread pans.  Sometimes I allow dough to rise in pans an hour or two depending upon humidity, my mood or how the dough reacts.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes.
 
Every time you want to make bread take the glass jar from the fridge and feed starter again: 1 cup warm water, 1/3 cup sugar, 3 Tbls potato flakes.
 
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French Bread
 
This is one of the simplest yeast bread recipes.  Using only uses four ingredients, this loaf is rather heavy, and one might find the Italian Bread recipe a bit lighter and more versatile.
 
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1-1/4 cups warm water, 110-115 degrees
2-3/4 to 3 cups bread flour
1 tsp. salt
 
Dissolve yeast in the warm water and let stand five minutes until bubbly. By hand, add 1-1/2 cups of the flour and the salt. Beat well for a few minutes.  Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.
 
Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth, springy and elastic - about 10 minutes.  Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise until double - 1 to 2 hours.
 
Punch down dough.  On floured surface, roll dough to a 12x6" rectangle.  Roll up dough tightly starting with 12" side.  Thoroughly pinch edges and ends to seal.  Roll and stretch dough carefully to shape making ends thinner than the center.  Place, seam side down, on greased cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.  Cover and let rise until doubled, 45-60 minutes.
 
Slash top of loaf with very sharp knife in three places if desired.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped with fingers.  (You can, if desired, spray the loaf with water a few times during baking for a crisper crust.)  Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.  Makes 1 loaf, 10-12 slices.
 
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Italian Bread
 
Similar to French Bread in texture and purpose, this recipe results in a slightly lighter and more complex tasting loaf.  It's far more versatile and could be considered "quasi-sourdough" since a biga (pronounced bee-ga is involved)...
 
Biga:
 
1/2 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
1 Cup Lukewarm water
2 Cups Unbleached, All-purpose Flour
 
Mix the yeast and water together, and then slowly start adding the flour, mixing well. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for up to 6 hours. Refrigerate overnight.
 
Bread:
 
2 Cups Warm Water (about 90 degrees F.)
1 Pkg. Active Dry Yeast
5-6 Cups All-purpose, Unbleached Flour
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vegetable or Olive Oil
 
Place the water in a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast overtop and mix well. Let sit 10 minutes until bubbly. Add the biga (all of it), flour, salt, oil and sugar and stir with a wooden spoon (or mix with a heavy mixer with a dough hook) until everything is mixed. The dough will be fairly wet and sticky at this point. Cover and let stand in a warm spot for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in volume.
 
Punch down the dough, folding it over on itself two or three times, cover and let rise once more until doubled, about 1-2 hours. If you choose, you could refrigerate your dough at this time and leave it overnight to prepare the next day.
 
Turn out your dough onto a floured baking sheet, and without overworking it too much shape into one large or two smaller round or oval shaped loaves, using as much extra flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Slash across the tops of the loaves with a serrated knife or razor just prior to baking.
 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and place a casserole dish with boiling water on the lower oven rack. Bake your bread 30 minutes, turn the baking sheet around, and reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 30-45 minutes. At this point your bread should be golden brown and should sound hollow when you tap the bottom. Allow the bread to cool to room temperature and serve.
 

Pepperoni Rolls
 

 
I got hooked on these back in college at Double Dave's in College Station.  These are very close and don't last long around the house!  The dough, while sweet, meshes extremely well with the pepperoni, cheese and spices.

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/3 cup sugar
1 package dry active yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dry powdered milk
4 cups flour
4 ounces thin-sliced packaged pepperoni
4 ounces grated mozzarella or provalone cheese
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
egg glaze (if desired)

Dissolve sugar, yeast, salt, and powdered milk in the warm water. Stir in the flour using extra flour as needed to make a soft dough that isn't too sticky. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for a couple of minutes. Shape into a ball and let rise in an oiled bowl for two hours or until volume is doubled.

Put the dough onto a floured board and cut into 12-15 pieces.  Take each piece, flatten it lightly on the board with your hand or rolling pin and place 3-4 slices of pepperoni in the middle, overlapping but not stacked. Add cheese.  Roll up like a jelly roll and then primp it with your fingers to seal the ends into an oval with no pepperoni sticking out. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Melt a tablespoonful of margarine and beat in an egg and two teaspoonfuls of sugar for the egg wash/glaze.  Brush rolls lightly with this glaze. Bake rolls at 400 degrees until golden brown. Brush immediately and lightly with melted margarine.

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 ALBERTSON'S FRENCH BREAD

Source: Albertson's Website

The aroma of crusty French bread transports you to the picturesque sidewalks of Paris. Moist and chewy inside, with a sesame-studded crust, this bread pairs perfectly with cheeses, salads and soups.

1 1/4 C. warm water
1 packet active dry yeast
1 T. C&H Pure Cane Granulated Sugar
1 T. shortening, melted
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 C. flour
1 beaten egg
1 T. sesame seeds

Pour warm water (105° to 115°F) into a large bowl; sprinkle yeast over top. Stir in sugar, shortening and salt. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture forms a soft dough. Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes; leave covered with a tea towel in a warm place; allow to rise for at least 60 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Meanwhile generously grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan; punch down to press out air; place in pan. Allow to rise for about 60 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Slash the top diagonally in two or three places, brush with egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Bread will make a hollow sound when tapped.

Cooking Tips: French bread can also be baked on a flat sheet and shaped by hand. A one-pound loaf, rolled into a long shape and slashed diagonally along its length, is called a baguette, French for "rod."

Servings: 16

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KFC-Style Buttermilk Biscuits

1/2 C. butter
2 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 egg, beaten
3/4 C. buttermilk
1/4 C. club soda
1 tsp. salt
5 C. Bisquick biscuit mix

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

In large bowl, mix all ingredients with wooden spoon. On floured surface, knead gently till smooth. Roll dough out till about 3/4 inch thick . Cut out biscuits and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or till lightly browned.

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RED LOBSTER-Type CHEESE GARLIC STICKS

Source: Red Lobster, Orlando, Florida

1/3 C. butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 C. Bisquick baking mix
1/2 C. cold water
1/2 C. Cheddar cheese, shredded fine

Preheat oven to 425ºF

Heat margarine or butter in 13 x 9-inch pan in oven until melted. Stir in garlic powder.

Combine baking mix, water and cheese until soft dough forms. Gently smooth dough into a ball on floured cloth-covered surface. Knead 5 times. Roll dough into 10 x 6-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise is half; cut each half into 12 sticks, about 3/4-inch wide. Roll each stick in margarine or butter in pan.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
 
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POPEYE'S BISCUITS

4 C. Bisquick
4 oz. sour cream
1 C. club soda (at room temperature)
1/2 C. (1 stick) margarine

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Mix Bisquick, sour cream and club soda together. Pour onto floured surface and knead very lightly. Roll out to about 1/2-inch thickness and cut with cutter. Melt butter and pour half into a glass casserole dish. Place biscuits in dish and pour remaining butter over top of biscuits.

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CAFE DU MONDE BEIGNETS

Source: gumbopages.com

Note: It seems that for home preparation the dough works better in the large quantity given here, enough for about 5 dozen beignets. Don't worry, though ... the dough keeps well under refrigeration for about a week. Just cut off some dough when you want to make beignets - roll it out, cut it up, and fry for about 3 minutes per batch. Don't forget the powdered sugar, lots of it. Or, just invite enough people over to eat all 5 dozen.

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/2 C. warm water (100-115ºF)
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 C. evaporated milk
7 C. flour
1/4 C. vegetable shortening
Oil for deep frying
Confectioners' sugar for dusting (or
    burying, depending on taste)

Put the warm water into a large bowl, then sprinkle in the yeast and a couple teaspoons of the sugar and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Let proof for 10 minutes.

Add the rest of the sugar, salt, eggs, and evaporated milk. Gradually stir in 4 cups of the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and thoroughly blended. Beat in the shortening, then add the remaining flour, about 1/3 cup at a time, beating it in with a spoon until it becomes too stiff to stir, then working in the rest with your hands. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight in a greased bowl.

Roll the dough out onto a floured board or marble pastry surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch, then cut it into rectangles 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches with a sharp knife.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 360ºF. Fry the beignets about 3 or 4 at a time until they are puffed out and golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per batch. Turn them over in the oil with tongs once or twice to get them evenly brown, since they rise to the surface of the oil as soon as they begin to puff out. Drain each batch, place on a platter lined with several layers of paper towels, and keep warm in a 200ºF oven until they're all done.

Serve 3 beignets per person, sprinkling heavily with powdered sugar, and serve hot with cafe au lait. Servings: 60

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Top Secret Recipes version of Outback Steakhouse® Honey Wheat Bushman Bread®
Top Secret Recipes

by Todd Wilbur

Along with an entree at this popular steakhouse chain, comes a freshly baked loaf of this dark, sweet bread, served on it's own cutting board with soft whipped butter. One distinctive feature of the bread is its color. How does the bread get so dark? While you may notice the recipe includes instant coffee and cocoa, these ingredients will not give it it's deep dark chocolate brown color - not even close. Usually breads that are this dark -- such as pumpernickel or dark bran muffins -- contain caramel color, an ingredient often used in the industry to darken foods. Since your local supermarket will not likely have this mostly commercial product, we will make the caramel color from a mixture of three food colorings -- red, yellow and blue. Just be sure to get the food coloring in the little droppers so that you can count the drops as you measure. That's very important to getting the color just right. You may also opt to keep the color out. The bread will certainly taste the same, but will look nothing like the real deal. I suggest using a bread machine for the mixing and kneading, if you have one.

Dough
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
2 cups bread flour
1 2/3 cups wheat flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 pkg.) yeast

Coloring
1/4 cup water
75 drops red food coloring
45 drops blue food coloring
30 drops yellow food coloring

cornmeal for dusting

1. If using a bread machine, add all of the ingredients for the dough in the exact order listed into the pan of your machine. Set it on "knead" and when the machine begins to mix the dough, combine the food coloring with 1/4 cup of water and drizzle it into the mixture as it combines. After the dough is created let it rest to rise for an hour or so. Then remove it from the pan and go to step #3.
2. If you are not using a bread machine, combine the flours, cocoa, sugar, coffee and salt in large bowl. Make a depression or "well" in the middle of the dry mixture. Pour the warm water into this "well," then add the butter, honey and yeast. Combine the food coloring drops with 1/4 cup of water and add that to the "well." Slowly mix the ingredients with a spoon, drawing the dry ingredients into the wet. When you can handle the dough, begin to combine it by hand, kneading the dough thoroughly for at least ten minutes, until it is very smooth and has a consistent color. Set the dough into a covered bowl in a warm place for an hour, to allow it to rise.
3. When the dough has risen to about double in size, punch it down and divide it into 8 even portions (divide dough in half, divide those halves in half, and then once more). Form the portions into tubular shaped loaves about 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. Sprinkle the entire surface of the loaves with cornmeal and place them on a cookie sheet, or two. Cover the cookie sheet(s) with plastic wrap and let the dough rise once more for another hour in a warm location.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the dough and bake it for 20-24 minutes in the hot oven. Loaves should begin to darken slightly on top when done. Serve warm with a sharp bread knife and butter on the side. If you want whipped butter, like you get at the restaurant, just use an electric mixer on high speed to whip some butter until it's fluffy. (http://www.topsecretrecipes.com)
Makes 8 small loaves.

Tidbits

It is normal for this dough to be a bit tacky and to seem somewhat thin. Just be sure to add plenty of flour to your hands and work surface when working with the dough to prevent sticking.
If you are able to find caramel color, you can use that with 1/4 cup of water in place of the food coloring formula described in the recipe.

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Samburger Buns
 
Samburger buns made with whole grains need to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing and eating, because whole-grain flours hold moisture longer than white flour.
 
3 cups all-purpose flour plus additional flour for kneading 2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup toasted wheat germ
2 packages active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
 
Place 1 1/2 cups each all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, the toasted wheat germ, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, preferably a heavy-duty one with a paddle attachment, briefly mix together the ingredients.
 
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the shortening. Add the milk and sugar and heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is very warm, but no hotter than 120 or 130 degrees. With the mixer at low speed, slowly pour milk mixture into flour mixture until blended. Increase to medium speed and beat mixture for about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup each white flour and whole wheat flour and beat 2 minutes more. Add 1 cup white flour and beat until dough comes away from sides of bowl.
 
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface about 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. (Use very little additional flour.) Place in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm place until double in volume, about 1 or 1 1/2 hours.
 
Gently punch dough down and divide dough into four equal portions.  Allow to rest just 5 minutes. Form the small portions into balls and with fingertips fold edges under to form even circles. Place on lightly greased baking sheets, about 2-inches apart and with fingertips flatten each bun to a 6-inch circle. (If you prefer the sides of the buns to remain soft, place them closer together. Then as the buns rise the sides will touch.) Cover with a towel and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
 
Adjust rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees at least 20 minutes before baking. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and buns sound hollow when tapped lightly. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing. (Or cool and freeze, well-wrapped, for up to 1 week.) Makes 8.
 
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Jalapeno Cornbread
 
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 small jalapeno peppers, chopped
 
In large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, beat together remaining ingredients. Stir dry and wet ingredients together to make a lumpy batter, do not overmix.  Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking dish or better yet, an 8" seasoned cast iron skillet. Bake in a 425 degrees F. oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
 
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Campfire Cornbread
Recipe from a Campfire Girl Cookbook
 
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
4 tbsp butter, melted
 
Melt bacon drippings in an iron skillet. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat egg with milk and butter. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fry over low campfire until bubbles start forming on the top of batter. Using a metal spatula, carefully flip cornbread over and cook until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into cornbread.
 
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