Savory Buttermilk Ranch Batter Bread

Always and Forever 14

  Are you attending a Christmas dinner and are stumped thinking of something to bring? This lovely savory batter bread is just the ticket. It’s filled with the flavor of ranch dressing, and it makes a wonderful accompaniment to a turkey, duck, or ham main dish. Best of all, if there is any left over (doubtful, but possible), you can dry the slices in the oven for some instant seasoned croutons. 

This is a yeast bread and there are two risings involved. But, it is also a batter bread, so there is no need to knead. Your electric mixer does all of the heavy work. Your biggest challenge is waiting for it first to rise, and then to cool enough to slice into and eat. If you have a stand mixer, use the solid blade as this batter is very thick. If you are working with a hand mixer, you may need to stir in the last of the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon. The batter will be thick enough to burn out the motor on smaller appliances.

Buttermilk Ranch Batter Bread

4 ½ c. all purpose flour
2 pks active dry yeast (4 ½ tsp.)
2 tbsp. dry Ranch dressing mix
1/3 c. buttermilk
1/3 c. water
6 tbsp. butter
1/3 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream

Whisk together flour, yeast and ranch dressing mix in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a large microwave safe cup, combine buttermilk, water and butter. Heat in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, until water is very warm and butter melted.

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and half of dry ingredients using the solid blade on low speed. Stir in warmed milk and butter, beating slowly for 30 seconds and then increasing to medium speed for 1 minute. Fold in the second half of the dry ingredients, the eggs and sour cream. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Batter will come together but will still be sticky. Cover bowl with warm, damp cloth and allow to rise in warm, draft-free area for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Stir down batter. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan or Bundt pan. Pour batter evenly into pan. Cover with a warm, damp cloth and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until top is slightly browned and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter, if desired. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing with sharp serrated knife.
 
Notes: You can change this bread easily to your taste. Try using Italian dressing mix or your favorite combination of dried herbs for flavor. Just be sure to use regular milk instead of buttermilk or the flavor may be off.

One of my favorite products is Bak-Klene. This product combines oil and flour in an aerosol. It makes prepping pans – even fluted tube pans or Bundt pans – a cinch.

Holiday Cookie Exchange: Sour Cream Cutout Cookies

Sour crean cutouts offer a cakelike texture and lovely
surface for decorating with icing, sprinkles or other goodies.

Holiday Cookie Exchange: Sour Cream Cutout Cookies

This year, both Christmas and Hanukkah fall within the same date range. Many companies have carry-ins and cookie exchanges during this time of year, so here is a recipe that is easy to make, will satisfy sweet cravings and offers the dairy component that is part of the Hanukkah tradition.


Tools I use:
Metal cookie cutters: I find that the metal cutters have a nice, sharp cutting edge that creates well defined shapes. I have Christmas cutters, of course, but I also invested in a Star of David cutter for Hanukkah.

Silicon rolling mat: a silicon pastry mat comes in handy for rolling out cookie or pie dough. It has a slick surface which requires very little flour to keep your dough from sticking. It is also graded in inches, so you'll know how large your pastry circle is. These mats are easy to clean and roll up for storage.

Rubber rolling pin rings: These rubber rings allow you to roll your dough to a precise thickness. This avoids uneven pastry that may end up over or undercooked. It also gives your cookies or pie dough a more uniform appearance.


Sour Cream Cutouts
3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 eggs
1 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Place granulated sugar in large mixing bowl. Combine vanilla and almond extracts with melted butter, pour butter over sugar and cream together for 2 - 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Let rest for 5 minutes. At low speed, add eggs, one at a time, mixing in thoroughly.

Alternate adding dry ingredients with sour cream. After adding the last of the flour, beat until dough just comes together. Cover mixing bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

The next day, divide the chilled dough into two halves. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape one half of the dough into a disc, and roll out on floured mat to 1/4" thickness. Use cookie cutters to create desired shapes, and transfer gently to the cookie sheets. Try to get as many cuts as possible out of the first roll, because rerolling the dough can make it tough and your cookies won't rise as nicely. Do the same with the second half of the dough, then combine what is left of both dough halves, reroll and cut more cookies.

Place sheets on the middle racks of the oven. Bake 10 - 12 minutes total, rotating sheets from one rack to the other after 5 - 6 minutes. Slide the parchment off of the baking sheets and allow cookies to cool before packaging or decorating.

Add Free Web Directory