Pennsylvania German Rusks Rolls Recipes

PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN RUSKS (ROLLS)

Steps:

• 1. Scald milk, add butter, sugar, and salt. Let set until lukewarm. Add eggs and the yeast. Mix in just enough flour to make a relatively soft dough. I used my stand-up mixer with the hook attachment. Knead well and place in a greased bowl, cover with a clean towel, and allow to rise double in size. (Place the bowl in a warm spot where there is no draft). I placed mine by the fire but have been known to stick it in my car when the sun is hitting it!
• 2. Punch down and shape into rolls. How many depends on the size you roll them in. I used a round cake pan that was greased with cooking spray and rolled them into pretty nice size rolls. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled in size. Note: you can also make these rolls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. See the picture posted by JAP Member Wendy Whipple Rusch! I put mine in a round cake pan because of doing them in my dutch oven in my openhearth fireplace.
• 3. Bake at 375° for about 20 minutes or until nice and brown. Enjoy!

GRANDMA'S ZWIEBACK ROLLS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water; set aside. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups flour, salt, shortening, milk and yeast mixture. Beat well. Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic about 6-8 minutes. Dough will be soft. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl; cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down and divide into four pieces. Divide three of the pieces into eight pieces each; shape into smooth balls and place on greased baking sheets. Divide remaining dough into 24 balls. Press 1 small ball atop each larger ball. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Preheat oven to 375°. Bake until golden, 28-32 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.

GERMAN ZWIEBACK: RUSKS

Steps:

• Cream the yeast with 1/2 cup of the milk and 1 teaspoon of the sugar.
• Leave it in a warm place until foaming, about 15 minutes.
• Then add it to 2 cups of the flour.
• Mix thoroughly, gradually adding 2/3 cup of the remaining milk, to make a yeast sponge.
• Let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about one and one half hours.
• Stir into the sponge the egg yolks, remaining sugar, butter and the rest of the flour and milk.
• Blend the mixture into a dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it thoroughly for about 15 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
• Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.
• Shape the dough into three 12-inch cylindrical loaves.
• Sprinkle the tops with a few drops of tepid water.
• Place the loaves on buttered baking sheets, let them rise for about 45 minutes, then bake them in a preheated 400 F.
• oven for 50 minutes, or until light brown.
• The next day, cut the loaves into thin slices with a very sharp knife.
• Place the slices on buttered baking sheets and bake them in a preheated 325 F.
• oven for 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes.
• When finished, they should be dry and evenly browned.
• Elek Magyar.
• Kochbuch Fur Feinschmecker.

ROULADEN (GERMAN BEEF ROLLS)

Steps:

• Put the slices of beef between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a flat mallet without breaking the tissues.
• Lay out pieces of beef in one layer on a flat surface. Spread the top of each with one teaspoon of mustard. Spoon an equal portion of the pork in the center of each piece. Flatten the pork over the center, leaving the margin uncovered. Sprinkle one tablespoon of onion over each portion of pork. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover with one strip of pickle. Wrap the meat around the filling, holding and tucking in the ends in envelope fashion. Tie each bundle neatly in two places with string. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Select a skillet large enough to hold the meat, without crowding, in one layer. Heat the oil and, when it is quite hot but not smoking, add the bundles. Cook, turning the bundles occasionally, about three to five minutes or until nicely browned all over.
• Transfer the bundles to a warm platter and pour off all the fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the remaining one-half cup chopped onion, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring, until the onion is wilted. Sprinkle with paprika and stir. Add the wine and stir to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom and sides of the skillet. Return the meat rolls to the skillet and add the chicken broth.
• Cover and cook five minutes. Transfer the meat rolls to a warm platter. Remove the strings.
• Cook down the pan liquid with vegetables until reduced to about two cups. Blend the cornstarch or arrowroot with water and stir it into the sauce. Cook, stirring, about 10 seconds. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in the sour cream. Strain the sauce, pushing with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid from the solids as possible. Serve the meat rolls with the sauce spooned over.

GRANDMA SALLY'S SWEDISH RUSKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Beat sugar, shortening, and milk together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Mix flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt together in a bowl. Add to the wet ingredients in batches, mixing after each addition until incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Cut cake into three 3-inch strips lengthwise and thirteen 1-inch strips crosswise for a total of 39 pieces. Lay pieces on their sides on 2 cookie sheets. Sprinkle the top sides of the cookies with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar.
• Bake rusks in the 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip rusks, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 more minutes.

SOUTH AFRICAN RUSKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients.
• Combine all the wet ingredients, pour them into the dry ingredients, and stir until you have a soft dough, similar to biscuit dough.
• Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and roll or pat it to about a 1/2 inch thickness.
• Cut the dough into rectangles about 2 by 4 inches.
• Bake the rusks about 2 inches apart on buttered baking sheet for about 25 minutes until the tops are crisping and browning a little.
• Loosely pile the rusks on a baking sheet and keep them in a 200 degree oven all day or all night (about 12 hours) to dry.
• The finished rusks should be very dry and hard.
• Cool and store in an airtight container.
• Rusks will keep for weeks.
• Variations Oatmeal-Raisin Rusks: Reduce the white flour to 1 1/2 cups and add 2 cups rolled oats and 1/2 cup currants or chopped raisins.
• Almond Rusks: Add 1 cup chopped almonds and omit the cinnamon.
• Peanut Rusks: Add 1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts.

GERMAN BROTCHEN ROLLS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let sit until creamy; about 10 minutes.
• Mix in shortening, salt and 3 cups of the flour. Beat with dough whisk or heavy spoon for 2 minutes. Fold in egg whites. Gradually add flour 1/4 cup at a time, until dough forms a mass and begins to pull away from bowl. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead, adding more flour as necessary, for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic with bubbles.
• Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Deflate the dough, form into a round and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and form into oval rolls about 3 1/2 inches long. Place on lightly greased baking sheets, cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
• Place an empty baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg white with the 2 tablespoons of milk to make the egg wash. Lightly brush the risen rolls with the egg wash. Place 1 cup of ice cubes on the hot baking sheet in the oven and immediately place the rolls in the oven.
• Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and cool.