December 28, 2017

Grandma Johnson's White Bread


6 cups hot water
3 TBS yeast
2/3 cup sugar
2 TBS salt
1/2 cup butter or shortening
16 cups flour

1. In bowl of large mixer, mix water, sugar, and 6 cups flour together until combined.

2.  Add yeast and mix.

3.  Add salt and butter and mix.

4.  Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl and not sticky.  (You may not need the entire 10 cups of flour, I usually don't add it all).

5.  Cover bowl and let raise until double in size, about an hour.

6.  Beat dough down and shape into loaves.  Place in 6 greased bread pans.  Let raise until doubled in size, about an hour.

7.  Bake in preheated oven at 350℉ for 30 minutes.

8.  Place on wire racks to cool.  If desired brush tops of hot bread with butter.

Yield 6 loaves of bread

from Gene Johnson

December 26, 2017

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Sugar Cookies


1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1-3/4 cup sugar plus 1 cup for rolling the cookie dough balls in
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extraact

1.  Place the oven rack in the middle position.  Preheat oven to 350 ℉.   Line two baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

2.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

3.  In the bowl of a stand mixture beat the butter on medium until smooth.

4.  Add the 1-3/4 cup sugar and beat on medium until light and fluffy.  (It should take 2-3 minutes to be fluffy light yellow).

5.  Add the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined.

6.  Place the remaining 1 cup sugar in a medium bowl.

7.  Form the cookie dough into balls.  Roll each ball in the sugar and place on cookie sheet.

8.  Bake until edges have set and centers are puffed and started to crackle.  Mine took about 8 minutes. Depends on the size you make the cookie dough balls.

9.  Let the cookies cool on the pan completely.

From Five Silver Spoons