Grandma's Cinnamon Buns

These are the essentially the same as Mom's Cinnamon Rolls (after all, both recipes originated from the same person) but with one big and delicious difference.  When Grandma makes cinnamon rolls, she likes to add a thick, caramelly sauce to the bottom of the pan.  So each roll has a sticky bottom... and it really is to die for!  Grandma also likes to use lots of brown sugar inside the rolls. For me, this recipe is the dessert version of cinnamon rolls. They are incredibly rich and delicious.  I'd be curious to hear which you like better so let me know once you try both!

Grandma's Cinnamon Buns

Author: Brittany

Ingredients

• Cinnamon Buns:


• 1/2 recipe of sweet roll dough (see below)


• 1 cup brown sugar


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 1/4 cup butter


• 2 Tb cinnamon


• 1 cup brown sugar


• 1/3 cup cream


• Glaze:


• 2-3 Tb softened butter


• 2 Tb milk


• powdered sugar


• Whisk together using only enough powdered sugar to make it quite thin.


• Grandma’s Sweet Roll Dough recipe:


• 2 rounded Tb yeast


• 1 1/2 cups warm water


• 1 cup warm milk


• 2/3 cup sugar


• 1/4 cup shortening


• 2 tsp salt


• 4 eggs


• 7-8 cups flour

Instructions

1. Beat all ingredients except flour until smooth. (I use a Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment.)


2. Add flour until it cleans off edge of bowl. (Switch to a dough hook for this part.) Knead for 5 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand).


3. Let it rise until double (about 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen).


4. Punch dough down and allow to rise again.


5. This time it will rise much faster so keep an eye on it!


6. Punch dough down again and divide into 2 parts.


7. Roll out dough into a long rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.


8. Spread butter 1 inch from edge.


9. Sprinkle with brown and white sugar and cinnamon.


10. Roll up lengthwise.


11. Slice using dental floss or very sharp knife - each roll about 1 3/4 inches thick.


12. Heat 1 cup brown sugar and cream over low heat until melted.


13. Pour into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.


14. Place rolls over top of sauce.


15. Raise until doubled in size.


16. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.


17. Drizzle glaze over warm buns.

3.2.1311

 

German Chocolate Cake Frosting

Mom made German Chocolate cake all the time growing up. It was one of our Dad's favorites. The recipe she uses is one of her mothers'. It is so rich and flavorful - mmmm. Making German Chocolate cake frosting from scratch makes a world of difference! If all you have tasted is the canned stuff, then you have got to try this out. It is easy, too. (I have to add, I was in a hurry the night I made this cake. I didn't give the frosting time to thicken up as much as usual and everything was not completely cooled, hence the slightly runny frosting. Sorry guys! Not the best picture but it still tasted sublime!)

German Chocolate Cake Frosting

submitted by Brittany ~ The Sister's Cafe

1 cup milk or cream (I like to use a combination of both)

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups coconut

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Combine cream, sugar, egg yolks, and butter in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until thickens, 3-5 minutes.

Add vanilla, coconut and chopped nuts. Let it cool completely before icing cake. Makes enough for middle and top of 2 layer, 9-inch round cake.

Cranberry Cocktail

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE! Sorry for the bad pic-I was lucky to even get one-this cranberry cocktail got entirely snatched up at a family party immediately after I snapped. Can you believe it's almost 2011? And that means it's party time! So lift a glass of this yummy non-alcoholic drink tonight or at any upcoming party you'll be attending! Pictured above is a 1/2 batch, this recipe makes a lot! Thanks Grandma Rice for yet another great recipe.

Cranberry Cocktail

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe
Printable recipe here

1 large cranberry cocktail (found by the frozen juices)
48 cups pineapple juice
1 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 large ginger ale

Mix and serve over ice.

Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread

It's funny how certain smells bring back such warm memories... I used to love the smell of this bread baking when we were growing up. Even to this day it makes me feel safe and happy... probably from the unconscious knowledge that my mom loved me and was making me something special. All it takes is a little cinnamon and raisins and you transform homemade white bread into a perfectly irresistible treat! Pop it in the toaster, slather on some butter and you have the ultimate after-school snack. It feels great to bake this for my own family now and watch them gobble it up. Yummy yum!Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread

submitted by Brittany at www.thesisterscafe.com

printable recipe here

one half recipe of Grandma's White Bread:

1/3 cup powdered milk *see note
1.5 heaping Tbsp of instant yeast
3 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp shortening
3 cups warm water
Flour (approx 7.5 cups total)

1 cup raisins

Mix powdered milk, yeast, salt, sugar, and shortening in the bowl of a mixer. Add warm water. Add about 2 to 2.5 cups flour and beat until well mixed. Add flour slowly until dough comes away clean from the edge of the mixing bowl. Add one cup raisins. Allow to knead for 5 more minutes. Do not add too much flour. Cover with greased plastic and allow dough to rise. Once it has doubled in size, divide into 3 parts. Roll out each third of dough into a small rectangle and spray lightly with water (or get hands wet and lightly rub surface of dough - the idea is to barely moisten the dough.) Sprinkle with cinnamon - the amount is up to you but I like quite a bit! Roll up lengthwise, pinching together seam and tucking in the ends to form a log. Place each log into a greased loaf pan and raise until the size of a bread loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 3 loaves.

*I have made this bread with fresh milk too and it works great. Just omit powdered milk and use 1.5 cups warm milk and 1.5 cups warm water in the place of the 3 cups warm water.

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

I love Mom's cinnamon rolls. Just LOVE them! I had forgotten how much until she came to visit me after I had my baby in March and made me lots of rolls for the freezer. How fun it was to pull out a pan of my mama's homemade cinnamon rolls... what a delicious kind of comfort. This dough recipe actually came from her mother (the same Grandma we feature often on the this blog!) but the way it's all put to together and baked is all Mom. She doesn't do very much butter or sugar - the emphasis is on the cinnamon. Often there were nuts and raisins rolled up inside but I'll be honest... my favorite has always been plain cinnamon rolls! (Grandma has her own way of making "sticky buns" which are delicious too.) Mom always used a powdered sugar glaze on top. I tried cream cheese frosting this last time and it was super good but a little too sweet. I'll stick with a light glaze from now on. Mom always placed the rolls close together in a 9x13 so they would all squish together and rise upward... I don't know why but that will always be my favorite way of baking them!
Mom's Cinnamon Rolls
submitted by Brittany at www.thesisterscafe.com

printable recipe here

One recipe of Sweet Roll Dough
1/2 cup softened butter, divided
granulated sugar
cinnamon

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tb soft butter (not melted)
1/4 tsp vanilla (this will make the icing a creamy color)
2 T. hot water
Combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth. Drizzle onto the buns with a spoon. The icing will thicken as it cools so ice the buns immediately.

Grandma's Sweet Roll Dough
2 rounded Tb yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup warm milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
2 tsp salt
4 eggs
7-8 cups flour

Beat all ingredients except flour until smooth. (I use a Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment.) Add flour until it cleans off edge of bowl. (Switch to a dough hook for this part.) Knead for 5 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand). Let it rise until double (about 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen). Punch dough down and allow to rise again. This time it will rise much faster so keep an eye on it! Punch dough down again and divide into 2 parts.

Roll one part into a rectangle. Spread half of butter (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) on dough. Sprinkle with white sugar then cinnamon - making sure you go all the way to the edges. Mom never measured the sugar or cinnamon - I sprinkle on enough sugar to leave a light coat on dough - maybe about 1/2 cup? Here is a picture of how much cinnamon I like to use:

Roll up rectangle lengthwise and pinch edge to seal. Use a knife to gently mark the top how thick you want each cinnamon roll, that way they end up being more consistently sized and you can plan how many you want for your pan. (I will usually do 16 for each roll) Using plain dental floss, slip the floss under the roll, cross over and pull each end to slice off each piece: Repeat entire process with second half of dough.

Place rolls flat side down into two greased 9x13 inch pans; 3 across and 4 down (12 total for each). With the extra rolls you can either fill a 9x9 or a round pie pan.

Cover rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rise briefly - about 30 minutes or less - while oven is heating to 350. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon glaze over cinnamon rolls after they have cooled.

Apple Pie Deluxe

With the 4th of the July just around the corner, what is more patriotic than apple pie?! You can add this pie recipe to your celebration feast... everyone will be raving! This is another fabulous recipe from Grandma Rice. With the fresh crisp apples tossed in sugar and lemon, a buttery crumb topping sprinkled over the apples, and topped with a flaky crust... this pie cannot be beat. It is delicious!! Thanks to Martha Stewart for the idea of the stars and stripes! Cute, isn't it? I just love Independence Day... a celebration of our freedom and the lives of the brave men and women that forged this incredible nation. Thank you! May we all never take it for granted. Have a wonderful 4th of July!!

Apple Pie Deluxe

submitted by Brittany

 

printable recipe here

 

1 double pie crust (click here for Barefoot Contessa's Perfect Pie Crust) *the reason I didn't post Grandma's crust is because it is written to make 5 double pie crusts! Wow - that that is quite the woman thae woman that will make 5 pies at a time! :)

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tb flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp lemon juice

6 cups apples, peeled and sliced (Granny Smith work great)

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 flour

Pour lemon juice over sliced apples. Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Coat apples with mixture. Put in unbaked pie shell. Mix butter, brown sugar, and flour (cut with pastry blender, two knives or rub with fingers). Sprinkle over apples. Cover with top of pastry - lattice top looks wonderful. If you decide not to do a lattice, make sure you cut out shapes or cut slits in the top so steam can escape. [To do this easily, gently fold top pastry in fourths then cut shapes/slits at the straight edges (like you would to make paper snowflakes). Then place the folded dough on top the pie and unfold over apple filling.] Cut excess dough from around the edge and seal the edges as desired. Bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.

 

*To make the stars and stripes, simply cut strips of pastry dough with a pizza cutter and star shapes with a cookie cutter. Place over apple filling as desired and bake! There a lots of cute designs you can do with the stars and stripes theme so have fun!

Great White Punch

Here's another cool treat for a hot, summer's day! I love this limeade punch, I have made it for a lot of summer parties, barbeque's, and camp outs. It is very refreshing! I most recently made it as a special treat for my poor husband who broke his leg last week playing basketball at the church. Wow, church basketball can be brutal! In fact, Matt is in surgery right now and I'm hanging out in the waiting room. It's been a sad way to start the summer, but we are grateful for modern medicine and that he should be new man in just 6 weeks. But anyway, we needed to get out of the house the other day so we took this slush up the canyon (one of his favorite spots) still frozen, got him situated with lots of pillows on a banana chair, finished the slush, and slowly sipped away. Unfortunately, I forgot my fresh lime slices to garnish , but it still tasted great. Thank you Grandma Rice for this fun treat!

Great White Punch

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe
Printable Recipe

1 6oz can frozen limeade
11 cups water
3 cups sugar
2 quarts lemon lime pop or 7-up
fresh lime slices

Mix limeade, water and sugar until dissolved. Freeze, stirring often. 2 hours before serving, thaw mixture in punch bowl. 1 hour before serving, add lemon lime pop or 7-up. Garnish with fresh lime slices.

Brown Sugar Ham and Beans

This is my Mom's (originally Grandma's) "Ham Bone Soup" recipe. I had to spruce up the name since that boring old thing doesn't even begin to describe how yummy this recipe is! I don't even know what to say about this soup..... it is mouth-watering, to-die-for delicious. I love love love it and every time I make it I horde the leftovers. Are you getting the picture yet?! :)I think there is something addictive in it too because my husband is starting to get as obsessed with it as I am! It is by no means healthy (definitely a special meal at our house) and has deceptively simple ingredients. Honestly, if I hadn't eaten this a million times (and savored every single bite) I wouldn't believe that it would be that good. It's one of those things you better take my word for. (The poor thing is not very photogenic either but I did my best!)

Brown Sugar Ham and Bean Soup

submitted by Brittany ~ www.thesisterscafe.com

printable recipe

1 lb navy beans, soaked overnight

1 meaty ham bone

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 cup cream

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp ginger powder

1-2 cups brown sugar (I think 1 cup well packed is plenty!)

Place navy beans and ham bone in crock pot and fill with enough water to cover beans and most of ham bone. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Add remaining ingredients and cook an additional 2-4 hours. Take bone out and shred remaining meat off bone and add to soup. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread and a salad. Delicious.

Grandma's White Bread

Since this is another of our Grandmother's recipes, you know it's going to be good! This is her basic white bread recipe that she has made weekly for the past... forever really! :) She still bakes it regularly and she is in her mid 80's, but then, she is quite the woman! It is fluffy and light and absolutely delicious for sandwiches. This recipe makes 6 loaves (Grandma Rice had 6 children and baked for numerous ranch hands for years) so you may want to half it, although the bread freezes beautifully. Hope you enjoy!

Grandma's White Bread

submitted by Brittany ~ www.thesisterscafe.com

printable recipe

2/3 cup powdered milk *see note

3 heaping Tbsp of instant yeast

6 tsp salt

2/3 cup sugar

6 Tbsp shortening

6 cups warm water

Flour (approx. 15 cups total)

Mix powdered milk, yeast, salt, sugar, and shortening in large mixer like a Bosch. (*your Kitchen Aid is not big enough! It will handle a half recipe though.) Add warm water. Add about 4 to 5 cups flour and beat until well mixed. Add flour slowly until dough comes away clean from the edge of the mixing bowl. Allow to knead for 5 more minutes. Do not add too much flour. Cover with greased plastic and allow dough to rise. Once it has doubled in size, divide into 6 parts. Form each into a log, tucking and pinching the dough underneath to make it smooth on top. (This is easily done if you lightly roll out the dough and roll up lengthwise, pinching together seam and tucking in the ends.) Place each into a greased loaf pan and raise until the size of a bread loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6 loaves.

*I have made this bread with fresh milk too and it works great. Just omit powdered milk and use 3 cups warm milk and 3 cups warm water in the place of the 6 cups warm water.

Mom's Bran Muffins

Do you have a basic, good old fashioned recipe for bran muffins? One that doesn't use bran flakes cereal? If you have never tried bran muffins "the real thing" then you have got to try these! When you make bran muffins with real bran instead of cereal they tend to be much smoother and lighter. That's not to say I don't love the cereal bran muffins - they are wonderful too. But this recipe is one that we grew up eating and it holds a special place in my heart - you know, the part that is designated for all comfort foods! I must say, I always loved it too - even as a child. My little boy devours these too. That is saying something for it being a pretty healthy muffin! I remember Mom making these and putting them in this great little basket that had a fabric cover for keeping them warm that was shaped like a hen. To get the muffins out you had to lift a wing from either side and slide your piping hot muffin out! It was made out of this bright and crazy design classic for the 70's!! It was so cute - I would LOVE to have something just like that. When I would see that hen on the breakfast table I would get so excited! I may just have to sew one up myself... I just got sewing machine for Christmas, after all! :)

Anyway, I'll get off memory lane and come back to the recipe.... whip these tasty muffins up one day and let me know how much you loved them! (By the way, you can buy bran at a health food store that has bran in a bulk bin. It is MUCH cheaper than buying a little prepackaged bag at the grocery store.)

Don't forget to enter the Busy Mom Give Away!! Just scroll down to Melanie's post on Monday and leave a comment about what you like to make for dinner on crazy busy nights!



Mom's Bran Muffins
submitted by Brittany ~ www.thesisterscafe.com

printable recipe

2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tb shortening
1 cup sour cream
1 cup bran
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Beat together eggs, brown sugar and shortening. Add rest of ingredients and stir to combine. (You can do by hand or with a mixer.) Grease or line muffin tin and spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Serve with butter and homemade jam! Makes 12 muffins.

**I love to make mini pb&j sandwiches with these muffins the next day... yum!

Grandma's Famous Blueberry Muffins

I made my grandma's delicious blueberry muffins for a special treat last Sunday... my entire family was in raptures at the breakfast table! They are so incredibly yummy - fluffy and light with fat blueberries and a hint of lemon and the best part...sugary, buttery tops.... aaaah! Absolutely the best blueberry muffin recipe out there. I grew up eating these muffins every time we went to visit Grandma in Magrath, Alberta. She would make huge batches of all her special muffins (I will have to post the others some day) and freeze them so that we could all have homemade muffins during our visit. What a wonderful Grandma!!

Grandma's Blueberry Lemon Muffins

submitted by Brittany

printable recipe

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

zest of one lemon

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/2 cup  butter*, softened

1 cup frozen blueberries (or fresh)

Topping:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 Tb lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Beat egg, milk and butter.  Add dry ingredients and lemon zest. Stir gently to combine. Fold in blueberries.   Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Combine butter and lemon juice. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the butter and lemon juice, then dip in sugar. Makes 12 muffins.

*Grandma uses shortening which creates a better texture but I substitute butter because I try to avoid shortening and I love the taste of butter! It works great either way.

Recipe Source: My maternal grandmother Ruth Rice

Mom's Soothing Drink for a Sore Throat

This afternoon my oldest son came home from school looking miserable. When I asked about his day, he told me that his throat hurt and he felt awful. I told him to change out of his damp clothes (it is gray and rainy here in Tennessee) and get into warm and comfy clothes while I prepared something that would help him feel better. I quickly whipped up this drink that my Mom always made for me when I had a sore throat. It is the same drink that her Mom always made for her. Who knows how many generations in my family have been making this little sore throat soother. It is a very simple recipe but it does work wonders. I am a firm believer that food is medicine. What we put into our system truly effects our bodies for good or bad.

For centuries in traditional medicine, the lemon has been widely known for it's healing powers and has been used many ways. In fact the lemon is so powerful that it was used by the Romans as a cure for all types of poison. Lemons are an anti bacterial, anti viral and honestly if you google it you can read all kinds of articles about how they will help your body fight off about every illness, including sore throats and colds. Honey is also a known remedy for sore throats because of its antimicrobial properties. It not only soothes sore throats, but can kill certain bacteria that cause the infection.

So my great( great?)grandma knew what she was doing with this recipe! I am glad my Mom continued making it for me. I always felt better after sipping this, but mostly I felt loved and cared for by my sweet Mom! It makes me happy to continue such a comforting family remedy on to my children. So next time you have a sore throat give this a try and start your own little tradition. It really does help!

Do you have a favorite home remedy??

Soothing Sore Throat Drink

submitted by Melanie

Squeeze the juice from half to a whole lemon (today I used a whole Meyer lemon)

1 cup of very warm water

1-2 TB of honey (I used 2 TB today)

Stir and serve!

Grandma’s Rolls

These rolls are from my maternal grandmother, Ruth Rice, who happens to be a fantastic cook! Grandma has always baked her own breads, canned and bottled her own fruits, veggies, jams, pickles, etc (grown in her enormous garden), made all kinds of wondrous candy and even raised her own chickens! She takes the concept of work ethic to a whole new level - and I have only touched on her food related accomplishments! I love going to Canada to visit her and my grandpa because I get to stuff myself with all that delicious comfort food while spending time with them! :) She is a wonderful woman with a big heart and a no nonsense attitude (a combination I adore). This is her famous roll recipe that I am about to share with you. She uses it for dinner rolls and sweet rolls... and they are always a hit. FYI I tried them with butter instead of shortening and they were still really good but just weren't the same...

Grandma’s Dinner Rolls

submitted by Brittany

2 rounded Tb yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
1 cup warm milk
½ cup sugar (2/3 c for sweet rolls)
6 Tb shortening
2 tsp salt
4 eggs
7-8 cups flour

Beat first 7 ingredients until smooth. In an electric mixer with a dough hook, add flour one cup at a time until dough forms a ball, cleaning off edge of bowl. Knead 5 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand). Let rise until double. Punch down dough and let rise until double again. (To make this easier, I leave the dough in the mixing bowl with dough hook, covered with a damp towel. When it has risen double, I turn on the machine briefly to gently punch down the dough. Then I cover again with the towel and allow to rise again.) Punch down again and divide into 3 parts. Roll out each part and form into rolls. *I prefer butterhorn rolls: roll each segment of dough into a circle. With a pizza cutter, cut into fourths then each fourth into thirds - making 12 pie shapes. Roll each one up starting at the wide end. Place on cookie sheet and let rise briefly. Watch carefully as rolls will rise very quickly now after 2 risings. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

**DO NOT overbake. They should be a light golden color. Disregard the picture and how brown they look. I overbaked them on accident!! Also I added ground flax seed (always do with bread) so that is what the little flecks are.

Grandma's Zucchini Bread

This is the recipe that my Mom always made growing up, and I have to say... I LOVE IT! She got the recipe from her mom, so it has been a family favorite for awhile. I love the addition of nutmeg, allspice, and cloves to the cinnamon that is found in most recipes. Plus this recipe has the best crust! It is stays together great, but the crust has an almost crumbly texture in your mouth. And the center remains soft and delicious. You'll just have to try it! My husband and I have already made it three times...

Zucchini Bread
Submitted by Mindy ~ The Sisters Cafe

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins (I don't like raisins, so I left them out)
1 cup walnuts (yet another thing I prefer to leave out)

Combine flour, soda, salt, baking powder and spices; sift, then set aside. Beat oil, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Then add zucchini, vanilla, flour mixture, raisins and walnuts. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Makes 2 medium loaves.

Grandma's French Bread

My Grandma is an excellent cook. This is her recipe for French Bread. When she makes it, she usually bakes a triple batch, so she can freeze all the loaves for family dinners. Her bread and rolls are the best! I use my bosch mixer with this recipe, but you could use a kitchen aid, or even a bowl and heavy spoon. It is so easy, and so good!! It freezes well and makes GREAT paninis and french toast! This makes 2 loaves.

Grandma’s French Bread

Submitted by Melanie~The Sisters Cafe

2 ¼ c. warm water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
5 ½ -6 cups flour-stirred before measured

First dissolve sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let this proof—or sit for a few minutes until it bubbles. Then add salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and beat well (At this point I switch to my dough/kneading attachment on my Bosch mixer) Add in 2 1/2 -3 more cups of flour. The dough should clean off the sides of the bowl and not be too sticky. Knead for a few minutes. Leave the dough in the mixer to rest for 10 minutes and then stir it down (turn on your mixer for 10 seconds) and then allow to rest another 10 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times. Then turn dough onto a floured surface and knead it 2 or 3 times to coat with flour. Divide into 2 equal parts. Roll each part into a 9x13 rectangle. Roll dough up, starting from long edge of loaf to seal. Arrange seam side down on large baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with corn meal, allowing room for both loaves. Repeat with second part of dough. With a sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at an angle on the top of each. Cover lightly; allow to rise 30 minutes. Brush entire surface with egg wash (one egg beaten slightly with 1 Tbsp of water). If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes at 375. Cool on racks
NOTE: For a crustier loaf, a pan of hot water may be set on bottom of oven while bread is baking.