Bonnies French Bread Recipes

HOMEMADE FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Combine sugar and 1 cup warm water in a bowl. Stir in yeast and let stand 5 minutes.
• Stir in salt and 2 cups of flour. Continue adding flour a bit at a time to form a stiff dough. Knead until about 5 minutes (or use a dough hook on a stand mixer per notes below).
• Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise 1 hour or until doubled. Punch dough down and let rise 30 minutes more.
• Roll dough into a 14"x10" square and roll up jelly roll style to create a 14"x2.5" loaf. Place on a parchment lined pan seam side down. Using a sharp knife, cut 3-4 diagonal slits into the loaf (about ¼" deep).
• Cover with a damp towel and let rise 30-40 minutes or until doubled. Brush bread with egg white. Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Place in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until browned. Cool on a baking rack.

GRANDMA BONNIE'S CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Combine water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add remaining sugar, 1/4 cup oil, egg, and salt; mix until combined. Scrape paddle attachment and switch to the dough hook. Mix in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading for about 3 more minutes.
• Add a bit of oil on the dough and roll the dough in the bowl until all sides are coated. Cover with a towel and let rise until at least doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Punch down the dough and transfer to a floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle. Pour melted butter onto the dough and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste. Add pecans. Roll up lengthwise and cut into 12 rolls. Transfer to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish and let rise for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake rolls in the preheated oven until golden brown in color, about 15 minutes.
• While the rolls are baking, combine powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla for topping. Add 1 tablespoon milk and mix to a pourable consistency, adding more if necessary.
• Remove rolls from the oven. Immediately pour topping over top and sprinkle with pecans.

BONNIE'S FRENCH ROLLS

Steps:

• I use my Kitchen Aid bread hook to do the mixing work. You can knead by hand if you must.
• Rinse out the large stainless mixing bowl with hot water and get it warm ( I use the one that fits the Kitchen Aid) add the 1 1/2 cups water, the yeast and the sugar, mix with a spoon and let stand for 10 minutes to work.
• Then add 2 tablespoons of oil, and 2 cups of the flour with the 1 teaspoon of salt added to it and stir and then add that to the yeast mixture and stir again. Put the mixing bowl on the stand and add 1/2 cup of the remaining flour, a little at a time. The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Knead 8 minutes by mixer (or on floured board by hand) until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Lightly oil a large deep bowl, put the ball of dough in it and turn the oiled surface to the top. Place the dough in the oven, cover with a towel, and turn the oven light on to keep it warm. Let it rise about one hour until it has doubled in size.
• If it has doubled in size, punch it down, turn out on a lightly floured board and shape into a large ball, divide that in half and divide it again. and so on until you have 16 pieces. Now if you want half sandwich rolls and half dinner rolls then make your sandwich rolls larger. You can also make a long loaf of French bread from this recipe or a braid if you wish.
• Place the shaped rolls on a greased cookie sheet. I like a ball shape the best for dinner rolls, and you can make oval shape for sandwiches if desired. Let rise for about 40 minutes until double in size.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake at 18 to 20 minutes if you make the standard 16 rolls. It may take a few minutes longer for the sandwich rolls depending on your oven. I have to tent the rolls the last five minutes or they get too brown. Cool on rack. Butter the tops to keep them nice and soft, or don't, and the bread will be crispy like French bread. When cool place in zip lock bags. Enjoy!
• Cook's tip: To freshen the rolls the next day, put them in a paper bag in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for five minutes. They will be as good as fresh baked! These rolls freeze well. Defrost in the plastic bag and then freshen as stated above.

BONNIE'S BEST BANANA BREAD - BONNIE STERN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• In a small bowl combine bananas with buttermilk and baking soda.
• In a medium sized bowl beat butter with brown sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.
• In yet another bowl combine flour with baking powder and salt.
• Add flour to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk/bananas beginning and ending with flour.
• Transfer to a 6 cup/1.5L loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

BONNIE'S BEST MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium skillet.
• Cook onions& garlic until tender; reserve.
• Combine eggs with milk& bread crumbs.
• Add onion mixture& remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Press into a 9" x 5" loaf pan& cover with foil.
• Bake in a preheated 375F oven for an hour.
• Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
• Drain off any fat from meatloaf& brush glaze on top.
• Bake for an additional 30 minutes, uncovered.

BONNIE'S FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• COOK'S TIP: If your mixing bowl is cold, rinse it out with hot water and dry it before using so it won't cool off your ingredients.
• COMBINE INGREDIENTS: In the mixing bowl, add the water, make sure it is at least 120 degrees. (use a thermometer) Add the sugar, the yeast and whisk until well blended. Let set about 5 minutes. Then add the melted butter, 3 cups of the flour, and the salt and mix. (I use a Kitchen Aid Mixer, but it can be done by hand.) Add just enough flour from the remaining 3 cups until the dough cleans the bowl. Knead with dough hook for 8 minutes.
• LET THE BREAD RISE: Let the dough rest on the counter covered for 15 minutes. Then shape into two long loaves. Place on a greased cookie sheet and place in a warm place to rise for about 30 to 40 minutes. I place mine in the oven with the light on.
• BAKE THE BREAD: Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes until light golden brown. Time will depend on your oven and altitude. When the loaves are done, remove from oven to a wire rack to cool. Butter the tops with butter to keep them soft. Enjoy!