Mennonite Girls Can Cook (24 page)

............................................... Serves 8

• ½ cup / 125 ml butter
  
• 2 cups / 500 ml milk
  
• 2 cups / 500 ml water
  
• 3 eggs
  
• ¼ cup / 60 ml sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml salt
  
• ¼ cup / 60 ml oil
  
• 10 cups / 2250 ml flour (approximately)
  
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml instant yeast
  

1. Using the microwave or stove top, melt butter and heat milk together. Add water, cold or warm, to make the combined liquids quite warm, about 100° F / 40° C.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, adding the sugar and salt; add oil and warm liquids.
   
3. Add 4-5 cups / 1000 ml flour and the yeast, mixing well.
   
4. Switching to dough-hook attachment, if using a mixer, add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time. Knead until all the flour is mixed in well and the dough is smooth and not sticky when touched with floured hands.
   
5. Turn dough into a larger bowl to rise, giving it a few more punches and turns to make it smooth.
   
6. Cover with a tea towel and a large plastic bag. Let rise until double, about 1-1½ hours.
   
7. Gently punch down dough. With greased hands form the dough into a smooth ball. Pinch off sections for the following uses.
   

1. Use half of the dough. With slightly greased hands, shape into buns by pinching off a good handful of dough at a time and then squeezing or pinching off buns between thumb and forefinger.
   
2. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover with tea towel and plastic; let rise 1 hour.
   
3. Bake at 400° F / 205° C for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
   

TIP:
Slice the buns before freezing them. This makes it easy to make sandwiches to pack a lunch.

• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml butter, melted
  
• 1 cup / 250 ml brown sugar
  
• 1-2 teaspoons / 5-10 ml cinnamon
  

1. With greased hands, pinch off a large piece of the dough and roll into a rectangle shape on a floured surface.
   
2. Spread with butter and brown sugar mixed with cinnamon.
   
3. Roll up jellyroll style and cut into 1¼-inch / 3-cm slices.
   
4. Place on greased or parchment paper lined pan. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
   
5. Bake at 350° F / 175° C for 20 minutes or until golden.
   
6. Remove from pan onto wire rack. When cool, ice with the following icing.
   

• 1½ cup / 375 ml icing or confectioners sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml soft butter
  
• Milk
  

1. Mix sugar, butter, and enough milk to make a nice spreading or drizzling consistency.
   

• Cut up fruit, such as plums or apricots
  
• 5 tablespoons / 75 ml butter, room temperature
  
• ¾ cup / 175 ml flour
  
• ¾ cup / 175 ml sugar
  

1. Grease a round spring-form pan or a 9 × 13-inch / 22 × 33-cm pan, depending on amount of dough used. Using your hands, spread or pat the dough into the pan, about ½-inch / 1.25-cm thick. Let rest 20-30 minutes.
   
2. Spread dough with cut up fruit, and sprinkle with a few tablespoons additional sugar.
   
3. To make crumbs, mix butter into flour and sugar using a pastry blender. Sprinkle crumbs on fruit using your hands.
   
4. Cover loosely and let rise 30-60 minutes.
   
5. Bake at 375° F / 190° C for 30 minutes.
   
6. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
   

Tips:

• Some people prefer a flat
  Platz
  ; others a high
  Platz
  . Choose the pan size to determine the thickness of the dough.
  
• There are many options for toppings: My mother often covered the dough with a beaten egg for moisture, before adding the crumb topping. I like cherry pie filling: pat out the dough, spread with cherry pie filling, and then top with the crumbs.
  
• To keep crumbs crunchy, don’t store baked
  Platz
  in a sealed container. Rather, just cover loosely with a tea towel. If you freeze
  Platz
  , uncover to thaw.
  

—
Anneliese

Anneliese says

............................................................Yields 5 dozen

• 1 cup / 250 ml milk, scalded
  
• 3 tablespoons / 45 ml instant yeast
  
• 3 cups / 750 ml warm water
  
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml sugar
  
• 4 cups / 900 ml freshly ground whole wheat flour
  
• 4 cups / 900 ml white flour
  
• 3 eggs
  
• ½ cup / 125 ml oil
  
• cup / 75 ml molasses
  
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml salt
  
• 1 cup / 250 ml freshly ground 7-whole grain flour
  
• ½ cup / 125 ml flaxseed
  

1. Scald milk and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
   
2. Mix yeast, water, and sugar in the machine’s mixing bowl using the dough-hook attachment.
   
3. Mix together whole wheat and white flours in separate bowl. Add half the flour mixture to the machine’s mixing bowl and mix on low setting for 5 minutes.
   
4. Add eggs, milk, oil, molasses, salt, and mix quickly.
   
5. Add the remaining flour along with flax seed and 7-whole grain flour; mix until dough becomes soft and is not sticky.
   
6. Continue to knead for about 10 minutes.
   
7. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise until doubled in bulk.
   
8. Form into buns and place on greased pans. Let rise again for about 45 minutes.
   
9. Bake in preheated oven at 375° F / 190° C for 20 minutes.
   
10. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
    

Tip:
Serve these buns with your favorite jam and cheese, or even old-fashioned peanut butter and honey.

—
Marg

Marg says