Bread Winners

The aroma of freshly baked bread brings comforting thoughts of home. These recipes are from the 1989 What's Cooking in the Bluegrass.

Susan's 3-C bread
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon each baking powder, soda and cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded carrots
1 package (3 1/2 ounces) flaked coconut
1/2 cup each snipped maraschino cherries, raisins and
chopped pecans
In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add egg mixture and mix until combined. Stir in by hand carrots, coconut, cherries, raisins and pecans.
Pour into 4 greased and floured 16-ounce fruit or vegetable cans. Bake at 350 degrees 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from cans and cool thoroughly. Or bake 1 large loaf in 9- by 5- by 3-inch pan 55 to 60 minutes. Recipe is best if it seasons at least 1 day.
-- Susan L. Rogers, Winchester

Cranberry-orange bread
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup orange juice
2/3 cup mayonnaise
3 eggs
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 cups halved cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
Grease and flour 4 small loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a small mixing bowl, at low speed, beat orange juice, mayonnaise, eggs and orange rind until well blended. Add to flour mixture and stir until flour is moistened. Stir in cranberries.
Pour into prepared pans. In a small bowl, mix 1?4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon orange rind, and sprinkle mixture over each loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans. Makes 4 small loaves.
-- Ellenann Meier, Lexington

Monkey bread
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package dry yeast
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup melted butter
Combine milk, 1/2 cup butter, sugar and salt in saucepan. Heat until butter melts. Cool to 105 to 115 degrees. Add yeast, stirring until dissolved.
Place flour in a large bowl. Add milk mixture and stir until well blended. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees) about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Roll into 1 1?2 inch balls. Dip each in melted butter.
Layer balls of dough in a 10-inch 1-piece tube pan or bundt pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes; then invert onto serving plate. Makes 1 10- inch loaf.
-- Patsy Brown, Louisa

Bacon cheddar bread
24 frozen yeast rolls
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup bacon bits
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Let frozen rolls thaw 30 minutes. Spray tube pan with vegetable spray. Combine Parmesan, sesame seeds and basil. Use about 1/3 of this mixture to coat the inside of the pan, tapping it all around. Dip each softened roll in melted butter. Put 10 in the pan, spacing widely as they will rise. Sprinkle with half the remaining Parmesan mixture and all the bacon and cheese.
Dip the remaining rolls in butter and put on top of the first layer. Sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan mixture and pour remainder of butter over rolls. Cover and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. Take out of refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. May also rise for 2 hours at room temperature. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 10 servings.
-- Susan Umberger, Lexington

Scottish muffins
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 beaten egg white
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
Sift flour with cream of tartar, soda and salt. Stir in sugar. Rub in butter. Mix the beaten egg white in a small bowl with 1/4 cup milk.
Stir into flour with enough additional milk to make a soft dough. (Add milk gradually or you will get too much.) Turn onto floured board. Roll out lightly to 1-inch thickness. Cut into rounds with floured biscuit cutter 2 1/2 to 3 inches across. Place a little apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes. Raisins may be added if desired. Makes 18 muffins.
-- William K. Hubbell, Lexington

Cinnamon bread
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Dissolve soda in buttermilk. Add alternately with flour. Mix until blended. Pour half the batter into greased glass loaf pan.
Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle half of the sugar-cinnamon mixture over the batter. Top with remaining batter and sugar mixture. Swirl through the batter with a knife. Bake 50 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees.
-- Sue Jones, Lexington