Baking Day!!

I just thought I'd show everyone my very first loaf of bread I have ever baked without cheating (you know....breadmaker...). Isn't it gorgeous? I didn't get a good post-baking shot of this one, but if you look below there is one of my mini loaf that we ate with some home-made pear butter. I did the pear butter in September with pears from my parent's fruit trees. It is sooo delicious!! Next year I'm making a ton more!

I was so proud of my bread because it raised up perfectly and tasted divine. Not bad for my first try. I can't wait to try some other bread recipes now...so if you have one, send it my way!

Mmmmmmmmm............pear butter and freshly baked bread......perfection!!!!!
After the bread success, I decided to use up some pumpkin I had and try out my Grandma's pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe. Wow! It was awesome!! And aren't these rolls just gorgeous?! The best part is the "secret" ingredient in the icing.......a dash of almond extract....it really complements the pumpkin. This pan plus four more rolls on a separate pan makes up half a batch....can you believe it?? It was enough to feed an small army, not to mention that a whole batch would not fit in my mixer. I spiced up the recipe a bit because I like it that way...but I thought I'd post it. Now just remember...if you enter it into a baking contest and win, make sure you give credit to Grandma Nedra Allen....this was her mom's recipe...and I can still remember when I was a little girl going up to Great Grandma and Grandpa Pack's cabin...Great Grandma Pack always had a pan full of cinnamon rolls, and a batch of homemade old fashioned root beer waiting for us. Okay, enjoy!!!!

P.S. This recipe isn't really exact...that's the way it came to me, so feel free to play with it, and good luck!! I put my additions in italics.

Grandma Allen's Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup pumpkin

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ginger

1 pkg yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water

flour to make like bread dough

2 cups warm milk

---cinnamon, sugar, butter and raisens

Cream shortening and sugar, add pumpkin, egg and salt and mix until combined. Add yeast mixture. Alternate adding warm milk and enough flour to make like soft bread dough, you may need to knead in the remaining flour as it will FILL your mixer. (I went with the dough still a little on the sticky side...use your judgement.) Raise to double. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick, spread with butter, sprinkly with cinnamon and sugar and raisens (if you don't like raisens...they are still delicious without). Roll and cut into 1 inch thick rolls, place on greased cookie sheet and raise again until desired size (I love them HUGE). Bake at 400-425 degrees about 15 minutes.

The glaze is just milk and powdered sugar to make a glaze consistency, with a dash of vanilla and a dash of almond extract. Please do try the almond...it is so perfect for the not so sweet pumpkin rolls.

Enjoy!!!