Quick Mixer Bread

I thought I had lost this recipe the last time I wanted to make bread, so I figured I would get it posted, just in case I am ever in such a panic again.  This is a staple around here, not only for yummy home-made white bread, but for cinnamon rolls and scones.  I've only made it in a Bosch mixer (a very OLD Bosch mixer - but I'm not complaining!).  Mi mamita showed me how to make it years ago - I can't thank her enough.

(I was looking through my files for a picture of this delicious bread, and then noticed that it's on the blog header... along with the cinnamon rolls AND scones... all of which are made from this very recipe.  Check them out there!)

QUICK MIXER BREAD

Put into mixer:
7 cups flour
1 cup non-instant powdered milk (good use of food storage)
1 cube butter or margarine (I prefer butter), softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 to 1-1/2 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. instant yeast (I have used regular yeast and it works great too)

Blend with whips in mixer.  Add six cups of warm water and two eggs all at once before turning on whips again.  Whip until batter is smooth.  Put in bread hook and turn on mixer again.  Add more flour until you have a good bread texture (9 to 10 cups).  Mix for 10 minutes.  Turn off mixer and cover for 15 minutes.  Put butter on counter (because I have tile countertops, I use a large plastic cutting board with a damp towel underneath) and divide dough into loaves and roll out with a rolling pin.  (I roll into a rectangle, then tightly roll up, pinch and tuck ends, and pinch the end of the roll, placing it on the bottom of the pan.)  You can cook two loaves in a cake pan (I use bread pans, and have discovered that glass pans work best).  Let raise for about an hour or until double in bulk.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Enjoy!

Funeral Sandwiches

I tried these for the first time yesterday for our semi-annual General Conference luncheon.  I had found several recipes online and read many rave reviews, so I figured I would give them a try.  They were a huge hit.  I combined, then modified two different recipes, so I guess the end-result would be MINE.

Funeral Sandwiches
(I might need to find another name)

Dinner rolls*
24+ slices Black Forest Ham (I used Castlewood brand from Sam's, deli ham would be great too)
24 slices Swiss Cheese (I used the pre-sliced Tillamook, and cut the slices into smaller squares, then also used the edge pieces, 2 edge slices per sandwich)

Slice rolls, if needed.  Squeeze 24 rolls on an 11x15 inch sheet pan (it's okay if they are touching).  Place one slice of ham (some of my slices were super thin, so I added another half slice with those) and one slice of cheese on the bottom half of each roll, then replace tops.

*Most recipes I found called for King's Hawaiian Rolls.  I am not a fan of their texture and sweetness, so I opted to go for the dinner rolls from Sam's Club.  They were perfectly chewy (not spongey) and perfectly sweet with the following sauce.

Sauce of yumminess:
1 cube butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. poppy seeds (I used slightly less - they are mostly for aesthetics, I think)
1 tsp. onion powder

Mix together with a small whisk.  Brush tops of ham and cheese rolls liberally with sauce, then pour remaining sauce over all.  Cover pan with foil and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake rolls, covered, for 10 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

Since I was making these for a crowd, here are the quantities I used:

3 bags of Sam's dinner rolls (I think there are 36 rolls per bag)
3 pkgs. of Castlewood thinly sliced Black Forest Ham (Sam's)
1-1/2 pkgs. of Tillamook pre-sliced Swiss cheese (Sam's)

That made 4 sheet pans of rolls (96 total), with a few plain rolls left over, which was perfect for guests who may not want/like ham and cheese (only my cute 4 yr. old neighbor friend preferred a pb&j).

YUM-OH.