homemade maple bars

Today I made bread, as I do almost every Sunday, except today I saved some of the dough to make homemade maple bars.  I spent the afternoon writing (yay!) and waiting for bread to rise.  Then when the bread had risen, I put four loaves in the oven.  After that I took the leftover dough and made maple bars.

After my hard work was done, I got to enjoy a plate of maple bars, a glass of milk and my new book "Call the Midwife" by Jennifer Worth on my Tablet.  It was a very good afternoon.

---

After posting this picture on Facebook I had a few requests for the recipe. Here it is:

It's my basic Cunningham Bread Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Set a stick of butter to melt in a frying pan on the stovetop
Put 5 tbsp yeast & 1 tbsp of sugar in a coffee mug. Fill the mug half way with warm water.
Set the mug on the stove to let it rise.
While the yeast rises and the butter melts,
mix together in a HUGE bowl 2 quarts of warm water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt
Then pour about half your melted butter into the bowl
And add the mug of yeast that has risen.

Stir the ingredients until the yeast is fully dissolved.
Then start adding flour.  For me it usually takes more than seven pounds of flour.
Stir with a spoon until you no longer can.
Then rub your hands in the melted butter, and go for it.

It usually takes me about ten minutes to get the dough to a non sticky state.
I add flour and punch, add flour and punch, add flour and punch.

Then I put a towel over it, and let it rise on the stove top where it's nice and warm for an hour.
Once it has risen, I beat it once more, then move it into the bread pans.
I let it rise in the bread pans for another half hour.
I cook the bread for 45 minutes at 350.

Now if you want maple bars, instead of putting the dough in the bread pans, once it has risen, I roll it out.
I roll it to about 1/4 inch thick, then cut it into a rectanle-ish shape,
and drop it into pre-heated vegetable oil in a large pot, which I have heated to about medium high.
I leave it until it's a nice golden brown, then flip to darken the other side.
Then I use a strainer in a large bowl so that when I pull the maple bar out of the oil, the excess oil can drip off. (note: you want them darker than light because if they are too light, they will be dough-y, which is not so good on the tummy!)

Once they cool, you can frost them.

Maple Frosting:
6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
6 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp mapleine

I mix all four ingredients together with a mixer until it is smooth. Then I stick it in the fridge for about an hour so it hardens up/thickens.  It's pretty much the best thing I have ever made, and I may or may not eat it by the spoonful.

---

It seems like making the dough for just maple bars would be a LOT of work, but for me, it's not a big deal because I have to make the bread anyway.  I highly recommend making the bread, it's awesome for just plain toast, or with lasagna or spaghetti- yum!

~enjoy~