The Iowa Housewife: Batter Breads

Showing posts with label Batter Breads. Show all posts

Baking with Yeast...Herb Batter Bread

Baked and cooling

Batter Breads are easy to make, and do not require kneading. However, you do need to beat them till they are forming some gluten strands. One of the tricks to baking batter breads is not to let it rise to much before putting it in the oven. If it looks too high, take it out of the pan, punch down and let rise in pan again. If it is more than double it will most of the time rise in the oven and than fall. The first 10 minutes of oven heat will let it rise to the right height.

This recipe for Fresh Herb Batter Bread from the Betty Crocker Old-Fashioned Cookbook is one of the better batter breads I have made. Often it never gets the chance to cool, as it is eaten warm with butter. Nothing makes your house smell better than fresh bread baking, and this is a easy way for the inexperienced baker to have a good loaf of bread that everyone will ooh and ah over.

Ready for oven, right amount of rise

If you do not have fresh herbs, (you can omit the parsley) the dried do just fine. Do however, crush the dried rosemary or buy it all ready cracked. I just go over to Sue’s who always has fresh herbs growing. Try toasting this bread and using it for Chicken Salad Sandwiches.

Fresh Herb Batter Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package active dry yeast

1 ¼ cups warm water (120° to 130°F)

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons shortening

1 ½ teaspoons snipped fresh or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

1 ½ teaspoons snipped fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme

Butter for crust when it is baked.

Mix 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water, parsley. Shortening, rosemary, and thyme. Beat on low speed 1 minute scraping bowl often. Beat on medium speed till the batter starts to pull strands, Add the rest of the flour and stir in; beating till smooth.

Scrape down sides of bowl, and leaving it in the same bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 35 to 40 minutes or until double.

Grease, 9x5x3 loaf pan. Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes. Smooth and pat batter in loaf pan with floured hands. Cover lightly and let rise for about 30 minutes or until double. (do not allow to over rise.) Heat oven to 375° while bread is rising. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. 185° to 200° with an instant read thermometer. Brush top of loaf with soft butter and than remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Bread Flour...Fleishman Yeast Batter Bread

While I do not bake bread often, when I do recipes like this batter bread from the older edition of Fleishmann's Treasury of Yeast Baking 1962 are the ones I use. The ease of preparation and the quick time make it a winner in my book.

One of the things about this recipe is that the fairly large amount of salt is correct and yes it all fits in one loaf pan. I have never had large holes in the bread making batter type breads, but that is supposed to be one of the drawbacks of this type of bread. I believe the secret is to beat the dough well so that it develops gluten strands. It should pull away from the side of the bowl. Check our batter bread tips.

This is a fast way to have fresh bread and if you time it right, you can have it warm with your meal. Yum, warm bread with the butter melting into it.

White Batter Bread

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt (yes, that is the right amount)

2 tablespoons butter of margarine

1 cup warm water (105° to 115)

2 packages active dry yeast

4 ¼ cups flour

Scald milk; stir in sugar, salt and butter. Cool until lukewarm.

Measure warm water into mixer bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and stir until dissolved. Add in the lukewarm milk mixture. Stir in flour; batter will be fairly stiff. Beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl somewhat.

Cover the bowl, (no need for a clean bowl) and let rise in a warm place out of drafts until a little more than doubled, about 40 minutes.

Stir batter down. Beat vigorously about ½ minute. Turn into one greased 91/2 x 5 ¼ x 3 inch loaf pan.

Bake in a moderate oven (376°F. For about 50 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if browning too fast. Cool on wire rack.

Slice when cool and the slices can be frozen if you want

Fresh Herb Batter Bread

Baked and cooling

Ready for oven, right amount of rise

Fresh Herb Batter Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package active dry yeast

1 ¼ cups warm water (120° to 130°F)

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons shortening

1 ½ teaspoons snipped fresh or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

1 ½ teaspoons snipped fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme

Butter for crust when it is baked.

Scrape down sides of bowl, and leaving it in the same bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 35 to 40 minutes or until double.

Dilly Casserole Bread

Neater slices if you wait until it is cool.

The recipe in the Pillsbury The Best of The Classic Cookbooks for Dilly Bread tempted me to try a loaf. I am not a bread baker on a regular basis, but this is a batter type bread and done in a casserole. The recipe was a winner in 1960 for Leona Schnuelle of Nebraska.

I had to borrow a casserole from Sue that was the right size and she had the Pink Pyrex bowl that the original recipe is pictured in. Thanks Sis.

I do have a little more trouble judging when the bread is risen enough with this type of pan. As always, gently poking a hole in the dough with your finger, is one of the tests for this. The hole should remain for a short time. The dough is light yellow from the egg and moist from the cottage cheese in the dough. Dill and onion give it a savory taste and it is good with soup, stew or toasted.

I sliced this warm, as no one wanted to wait till it cooled off. Sure smells good when you have bread baking in your kitchen. Easy to make, as most batter breads are and one I will make again.

Dilly Casserole Bread

2 to2 ⅔ cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 to 3 teaspoons instant minced onion (maybe omitted)

2 teaspoons dill seed

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 pkg. Active dry yeast

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup creamed cottage cheese

1 egg

Butter and salt for top after baking

In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, onion, dill seed, 1 teaspoon salt, baking soda, and yeast. Mix well.

In small saucepan, heat water, 1 tablespoon butter and cottage cheese until warm, 120° to 130°. Add the warm liquid and egg to flour mixture; blending at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.

By hand or with mixer on low, beat in the remaining 1 to 1 ⅔ cups flour to form a stiff batter. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.

Grease well a 1 ½ to 2 quart casserole. Stir down batter to remove all air bubbles. Turn into the greased casserole and cover. Let rise until doubled 30 to 40 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes until deep golden brown and it sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Turn out from bowl immediately. Cool on wire rack.

Brush top of warm bread with butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.

English Muffin Bread

I've looked at recipes for English muffin bread for years and never tried them…I don’t know why, because one of the only bread products I ever buy ready-made is English muffins. I don’t believe I will need to buy them anymore. This bread is great toasted, as most English muffins are.

It’s so simple to make, it’s hard to believe, and it’s a great bread to try for those new to yeast breads. It doesn’t even have to rise in the bowl, just mix it, dump it in the pans, let it rise once, and bake it. The ingredients are inexpensive and most kitchens will have them on hand.

I didn’t let my bread double – I let it rise to the top of the pan. With instant yeast, that only took 20 minutes, active dry yeast may take 45 minutes. Start preheating your oven when you start mixing this bread so it’ll be hot when the loaves are ready to go in. Check out Myrna's batter bread tips HERE.

English Muffin Bread

5 Cups Flour, All-purpose -- divided (1# 6 1/2 ounces)

4 Teaspoons Instant Yeast (or active dry yeast) 2 packages

1 Tablespoon Sugar

2 Teaspoons Salt

¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda

2 Cups Whole Milk -- 120°-130°

½ Cup Water -- 120°-130°

Cornmeal

Preheat oven to 375°°.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add warm milk and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour (batter will be stiff). Do not knead.

Grease two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2" loaf pans. Sprinkle pans with cornmeal. Spoon batter (1# 6 1/2 ounces each) into the pans and sprinkle cornmeal on top. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled (20 - 45 minutes depending on what kind of yeast).

Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

2013 Cost: $1.56 per recipe or 78¢ per loaf or 5¢ per slice.

"Taste of Home Complete Guide to Country Cooking"

"2 Loaves"

Per Serving: 82 Calories; 1g Fat (7.8% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 151mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Sweet Batter Rolls

I have come to really appreciate batter breads, rolls especially. They are very quick and simple to make for yeast rolls. No kneading or shaping – you don’t have to be an expert. This recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step by Step Cook Book didn’t disappoint us. I didn’t even bother to glaze mine, we ate them with a salad main dish; the rest I carried over to Myrna’s, where her daughter Amy, who was visiting, promptly had to try one while they were still warm. She agreed – delicious.

These took me about an hour from start to finish with instant yeast.

Sweet Batter Rolls

3 Cups Flour, All-purpose -- 13 1/2 ounces

2 Packages Instant Yeast -- 4 teaspoons

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 1/4 Cups Water -- Heat to 120°

1/3 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Shortening

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Large Egg

2 Tablespoons Orange Peel -- finely shredded

1 Cup Raisins (I used golden raisins)

Glaze Frosting

1 Cup Powdered Sugar -- sifted

1 Tablespoon Whole Milk -- -2 tablespoons

Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, and cinnamon. Heat the water, sugar, shortening and salt until warm (120-125°). (I actually added the sugar, shortening and salt to the flour mixture and heated just the water).

Add liquid to flour mixture; add egg and orange peel. Beat at low speed of mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high speed. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour and raisins; stir by hand until blended. Cover, let rest in warm place 10 minutes (or 45 minutes if using active dry yeast).

Stir down. Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. (I used my muffin scoop – a size 24). Let rise until almost double, about 15 minutes (or 25 minutes if using active dry yeast).

Bake in 425° oven for 15 minutes. Cool slightly. For icing, combine powdered sugar and milk; dip tops of rolls in icing.

22-24 each

2013 Recipe Cost: $2.56 or 12¢ each

Per Serving: 147 Calories; 4g Fat (21.5% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 10mg Cholesterol; 102mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Honey Batter Rolls

The Crisco Cooking cookbook has this to say about baking bread, “Bread baking is a joy not to be missed”. I must say, that when the recipe is as easy as this one, I think anyone can bake rolls and have the great smell and taste of fresh baked dinner rolls.

Batter breads and rolls are not as smooth as kneaded bread, but taste just fine and are much easier for the beginner and someone in a hurry. These take about a hour and a half start to finish and taste like you spent much more time on them.

Honey Batter Rolls

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup hot water (120° to 130°)

⅓ cup Crisco shortening, melted

⅓ cup honey

1 egg

Combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt in a mixer bowl. Add water, melted Crisco, honey and egg; beat for 2 minutes on medium speed until dough is smooth. Beat in remaining cup of flour with a spoon.

Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Fill greased muffins cups one half full with batter.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400° and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

White Batter Bread

This is such good bread, we couldn't wait to share it!

While I do not bake bread often, when I do recipes like this batter bread from the older edition of Fleishman yeast baking recipes are the ones I use. The ease of preparation and the quick time make it a winner in my book.

This is a fast way to have fresh bread and if you time it right, you can have it warm with your meal. Yum, warm bread with the butter melting into it.

White Batter Bread

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt (yes, that is the right amount)

2 tablespoons butter of margarine

1 cup warm water (105° to 115)

2 packages active dry yeast

4 ¼ cups flour

Scald milk; stir in sugar, salt and butter. Cool until lukewarm.

Cover the bowl, (no need for a clean bowl) and let rise in a warm place out of drafts until a little more than doubled, about 40 minutes.

Stir batter down. Beat vigorously about ½ minute. Turn into one greased 91/2 x 5 ¼ x 3 inch loaf pan.

Bake in a moderate oven (376°F. For about 50 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if browning too fast. Cool on wire rack.

Our Step-by-step Batter Bread Tips Here:

Yeast Batter Bread Tips - Easiest of All

Batter breads are made from a yeast batter or dough that is too soft to be kneaded. Batter yeast breads are easy to mix and rise quickly. They don’t have to be shaped; they take on the shape of the pan or bowl in which they are baked. Some are stiff enough to be shaped into breads, however.

These breads and rolls are not Artisan types of bread, but loaves that are softer and finer-grained. They make especially good rolls, usually baked in muffin pans, and casserole-type breads baked in a round Pyrex casserole like the ubiquitous “Dilly Bread”.

Beating Batter

Here are some hints for making batter breads from The Fleishmann Treasury of Yeast Baking, 1962, which has a whole chapter of delicious yeast batter bread recipes. As we start baking for Spring events, we will be including some batter bread recipes for you to try, as well as these batter roll recipes. Myrna shows you how a loaf of batter bread should look in these pictures.

First Rise

Beating the batter: Beating can be done by hand or with the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, and should be done vigorously to get good gluten formation so the bread will hold its shape. The batter should leave the sides of the bowl and follow the beater or spoon. Strands of dough may be seen.

Stirring Down

Rising: When doubled in bulk, the batter looks moist and somewhat rough, the top will look rounded and soft. If batter is allowed to rise too long the bread will fall or sag in the center.

Stirring down: If a recipe says to “stir down”, stir the raised batter with a spoon until it is reduced to almost its original size.

Batter in Pan

Baking: Always bake yeast beads in a pre-heated oven. The oven heat makes them rise quickly during the first 5-10 minutes, called “oven-spring”. During this time, the breads should not brown. If they brown too rapidly, you won’t get sufficient rise.

Cooling: As soon as breads are done, remove them from the baking pans to cool, on a wire rack. This prevents condensation that makes a soggy crust.

Some batter roll recipes

Thanks, Myrna, for the pix. I sent her an e-mail saying "take pictures of your batter bread loaf" and in 10 minutes she sent me these from her morning baking!

Tavern Bread

These pleasantly flavored whole wheat loaves are easy to make, tasty and not a bit heavy. They take very little time for yeast bread; with only one rising right in the pan and no shaping. Against my better judgement, I made them in cans, as the recipe recommends. If you use the cans, don’t use cooking spray; instead, grease very generously all over. Even then, I had a hard time getting the loaves out of the cans. Decorate with raffia twine or ribbon tied just under crease in the loaf for gift giving.
I think when I make this recipe again it will be in small loaf pans for easier slicing. And, I will make it again... my husband really, really liked these loaves, especially as toasted slices.

Tavern Bread

1 Teaspoon Instant Coffee Granules

½ Cup Water

3 Tablespoons Molasses

1 Tablespoon Honey

2 Tablespoons Salad Oil

12 Ounces Evaporated Milk

1 ½ Cups Whole Wheat Flour (4 ounces)

3 Cups Flour, All-purpose – divided (13 ½ ounces)

2 Tablespoons Oats -- regular, uncooked

2 Teaspoons Instant Yeast

2 Teaspoons Salt

¼ Teaspoon Ground Ginger

Combine first 4 ingredients, heat until coffee dissolves. Let cool to 120-125°.

Combine whole wheat flour, 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, oats, yeast, salt, ground ginger in large mixer bowl.

Add milk, salad oil and coffee mixture to mixer bowl.

Beat at medium speed of electric mixer 1 minute. Gradually add remaining 2 cups all-purpose flour, stirring with a wooden spoon or continuing to mix 2 minutes if you have a heavy duty mixer.

Divide dough into 4 well-greased 16 ounce cans (about 9 3/4 to 10 ounces of dough per can). Let rise, uncovered, in a warm place until doubled (to top of can) (about 25-30 minutes). Cover cans lightly with wax paper sprayed with cooking spray. Remove paper before baking.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from cans immediately and let cool on wire racks.

"Southern Living Big Book of Christmas Baking"

"4 Loaves"

Cornmeal Batter Rolls

This is another recipe I’ve looked at off and on but never made until today. What a mistake! I should have been making them all these years. I purchased the "Good Food on a Budget” book back in the 70’s and I wasted all that time.

These are easy…the only thing hard about them is waiting. Start about 2 hours before your meal.

These rolls are good warm or cold; they also freeze well. The recipe is for 2 dozen, I made one dozen and give both here. I thought they were perfect to serve in my new bun basket liner and topped with Tomato Marmalade.

Cornmeal Batter Rolls

1 Dozen Rolls

1 teaspoon Instant Yeast

2 ½ cups Sifted All Purpose Flour -- 10 ounces

1 1/8 cups Whole Milk

¼ cup Shortening

1/4 cup Sugar

1 ½ teaspoon Salt

1 large Eggs

½ cup Cornmeal -- yellow or white

2 Dozen Rolls

2 teaspoons Instant Yeast*

5 cups Sifted All Purpose Flour -- 20 ounces

2 ¼ cups Whole Milk

½ cup Shortening

½ cup Sugar

1 tablespoon Salt

2 large Eggs

1 cup Cornmeal -- yellow or white

In large mixer bowl, combine the yeast and 1 3/4 (for 1 dozen) or 3 ½ cups of the flour. Heat the next 4 ingredients just till warm; stirring occasionally. Add to dry mixture in bowl; add eggs.

Beat the mixture at low speed with electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed (medium high in a Kitchenaid).

By hand, stir in cornmeal and enough remaining flour to make soft dough.

Cover, let rise in warm place till double, about 20 minutes. Stir batter down; fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full (I used a size 24 muffin scoop).

Cover; let rise in a warm place till double; 20-25 minutes. Bake at 400° till golden, 15-20 minutes.

2011 Cost: $2.50 or 11¢ per roll...$1.25 per dozen

Per Serving: 182 Calories; 6g Fat (28.7% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 21mg Cholesterol; 284mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

*or one packet

Double Quick Dinner Rolls

This recipe from Betty Crocker Perfect Baking Every Time is a keeper - quick, unfussy - hot homemade yeast rolls with a nice texture and taste for only 52¢ a dozen. I wouldn’t change a thing! I think this would be an excellent recipe for anyone who hasn’t tried yeast baking yet.
I liked the fact that I only had to scoop the batter into muffin cups instead of getting out a cutting board and shaping the rolls. It makes them much easier if you are making them in a hurry - less fuss and cleanup too. I used my Kitchenaid for the initial mixing and rising, and my muffin scoop to portion the batter.
      Double Quick Dinner Rolls
  2 ¼ Cups Flour, All-purpose -- 10 1/8 ounces
  2 Tablespoons Sugar
  1 Teaspoon Salt
  1 Package Instant Yeast (2 tsp)
  1 Cup Water -- 120-130°
  2 Tablespoons Shortening or butter
  1 Large Egg
Mix 1 1/4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water, shortening and egg; beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape batter from sides of bowl.
Cover and let rise in a warm place about 10 minutes.
Grease 12 medium muffin cups, 2 1/2 x 1 1/4". Stir down batter by beating 25 strokes.
Spoon into muffin cups. Let rise 10-15 minutes or until batter rounds over tops of cups.
Heat oven to 400°. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Yield: "1 Dozen" .
2011 Cost: 52¢ per dozen or 5¢ each
Per Serving : 118 Calories; 3g Fat (21.4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 18mg Cholesterol; 185mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.