The Most Impressive 15 Minute Breakfast Ever!

In an effort to get myself out of bed at a decent hour and to start the day off right gastronomically, I've decided to start making breakfast for me and my husband. I'm not talking cereal here. I'm talking the whole shebang: Eggs, meat, and bread. This morning, I channeled the 1950s housewife in me and preheated the oven. On the menu: Paula Deen's Easy Rolls*, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Total preparation time, not including preheating the oven? 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
for the rolls (makes 6)...
1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk, my husband's favorite)
2 tbsp mayonnaise (Yup. You read that right!)
1 tsp sugar

for the bacon (makes 1 serving)...
5 slices of smoked bacon

for the eggs (makes 1 serving)...
2 eggs
1 tbsp whole milk (again, per my husband)
salt
pepper
cheese can be nice as well, although I forgot to add it this morning! Try parmesan, cheddar, swiss, or something milder

METHOD:
Timing here is everything. The first thing I did this morning is turn on the oven to 350 degrees. I then checked my email, read NPR.org, etc. etc. until the oven was hot (and my husband was in the shower; no reason to make breakfast just so it sits around!). The rolls truly live up to their name: Mix flour and milk together, add mayo and sugar, and spoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Pop in the oven for 12-15 minutes and you're done!

While the rolls (biscuits, really) are baking, cheat on the bacon. I find skillet-fried bacon too messy and time consuming. Instead, line a dinner plate with a paper towel, lay bacon on top of the paper towel (I can fit about five strips on my plates), and place another paper towel on top. Cook in the microwave 2-2:30 minutes for 3 slices and 3:30 minutes for 5 slices. I like to let the bacon sit in the microwave after it's done for a few minutes because the plate gets really hot, as do the paper towels, which are now soaked with grease (at least you can chuck them instead of siphoning it into a grease jar!).

As the bacon is cooking, melt butter in a small frying pan on medium heat. Beat the two eggs and tablespoon of milk together in a small bowl. When the butter is completely melted and foam-free (thanks for this tip, Julia Child!), add the egg mixture. Add salt and pepper (and cheese!) to taste, and let sit about two minutes, or until eggs start to set. After that, keep a close eye on them; it's easy to burn pan-fried eggs. After two minutes, start to scramble the eggs in the pan, stirring occasionally until they reach your desired consistency. Move to a plate immediately to prevent burning.

By now, the biscuits should be done or near done; all you need to do is make up the plates! My husband was amazed this morning when he had a full, protein-rich breakfast waiting for him when he was out of the shower. I was pretty impressed, too.

Enjoy!
Miss Browning

*Deen, Paula H. The Lady & Sons: Savannah Country Cookbook. New York: Random House, 1997. pg. 96.

Whole Wheat French Baguette

Since I mentioned that I used leftover whole wheat baguette for my Cheesy Ham Crostini, I thought that I'd share the recipe for the baguette*. Whole wheat bread is much denser than bread made with white flour, so if you're looking for a light, crusty bread, this may not be the one for you. However, if you're looking for hearty bread to serve with soup, salad, or even a roast (like me!), this bread is for you! It's moist, delicious, and lasts (wrapped in tin foil) for almost a week! This recipe makes two long loaves. I froze the second one.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 pkgs. dry yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. salt
2 cups boiling water
2 cups whole wheat flour
4-5 cups flour

and for the glaze:
1 egg
2 tbsp milk (I used whole milk. Yum!)

METHOD: Boil the 2 cups of water. Once it's rolling, mix in the oil, 2 tbsp sugar, and salt. Let cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, combine the warm water with the 1/2 tsp sugar, then add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Add the lukewarm water mixture to the yeast mixture, then stir in the flours.

Knead 10 minutes on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place 1 hour. Punch down, and then cover and rest for 15 minutes. Punch down again and turn the dough onto the floured surface. Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a rectangle. Roll up the rectangle the long way and gently roll back and forth (like you did making worms with playdough). Fold the ends under to seal and place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with second half. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together the egg and milk to create the glaze. Use a brush to coat the loaves on all sides but the bottom. I had a lot left over. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

That's it! Bread always takes a while, but if you find yourself at home for the day, it's easy to prepare it while you're doing other tasks. These particular loaves are especially worth your time!

Enjoy!
Miss Browning

* Myers, Sarah E. and Mary Beth Lind. Recipes from the Old Mill: Baking with Whole Grains. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1995.

Sarah's Rolls

There's nothing more comforting to eat than a warm, buttery, just-out-of-the-oven, homemade rolls. The smell permeates the house as they bake and leads my husband straight to the table. Fortunately, breads are often as satisfying to create as they are to eat. Lots of love goes into baking the perfect batch of rolls or loaf of bread.

These rolls are from an Amish cookbook* found in a little bookshop in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They are not for those who are watching their waist-lines, although diet spread could be used instead of the butter. Don't skip the honey or brown sugar; these ingredients put these rolls a step above others.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pkgs dry yeast

1 3/4 cups warm water

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp oil

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2-2 1/2 cups flour

6 tbsp soft butter

METHOD:

After dissolving the yeast in the water for a few minutes, add brown sugar, oil, honey, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of the whole wheat flour, and mix well. Stir in the remaining flours and stir until a stiff dough forms. Knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes (This is the part that my home-ec teacher said is therapeutic. Whatever has upset you during the day is easily released during the kneading process.). Cover and let rise 1.5 hours.

Divide the dough into thirds and shape into balls. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Roll each ball into a circle and spread with about a third of the butter. Cut each circle into eighths (like a pizza), then roll the edge of each slice in towards the center, creating a crescent roll. Place on a greased baking sheet.

Cover and let rise 20-30 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake 12-15 minutes. Serve immediately. Yum!

Enjoy!

Miss Browning

*Myers, Sarah E. and Mary Beth Lind. Recipes from the Old Mill: Baking with Whole Grains. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1995.