DIANE'S CHICKEN AND DUMPLIN'S
1 whole chicken or parts of your choice
water to cover
salt to taste
6 cups plain flour
2 tbsp. baking powder (yes, tablespoons)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
black pepper to taste
2 1/2 - 3 cups HOT water, OR hot broth from chicken
Place cut-up chicken or parts in a large Dutch oven or pot. Cover with water and salt to taste. Cover and boil until tender. Remove chicken from broth and cool. Remove skin and debone chicken. Add black pepper to taste to broth. Have broth at a medium boil and prepare dumplings. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, shortening and baking powder. Cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with 2 butter knives, or I just usually use my hands to combine well. Add hot water or broth to obtain a medium-stiff dough. On floured surface, knead a little until the dough has a smooth texture. Pinch off about one fourth of the dough. Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/4 - to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into squares with a floured pizza cutter or sharp knife. If possible, remove squares to a large surface lined with waxed paper or foil, in a single layer, until all dough is rolled and cut out. Working quickly, add dumplings to broth, pushing dumplings beneath the boiling broth with a spoon as necessary as you add more dumplings. After all the dumplings have been added, CAREFULLY stir the dumplings occasionally to keep them separated and to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pot and sticking. Dumplings are done when they cut easily with a fork and are translucent and are no longer doughy in the center. Carefully add the boned and torn chicken to the dumplings. Cook just until heated through. Serve piping hot, with additional black pepper on the side. I like a lot of black pepper on mine - if you can still see the dumplings, there's probably not enough pepper on them, LOL. Makes a large Dutch oven of dumplings.
DIANE'S HOMEMADE YEAST ROLLS
6 cups bread flour
2 envelopes yeast, or 1 tbsp. bulk yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 cups warm water, test on wrist like formula for a baby (110-115 degrees for the obsessive people)
5 tbsp. sugar ( 1/2 cup for cinnamon rolls)
1/2 cup melted butter, stick margarine, or oil (obviously, the butter gives the best flavor, or use 1/4 cup each butter and oil)
In a LARGE bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the sugar, salt and butter or oil; mix till sugar is dissolved. Add 3 cups of the flour; mix well. Stir in 2 more cups of the flour, reserving the last cup of flour for kneading. Mix well, and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. According to the weather, it may take a little more or less flour for kneading. After kneading, place in an oiled bowl big enough to contain the dough after it doubles in size, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. (I usually put mine on the top rack of my oven and put a pan of warm water on the bottom rack. This really speeds up the rising process.)
Punch down and form into rolls, loaves or cinnamon rolls, (directions follow.) Place into greased pans (2 loaf pans or a 9x13 pan for rolls), and let rise again covered loosely with plastic wrap until doubled in size. Remove plastic wrap and preheat oven to 350-375 degrees. Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes or until brown and done. Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes. According to the size of the rolls and loaves and differing ovens, the baking time and temperature may vary quite a bit and have to be adjusted for those variables. If the loaves or rolls start to get too brown before they are done in the center, you may have to cover loosely with foil. Cool rolls and loaves on wire racks for 10 minutes or so, then carefully turn out onto racks to finish cooling. Run a knife around the sides to loosen if necessary. I butter (yes, real butter!) the tops of the rolls and loaves as soon as they come out of the oven. Good luck, I hope they turn out well for you.
CINNAMON ROLLS
Filling:
1/2 cup softened real butter or stick margarine, more or less, to your taste
1/2 cup sugar, more or less, to your taste
2-3 tablespoons cinnamon, more or less to your taste
Prepare the dough recipe above to the point of making into rolls, loaves or cinnamon rolls. Halve the dough. Set one half aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough in a rectangle to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread half the butter over the dough, to 1 inch of the long sides. Sprinkle with half the sugar and half the cinnamon. Carefully roll up, starting with the long side. Pinch the dough closed, making a seam. Seam side down, cut with a sharp knife into 1 inch thick pinwheels. Place in one or two greased 9x13 pans, 1 inch apart. Repeat with second half of dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove wrap. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown and done. Don't let them get too brown, cover loosely with foil if necessary. Cool on wire racks.
Prepare Glaze:
1 tsp. good vanilla
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
2 tbsp. butter, softened
small pinch salt, just a few grains
about 4 cups powdered sugar
whipping cream or canned milk to obtain consistency desired for glaze--about 3-4 tbsp. maybe
In a medium bowl, place butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. With the back of a spoon, press the sugar into the butter, mixing well. Add the salt, flavorings and the rest of the sugar. Mix well, then begin adding whipping cream or milk till desired consistency is reached. Use a wire whisk if necessary to beat out lumps. Drizzle or pour over cinnamon rolls. Serve hot if at all possible.
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