Russian Mennonite Favorites

Ok, so they're personal favorites...other Russian Mennonites can have wierd tastes sometimes...beware, the Russian Mennonites of the old days had MUCH more time on their hands than college students...but I highly suggest you try these recipes!

Zwieback Recipie -- makes 4 dozen
(see below for bread maker adaptation)

2 c. milk -- warm
1 stick of margerine
1 stick of butter
(or 2 sticks of butter)
4 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1 c. water -- warm
1 1/2 pkg yeast (1pkg. = 2 1/4 t.)
8-10 cups of flour

Put in yeast in a large bowl. Add flour*, sugar, and salt. Melt butter and add to heated -- but not boiling -- milk and water. Pour in while stiring dry mixture. Knead well*. Let rise. Pinch into big balls and small balls. (Not too big and not too small. Remember -- they rise later.) Place on greased cookie sheets and cover with a tea towel. Let rise for 1 hour. After risen, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dip finger in water and make an indentation in the center of the bigger balls. Place small balls in the indentations of the big ones. Bake two pans at a time for apx. 10 minutes. Switch levels of pans and bake again for apx. 10 minutes (20 min total). Take out of oven. It doesn’t matter if the bread is cooled to eat it. (In my opinion, it’s best when warm.) Eat with jelly and butter, if you like. It’s rich, so butter may not be nessecary. Enjoy!

* Add 8 c. first; when kneading, add more until perfect. The dough should not be sticky, but not too firm. When kneading, keep adding just enough flour so dough stops sticking, but is not firm. It should be elastic.
**Kneading zwiebach can be tricky. When adding flour, be sure you don't knead too much; otherwise it will become hard and less pliable. Many people consider making zwieback as an art. Don't feel bad if they're not perfect the first time.

Bread Maker Zwiebach

1 1/4 t. yeast
4 1/2 c. white flower
1 t. salt
2 T. sugar
heat 1-2 min (must be warm to activate yeast w/ sugar):
1 c. milk
1/2 water
1 stick of butter

set maker not to bake: just mix, knead, let rise. take it out when bread reaches top of maker. Follow rest of intstructions above.

I prefer to knead the zwiebach by hand...I can control the dough quality better that way.
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Pfeffernusse (Peppernuts)

1 c. butter 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. cloves
1 c. sugar 2 t. cinnamon Enough annise
1 c. Karo syrup 1 t. nutmeg to add spicy
1 c. sour cream 1 t. ginger flavor.

Blend together (in order as listed starting with butter and sugar) and add enough flour to make the dough stiff. It should be stiff enough to roll into long ropes like playdough. Chill. Roll dough a little at a time into long ropes about 1/3 in. thick or smaller. Cut dough with scissors into sections the size of a dime. Place on greased cookie sheet. They can be close together, but not touching. Cook at 350 Degrees for 15 min. Done when the dough forms a crust. Don't over bake! They'll get hard and will threatten to crack your teeth. Smaller cookies take shorter time; no longer than 15 min. for tiny ones. Large up to 20 min. Enjoy! (Ask Zeb for his family's practice with the ones that stick together.)

Ok there are tons of recipes for peppernuts. My own wonderful recipe flew out of my head the moment I baked them all. Maybe with my 4-week christmas break I'll recreate it. Anyway feel free to create your own recipe, adding more or less spices as you see fit. You can replace the Karo syrup with maple syrup or molases (my preference).
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Flo's Varenikje Recipe (for those of you who were there when I made them, this recipe isn't nearly as salty as mine ended up. I just can't follow directions)

Dough:
8 1/2 c. flour
1/2 T baking powder
1 T salt
2 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. instant dry milk
2 c. shortening

Mix with mixer until it resembles cornmeal - store on shelf. 8 c. of mix makes 40 varenikje.
To 8 c. of mix, add 1 1/2 c. water. Mix well and knead until smooth and shiny. Roll out as thin as possible (in portions). Cut circles in sizes desired (1 lb coffee can is a good size). Refrigerate circles till chilled or overnight.

Filling**:
4 cartons 12 oz. dry cottage cheese*
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Mix with mixer till it clings together. form into balls to fit circles. place on paper towels and refrigerate overnight. place balls on circles. Wet edges and fold over and close with a fork. Deep fry. Serve with favorite gravy (I like onion or ham gravy). Best served with the really good sausage you can get at the MCC sale.

*cottage cheese must be dry, otherwise if the varenikje leaks durring frying it will pop and boil and burn and create a big mess of the oil. You can get it at any place owned by Kroger. Also called Baker's Cottage Cheese. If you can't find it, buy a little bit more cottage cheese and find a really fine strainer or a cheese cloth, and make cottage cheese as dry as possible.
**Also, it's good filled with apples and cinamon, or other fruit, as more of a desert.