Honeymama's Incredible Sabbath Rolls

Honeymama in the kitchen!

My grandmother got her nickname "Honeymama" from my cousin Jeff. My grandpa called her "Honey" and Jeff's mom called her "Mama" so he, being a confused toddler, put the two words together and she became "Honeymama, which was what she was ever after. The name kind of gave her a mystical aura, especially where food was concerned. She was one of those brilliant cooks who have a knack for making food taste and look almost painfully good. She worked for years in the cafeteria at Southwestern Junior College and her rolls were a campus favorite. Honeymama  taught my wife five secrets to making good wheat rolls and she taught me and I pass them along to you!

The first secret was to dissolve the yeast in warm (not hot) water first.  and to wait till the water bubbled slightly. If the water doesn't bubble a bit, then the yeast is no good and the bread won't rise. Be careful to not make the water too hot or it can kill the yeast and the bread won't rise. If you knead the bread by hand, you don't want dead yeast, because all you'll wind up with is sore fingers and concrete-like bread.

The second secret was getting the right texture.   The proportions below are not exact. Honeymom would put everything together in the bowl with a cup of flour and a cup of water standing by.  As the dough formed up, she would add a touch of flour or a touch of water until the texture was just right. She taught me to pat the dough gently to test it. The texture was supposed to be about that of a baby's bottom, she said. You fingers should stick just a little, but release easily.  The texture was important.

The third secret was patience.  I produced several pans of rolls the consistency of rubber before I learned this lesson. You have to allow plenty of time for the rolls to rise fully. You can't be impatient. Go away and watch a movie or something to give the dough ball to double in size.  

The fourth secret was to let the dough rise twice. Until I came to trust this rule, my rolls were thick and clunky. I was so afraid to punch down and knead the dough after the first rising. I was afraid it wouldn't rise again.  Finally, I trusted my grandmother and low and behold the dough not only rose twice, but the texture and tenderness was markedly improved. 

My Sweet Baboo taught me that you could make the dough the day before and have fresh hot Sabbath rolls for Sabbath lunch. All you have to do is make the dough up on Friday, let it rise once, make the dough into rolls, put them in the pan and put them in the fridge overnight. Incredibly the rolls actually rise the second time in the fridge and by morning all you have to do is set them out in a warm place early in the morning. About 20 minutes or so before lunch, pop them in the overn and they will not only cook, but they'll fill the house with the best smell you can imagine.

The fifth secret is wheat germ. Just add it to the dough when you are making it and not only does it make the rolls more nutritious, but gives them a slight crunchy texture and taste that's amazing.

With a little practice you can get looser with the process and even get a bit creative, but for the first few times, it's best to adhere to the basic recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 packages Dry yeast
• 6 tablespoons Water
• 3/4 cup Evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup Warm (not hot) water
• 6 tablespoons Brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 4 cups White flour
• 2 cups Whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup Wheat germ

STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together warm water and yeast. Stir it with a wire whisk then let it sit till it bubbles slightly.
2. Dump all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. You need a big one to accommodate all the kneading and mixing without getting flour everywhere.  A nice Kitchen-Aid mixer with a dough hook and a bowl shield.  Mix everything up. A dough hook does this nicely and saves you time and energy. There's a reason old-time professional bakers had such huge arms.
3. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then add all the wet ingredients including the yeast.
4. Stir everything together and knead it until it forms dough. Here's where you'll appreciate the stand mixer.  Keep kneading the doug for ten to fifteen minutes. You'll probably need to add a little flour or water to achieve the right constency when you "spank" the dough. If you're blessed with a stand mixer and a dough hook, just leave it running for about 10 to 15 minutes, checking it as you go for consistency.
5. Once the dough is just right, cover the mixing bowl and set it in a warm place to rise. When it's risen to double it's size (give it a couple of hours), roll the dough out onto a countertop or cutting board.
6. Punch down the dough and knead it. I usually do this with the stand mixer and give it another five or ten minutes with the dough hook.  
7. Get out your roll pans. These should be "seasoned" or have a nonstick surface. My grandmother never used her roll pans for anything else and didn't wash them between batches. She just wiped them down with a little oil and stored them. The rolls always just rolled out when they were done and never stuck to her pans.
8. Pinch off a little handful of dough that will just fit in your curled up fingers. Cup your hand over the dough ball and then roll it lightly around in circles, guiding the dough with your fingers and thumb. Keep gently rolling in round and round till it forms a smooth ball about two inches apart.
9. If you're not sure of your roll pans, spray them with a little cooking spray to prevent sticking. Then place the dough balls side by side in the pan. Lay down a circle around the edges with the sides of the dough balls not quite touching. 
10. Cover the pans of unbaked rolls with dish towels. The recipe makes about two pans. You'll need them. People scarf these things down like candy and two pans of rolls will not last long, especially at a potluck.  Set the pans in a warm place to rise if you are going to cook them the same day. If you're preparing for Sabbath on Friday, set them on a shelf in the refrigerator. They'll start rising overnight and be ready to complete in the morning. 
11. Let the rolls rise until their sides are touching and tops are rounded and sticking up above the edge of the pans. Give them a couple of hours to warm up to room temperature. If you've got a sunny windowsill, they rise really well there.
12. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
13. Once the oven is ready, put the rolls in the oven to bake.
14. When they are almost done, take them out of the oven and brush the tops of the rolls with margarine or butter. Then, put them back in and bake them until the tops are a nice golden brown.
15. Take the rolls out of the oven and turn them gently over onto a plate. I take a second plate, put it over the bottoms of the rolls and then flip them back over. Put the rolls out and cover them with a cloth till you are ready to eat.  
16. Don't forget to swipe one while it's hot, butter it and eat it. I know hot, just baked bread is not supposed to be good for you, but let me tell you, these puppies are good for the soul, whatever they might do for your digestion. 

Final note:

It may take some practice, but if you master making these rolls, you'll never have to take home any leftovers from potluck. I've seen family members stuffing their pockets with Honeymom's rolls on their way out the door after Thanksgiving dinners.

Enjoy.

© 2015 by Tom King

The #1 Best Vege-Meat Dish Ever

I figure if I'm going to start a vegetarian cooking weblog, I should start off with one of the best dishes you will ever put in your mouth. If you ask any member of my family what their favorite meal is (including meat dishes) they'll say Barbecue Tender-Bits.

Eating vegetarian meat substitutes is a great way to reduce the cholesterol in your diet dramatically and many of the products produced by such companies as Worthington Foods, Loma Linda Foods, Morningstar and Boca offer vegetarian alternatives for a variety of meat products.  But when I get really hungry I crave this really unique vegetarian meal that is my wife's specialty.

Miss Sheila trained under two of the finest cooks I ever knew of - my grandmother and hers. She can hold her own with either of them and, although I would never have told either of them, she outdoes them on many things. Her original idea for barbecue Tender-bits(TM) is everybody's favorite for celebratory meals in the King household. Since Sheila has made me promise to outlive her, I made her teach me how to make her signature dish. I buy Tender-Bits by the case. It is my go-to showoff dish.

Barbecue Tender-Bits

Original Recipe by Sheila King

- Ingredients -

1. 2 Cans Loma Linda Tender-bits
2. Flour
3. Seasoned Salt
4. Oil
5. Bulls-Eye or KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce

- Instructions -

1. Remove the top and bottom from both Tender-bit cans and press from the can. Drain the Tender-bits and halve or quarter each "bit" as you prefer.  I like mine larger, Sheila likes 'em quartered.
2. Put a quarter to half cup of flour in a large mixing bowl and toss in the Tender-bits.  Dust them thoroughly and lightly season with seasoned salt.
3. Just cover the bottom of a large frying pan or electric skillet in canola oil and heat..
4. Place floured "bits" into the oil and cook stirring twice till the outsides are crisp and turn golden brown.
5. Pour a bottle of barbecue sauce over the Tender-Bits and remaining oil.  With the flour that got into the oil along with the Tender-bits, the barbecue sauce will make a delicious gravy that will cover the vege-meat.  When the gravy begins to bubble, turn the heat down to keep the dish warm while you cook the rest of the meal.  This allows the Tender-bits to marinate in the barbecue gravy.

Setting:  These are our favorite side dishes to go along with Barbecue Tender-Bits

1. Mama's Southern Mashed Potatoes with a little garlic, butter and cream cheese
2. Broccoli with a bit of melted Velveeta Cheese
3. Salad finely chopped with Ranch Dressing
4. Honeymama's Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls (so good they don't even need butter)
5. Peach Cobbler with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Where to Buy:

Barbecued Tender-Bits as God intended

This meal illustrates why all vegetarians are not emaciated skeletons. Many of us are quite substantial individuals. This is not a low-cal/low-fat dinner. Tender-Bits are a vegan meat substitute, though for what meat I am not exactly sure. They most resemble seitan, a Chinese wheat gluten product from which they are derived. They work really well in Chinese dishes. One thing, however, if you're expecting chicken, you'll be surprised. Not in a bad way I think but Tender-Bits aren't much like chicken.  They make a nice neutral meat-like garnish for spicy dishes and with tangy sauces.  You can order them by the case on Amazon.com, from Loma Linda or from any regional Seventh Day Adventist book store or vegetarian food store (found in most Adventist college towns) and online.

Tender-Bits are labeled "Vegan" and we don't put any cowish or chickenish ingredients in them, so you need not be cowed by any militant vegans when you serve them up at potluck. A word of caution, however. Be toward the front of the line or they will be gone before you get there.

As you can see from the picture, even just half a can makes up a nice sized batch for two.  When we have the kids and their families over, Sheila makes two or three cans and when it's all done, there are never any leftovers.

© 2015 by Tom & Sheila King

Mama's Mashed Potatoes

(c) 2012 by Tom King

This is what mashed potatoes should look like.

Here's the recipe for Mama's Mashed Potatoes, which is the perfect companion to Barbecue Tender-Bits. These are Southern style mashed potatoes and they are to die for..........perhaps literally. This is not a low fat dish. However, if you're in the mood to celebrate, they cannot be beat.

One of the benefits of learning to cook your favorite meals yourself is that you can eat well at home without having to fly your mother cross-country every time you want this favorite dish. I learned to cook passably well by helping my wife make meals. She learned from her grandmother and mine and developed her own dishes to a level of artistic skill I cannot duplicate. I can get in the neighborhood, but have yet to match her. She on the other hand can cook right up to the grandmothers' level and, in most cases she goes beyond them. Mama's mashed potatoes are legendary. Here are the basic "secret ingredients". Getting the flavor right is a matter of adding a bit here and a bit there until the taste is right. That's actually the fun part of making this recipe

WARNING:  As I said before, these are not diet taters. They are a treat for Sunday or Sabbath dinner and holidays. Eat these too often and you'll find yourself weighing 300 pounds and coping with bad knees.  You have been warned.

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes (russets work, but red-skinned potatoes are by far the most delicious)
2. Potato flakes
3. Small can evaporated milk
4. Cream Cheese
5. Salt
6. Butter or margarine
7. Garlic powder
8. Sugar or Splenda

Equipment:

1. Large pot or boiler (as its apparently called in Louisiana)
2. Mixing bowl
3. Mixer (preferably an industrial sized Kitchen-aid, but a hand mixer will do)
4. Assorted spoons

 Instructions:

1. Boil the potatoes. I cut them up some so they'll cook faster. Depending on your taste, you can leave the skins on, especially with the thin skinned red potatoes. It's better if you boil them in the peels, though. They're more nutritious that way, though the final product isn't the usual pristine white most are used to. Go ahead and peel them if you are concerned about presentation. Avoid the Yukon gold potato variety. They do not mash well, though they make a nice potato salad. It's the red potatoes that make the best mash.
2. Place potatoes in mixing bowl with 1/2 to 1 cup of the water they were boiled in. Mash the potatoes with the mixer. They'll wind up a little soupy, but that's what the potato flakes are for.  
3. Add butter, cream cheese and a small can of evaporated milk and and mix it all in. I cut up the cream cheese and butter first and let the hot potatoes melt them before adding the milk.The butter is guesswork, I usually start with a big spoonful and add more in the last step if needed.
4. Add Garlic powder, salt and sugar or Splenda to taste. The wife has been adding artificial sweetener for some time in the interest of lowering calories. That still doesn't make it a diet dish, just so you know. This step is the critical one. Achieving that Southern mashed tater flavor is all about the blend of ingredients.  You don't need much more than a teaspoonful of the garlic and sugar. Add salt to taste. The mixture will still be a little soupy, but you should be able to taste whether you're getting it right. There should be a light hint of garlic and butter. The cream cheese shouldn't stand out. Somewhere between a block and half a regular foil block of cream cheese works nicely depending on how many potatoes you use to give it a creamy texture.
5. As you run the mixer, gradually sprinkle in dried potato flakes until the potatoes thicken. You'll know it's right when the mixer starts to leave swirl marks behind as the bowl rotates. 

Because potatoes are not all the same size, absolute measurements of ingredients are not really practical. Mashed potatoes are an art form, like dance or story-telling. It takes practice and the only way you know you've got it right is by tasting it till you get all the flavors balanced just so.

My son Matt is back in Texas and misses his Mama's cooking. So, at his requested, I posted this to go with my earlier post on Barbecue Tender-Bits as these two dishes and a good salad with maybe some broccoli and my grandmother's homemade rolls make up his favorite meal. The next food post I'll do is my Honeymama's homemade roll recipe. Till then, here's a passable wheat roll recipe you can make in your bread machine that are pretty good till the real thing comes along.

I also posted this recipe because really good mashed potatoes are so seldom seen anymore. I figure if you're going to get fat, it's way better to do it with this kind of food than on two dollar hamburgers. Hamburgers fill your belly. Mama's Mashed Potatoes fill your soul!

© 2012 by Tom King