Tate's Bakeshop Squash Rolls

Brush tops with melted butter as soon as you pull them out of the oven.

With dire weather predicted Monday through Wednesday of this week, it is time to hunker down with homemade bread, steaming pots of soups and stews, and a stack of good books.  In preparedness I made a batch of Squash Rolls.  Hot from the oven these are so light and delicious that one calls for another.  If the thought of making bread has you shaking in your snow boots, don't despair, I made these in the bread machine!  Both the traditional directions and ABM directions are below, so you can decide for yourself how to proceed.

Shaped and ready for the oven.  When shaping them into rounds, pinch the dough together and place the rolls, pinched-side down into the pan.

You can see the little flecks of butternut squash throughout this delicious roll.

Tate's Bakeshop Squash Rolls

1-1/4 oz. package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup squash*

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoon butter 

2-1/2 to 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Traditional directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water, with a temperature between 105-110 degrees F; set aside. Scald milk in a heavy medium saucepan.  Remove from heat and add squash, sugar, salt, and butter.  Stir until butter is melted and fully incorporated into the mixture.  Add yeast and water to the squash mixture. Place 2-1/2 cups flour in a large bowl.  Add the squash mixture to the flour and mix together well.  Turn dough onto a floured board and knead it until it is smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed.  Oil a medium-sized bowl.  Turn dough into bowl, cover and place it in a warm spot to allow it to rise.  Once it's doubled in size (about 1 to 1-1/2 hours depending upon the temperature of your house), punch it down and move it to a floured board.  Divide the dough into twelve equal portions and shape into rolls.  Place the rolls in a greased 9" x 13" pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden.

ABM directions:

This is not a bread machine recipe, per se, but I have found that a lot of non-ABM recipes work just fine in the bread machine, these rolls included.  I simply put all of the ingredients into the bread machine according to the manufacturer's instructions and set the machine to the "dough" setting.  After the 90-minute cycle was complete. I dumped the dough onto a floured board (the dough is a bit sticky, but don't be alarmed, the rolls will come out fine), punched it down and continued as directed above, by shaping them and putting them into a greased pan and baking.  The rolls pictured here are the result of having been made in the bread machine.

*I emailed Kathleen King, owner of Tate's and editor of the cookbook, and asked her which is better, to roast a fresh butternut squash or use frozen.  She told me that frozen squash may be used equally well in this recipe and saves a lot of time and trouble.  Simply thaw out the package of squash, measure out the 1/2 cup and then cook and enjoy the rest.

For more delicious recipes from Tate's, I strongly recommend this book.

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Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was looking forward to being snowed in today and spending all of my time in the kitchen testing new recipes from the enormous stack of coffeetable-sized cookbooks that I collected from the library recently, nearly throwing my back out when I lugged them to the car.  I did just that - for TEN HOURS - and when push came to shove, none of them really thrilled me.  I tried Marsala Mushroom Soup from The Italian Slow Cooker cookbook and it didn't hold a candle to the recipe I currently use.  I tried Whole Lemon Muffins from The Pastry Queen Royally Good Recipes cookbook and despite the fact that an ENTIRE lemon (skin, pith and all) goes into this recipe it just didn't taste all that lemony to me (although my husband loved them, so I may write about them later).  I also tried a new recipe for barbecue sauce when I found that I didn't have any to cover my seared ready-for-the-oven pork steaks and had to make some.  Sadly the bottled variety I usually use was better than the homemade version, alas.  

I did learn something though.  I learned that sometimes old favorites are the best.  So I lifted the lid on the cookie jar and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie.  Nothing says comfort like chocolate chips, and while it did nothing for my stiff neck, sore back, and aching feet, it did wonders for my soul.

Thin and crispy, yet rich and chewy, indulge yourself in a batch of Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies.  You deserve them!

Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease, or parchment-line 2-3 cookie sheets.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugars, then add the water and vanilla.  Mix until just combined.  Add eggs to the butter mixture and mix them lightly.  Stir in the flour mixture.  When flour is mixed in, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop 2 tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough, 2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.  (I used a cookie scoop for this.)  Make sure the cookie sheets are well greased.  I like to use parchment paper.  Bake for 12-17 minutes or until the edges and centers of the cookies are golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire racks.

For more tasty recipes from Tate's Bake Shop, I recommend their cookbook.  It is chock full of deliciousness.