Baked Elephant Ears Food

ELEPHANT EARS

Steps:

• Heat milk with butter until butter melts.
• Set aside to cool to lukewarm.
• Stir yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar into warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine milk and yeast mixtures with 2 1/2 cups flour, salt, and nutmeg.
• Stir until smooth.
• Cover and let stand until bubbly, 30 minutes.
• Stir in beaten eggs, then add additional flour to make a soft but not sticky dough.
• Turn dough onto a floured board and knead until smooth, supple, and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Return dough to bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until dough is doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch down and divide into 4 pieces.
• Divide each piece into 4 or 5 pieces.
• Put several inches of oil in a large, deep pan such as a chicken fryer or heavy dutch oven.
• Heat to about 360 degrees F.
• Work each ball of dough with the hands, shaping into a large disk, about 10 inches long and 6 inches wide.
• Fry one at a time, turning once, until nicely browned.
• Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or cinnamon sugar while hot.
• Serve at once.

ELEPHANT EARS

Steps:

• In small saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar and shortening. Heat until shortening melts and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm, 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Sprinkle in yeast and let sit until foamy.
• Transfer mixture to large bowl, and stir in flour to make a dough. Knead until smooth, cover and let rise 30 minutes.
• In a large heavy skillet or deep fryer, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll out 1 to 2 inch balls of dough into thin sheets. Fry sheets 1 to 2 minutes on a side, until puffed and golden. Drain on paper towels.
• Combine cinnamon and 6 tablespoons sugar. Sprinkle over warm pastries. Serve.

CINNAMON ELEPHANT EARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and kosher salt and pour it over a flat surface such as a wooden board or marble slab. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar mixture.
• Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon and spread it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, lightly roll the dough until it's a 13-inch square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square toward the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold one half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Bake the cookies for 6 minutes, or until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

BAKED ELEPHANT EARS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir milk and egg yolk into yeast mixture; add to flour mixture, stirring to form a stiff dough (dough will be sticky). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours., Preheat oven to 375°. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; roll dough into an 18x10-in. rectangle. Spread with softened butter to within 1/4 in. of edges. Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut crosswise into 24 slices. Cover slices with plastic wrap until ready to flatten., In a small bowl, mix ingredients for cinnamon sugar. Place a 6-in.-square piece of waxed paper on a work surface; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon sugar. Top with 1 slice of dough; sprinkle dough with an additional 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon sugar. Roll dough to a 4-in. circle. Using waxed paper, flip dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining ingredients, placing slices 2 in. apart. Bake 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

ELEPHANT EARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Unfold the pastry sheet on a clean work surface. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar. Starting at each long side, fold the pastry toward the center, leaving a 1/4-inch space in the middle. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar. Fold one side over the other, making a 4-layer rectangle. Cut the rectangle into twelve 3/4-inch slices and put the slices cut-side down on baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer them from the baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

ELEPHANT EARS

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in water. Add milk, sugar, salt, shortening and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , On a floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch down and shape into 15 ovals, 5-1/2-in. round by 1/8-in. thick. Heat 3-4 in. of oil to 375° in deep-fat fryer. Fry ovals, one at a time, 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain. Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over warm pastries.

ELEPHANT EARS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Grease a cookie sheet with shortening.
• Heat margarine until melted; set aside.
• Stir flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• Stir in milk and 3 tablespoons of the melted margarine until dough forms.
• Sprinkle a surface lightly with flour; turn dough onto surface.
• Knead 10 times.
• Roll dough with a rolling pin or pat with hands into a rectangle, 9x5 inches.
• Brush with remaining melted margarine, using a pastry brush; sprinkle with mixture of 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon.
• Roll dough up tightly, beginning at narrow end.
• Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal.
• Cut into 4 equal pieces with sharp knife.
• Place cut sides up on cookie sheet; pat each into a 6-inch circle.
• Sprinkle with more sugar.
• Bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Immediately remove from cookie sheet with a spatula.
• Let cool on wire rack.