BECKS’s Sourdough Honey Oat Rolls

In the morning:

• Put enough starter in a bowl to get a little over 1 cup bubbly starter for the rolls.

In the early evening:

• COMBINE in a medium bowl:
• 1 ¼ cup of starater
• Add 2 ½ cups warmish water
• Add 1 cup Old fashion rolled oats and ½ wheat germ (Optioal)
• Add ½ cup honey
• Add 2 cups of flour (I prefer bread flour).
• STIR to mix and form a thick “pancake-like” batter. Cover bowl with towel and the let it sit for 30-60 minutes.

After 30-60 minutes

1. After 30-60 minutes, add 2 ½ cups more flour and 1 tbsp salt.  Mix it together.  I tried using a hand mixer instead of using a spoon.  It got kind of messy .  So, mix with spoon or maybe use a kitchen aid mixer for just a few minutes.  You want the dough to be springy (touch with your finger and it will pop back up) and a just a little sticky. You want to be able to touch it but not have your hand covered with sticky dough.  When the dough has pulled together to form a ball, dump out onto lightly floured counter.
2. GENTLY Knead the dough for a few minutes.  Then use your hands to cup the dough and tuck it into a tighter ball rotating around the ball of dough.
3. I usually clean out the bowl I’ve been working with and very lightly grease the bottom and sides.  I put the kneaded dough back in the greased bowl.  Cover with a damp cloth and let sit for 1-2 hours (depending upon how late at night it is). 
4. This is an optional step.  (You can skip it and just let the dough rise overnight:  After 1-2 hours, I take the dough out and gently knead it again.  Stretching it a little and folding it over.  I just go around the dough – so it’s maybe 4-5 folds.  Then I put it back in the bowl and cover with a damp cloth and let it sit overnight on the counter.  It should double in size overnight.

NEXT MORNING

1. Dump the dough on a lightly floured counter and cut it into the number of rolls you want.  I can usually get 12+ medium sized rolls.  Then you make little “Mini” sourdough loafs/rolls.   I do a quick 3-4 step knead and fold the edges and tuck it on the bottom. 
2. Place each roll on a parchment covered baking sheet.  Cover with a towel and let sit for 30-60 minutes.  Before cooking, slit each roll with an X in the top.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven to create steam.
4. Bake in a steamy oven for 15-18 minutes.  I check them after 12 minutes. The oven upstairs is hotter in the back than the front so I often have to turn the pan – I don’t like the rolls when they get burned on the bottom.  Tops should be nicely browned when removed.   You can make decision on how hard you like the rolls and can cook them more or a little less.

 

I put the rolls on a baking rack on the counter to cool.

 

Enjoy!

Nat's Amazing Empanadas

When Natalie makes empanadas, she eyeballs the ingredients and makes them just right.  After numerous occasions of carefully watching her work, I've made some estimations of her recipe.  While not as good as Natalie's, they are still some of the best Empanadas I've ever eaten!

Ingredients

• 1/2 - 1 Vidalia onion diced
• 1 TBS diced garlic
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• 2 tsp Italian herbs
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 3 TBS Spanish party olives diced
• 1 28 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 egg
• Empanada disks (Goya disks for baking are my favorite)

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan, add the diced onions and crushed garlic. Cook until the onions are soft.
2. Add the ground beef, stir and cook until the meat is fulling cooked.
3. Add the Italian spices, tomato paste and salt/pepper.
4. Add olives, raisins, tomatoe sauce, boullion
5. Simmer until most of the juice has cooked off, but it is still a little juicy.
6. Taste and adjust salt/pepper and any seasonings to your personal preference. 
7. Let the beef filling cool down completely before using to fill the empanadas.
8. Lightly wet the edges of each empanada disk.
9. Place a generous amount of the beef filling on the center of an empanada disc.
10. Fold the empanada discs and gently seal the edges with your fingers. Then twist and fold the edges of the empanadas with your fingers. (Youtube Tutorial)
11. Brush the empanadas with the whisked egg/water mixture
12. Pre-heat the oven to 400F (200C)  
13. Bake on a cookie sheet for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden on top.

Cucumber vodka lemonade

Ingredients

• Lemons
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• Cucumber Vodka (Plain cucumber.  Not cucumber lime/lavendar/anything else.  Effen and Stolichnaya are both good)
• Selzer water

Instructions

• Make simple syrup ahead of time.
• Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water.  
• Heat until sugar dissolves.  
• Store in fridge in container until ready for use  
• Juice lemons - set aside
• Add icecubes to glass
• Add 1 shot of cucumber vodka, 1 shot of lemon juice, 1 shot of simple syrup & stir
• Top off with selzer to desired sweetness

Jones (not Teen's) Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2c flour, 
• 2Tbsp sugar, 
• 1/4 tsp salt, 
• 1tsp Baking powder, 
• 3/4 - 1 cup milk  (any type) 
• 1 stick butter

Instructions

• Cut butter into small pieces, and freeze
• Sift dry ingredients 
• Cut chilled butter into dry ingredients.   
• Slowly add milk and combine.  You may need to use your hands to collect loose ingredients. Do not over work. It should feel cool and damp to the touch but not sticky. 
• For lighter, flakier biscuits: roll dough in rectangle; fold in thirds. Repeat two more times. 
• Chill about hour. 
• Bake 425 degrees about 10-15", depends on oven.