BUTTERY SOFT PRETZELS

Julie Baldwin, Devin Baldwin, Recipe #16 (from www.allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water.

Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.

When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

POPPY SEED BREAD

Kathy Baldwin, Vic Baldwin, Recipe #21 (recipe from Deann Foster)

Mix together:
6 eggs
2 ¼ cups oil
4 ¼ cups sugar

Alternate these dry ingredients with
3 cups milk
6 cups flour
2 ½ tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Baking powder
Add 4 tsp. Almond flavoring
3 tsp. Vanilla
6 TBSp. Poppy seed

Makes 8 loaf pans (not smallest I have – medium sized ones)
Bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes’

Glaze:
Heat: ½ cups orange juice (concentrate before mixing with water)
1 ½ cups sugar

Add:
1 tsp. Almond extract
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
Pour over bread when hot

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Cindy Baldwin, Mahon Baldwin, Recipe #6

1 3/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
2 eggs
1 c pumpkin pie filling
1/2 c butter (softened)
1 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t ginger

1 c chocolate chips (optional - I typically leave them out to make a healthier snack)

Mix everything together.
Heat oven to 350 and bake for 15-20 minutes.

WORLD’S BEST BRAN MUFFIN

Kathy Baldwin, Vic Baldwin, Recipe #13

2 ¼ cups All-Bran cereal
½ cup raisins, dried currants or dried cherries
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
6 TBS. unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 ¾ cups low-fat plain yogurt
½ cup unsulfured molasses
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Raw sugar crystals (optional)

1. Heat oven to 400˚F. IN a food processor, finely grind half the cereal. Add raisins and blend until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a bowl with remaining cereal, flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. Combine butter, eggs, yogurt, molasses and vanilla. Stir together wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
3. Line muffin tin with baking cups; fill each just more than halfway. Sprinkle generously with sugar crystals, if desired. Bake until muffins spring back when touched, about 18 min. Remove from tin and allow to cool slightly.
4. You can store remaining batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe compliments of Ladies Home Journal, March 09. Bran muffins are good for your heart, but too often they taste like cardboard. So we gave ourselves a tough challenge – to create a moist, delicious, satisfying bran muffin that still packs a healthy 3 grams of fiber. Our staffers went crazy for this recipe, and we think you will, too.

Makes 18 standard muffins
Per muffin: 170 calories, 5 g total fat, 3 g sat fat, 252 mg sodium, 29 g carbs, 35 mg chol, 5 g protein, 3 g fiber