Christmas Brunch? In the Oven!
Certain aromas are irrestible: chocolate, cookies, steak, and of course, fresh-baked bread. And around the holiday, home-baked goodies are even more special. Christmas morning just isn't the same without brunch—brunch with hot biscuits, cinnamon rolls, or banana bread.
If you’re not a master baker, though, baking bread might seem like more trouble than it’s worth. There’s a way around that problem. In the frozen food section you can pick up ready-to-bake breads, rolls and more. Frozen bread dough is perfect for our fast-paced lives; it’s convenient, easy and satisfying. And it helps you look like a rock star when you bring out steaming hot goodies!
Some of the breads—usually biscuits and dinner rolls—are packaged ready to put in the oven. Larger loaves may require thawing time. Either way, you’ll be the hero when you pull the pan out of the oven and that wonderful scent of bread fills the house! When using frozen bread dough, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Keep the dough frozen. Do not refreeze it after it has thawed. Every time the dough thaws, some yeast action is lost. This means that the rolls or bread will rise less or take longer to rise.
- If the dough should thaw, it is better to let it rise and bake it right away. Then you can freeze the baked rolls or bread.
- If there is a long trip between your supermarket and arrival home, keep the frozen dough wrapped in an insulated bag.
- Frozen dough can be placed in the refrigerator in the morning or the night before to thaw and begin rising. Time needed for the dough to rise after removal from the refrigerator will depend on how long (and how cold) it has been in the refrigerator.
- Let frozen dough rise before rolling it out for recipes. This makes it easier to roll out.
- Cover frozen dough loosely with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Do not try to thaw dough in the microwave.
- To reheat baked product, wrap in foil and heat in a 350°F oven about 15 minutes just before serving.
- To store baked breads, first let them cool completely, then place in a closeable plastic bag.
Check out Brookshire’s recipe for Pizza Roll-ups. Frozen bread dough helps create a tasty snack or kid-favorite lunch!
Pizza Rollups
Kids love these..and they're great party snacks!!
Ingredients:
1 loaf frozen bread dough
1 lb 90%-lean ground beef
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups reduced-fat grated mozzarella cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbs chopped parsley
4 cups (2 jars) spaghetti sauce, with or without meat, mushrooms, etc
Directions:
Thaw dough completely in the refrigerator. Roll dough into two 14x24: rectangles, about ¼ inch thick.
Brown ground beef. Drain. Add all remaining ingredients—but only 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce.
Spoon filling evenly onto dough. Slightly press filling into dough. Roll dough lengthwise like a jelly roll, and seal the edges with your fingertips. Cut each roll into 12 slices.
Spray 2 cookie sheets with nonstick spray. Place pizza slices about 1 inch apart on pans.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Let slices rest 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with remaining 1 cup spaghetti sauce for dipping.
These can be cooked and frozen, and microwaved as needed.
Makes 24 slices
Nutritional Information
Calories per slice: 154. Fat: 6 g (2 g saturated fat), cholesterol: 20 mg, sodium: 363 mg, carbohydrates: 16 g, fiber: 0 g.
© 2007, Brookshire Grocery Co. Nutrient counts are rounded to the nearest whole number. All dietary and lifestyle changes should be supervised by a physician.
Published 11/23/07
