First-time North Dakota State Fair cooking competitor Brenda Gorseth won the grand slam Friday at the Fair, claiming first place in both Fleischmann's Yeast bread baking competitions and the SACO Foods cookie-baking challenge.
Joining her in the winners circle were two frequent competitors, Tobi Lynne of Minot, who placed second in Fleischmann's bread baking, and Rita Christianson of Glenburn, third-place winner in Fleischmann's "Baking for a Cure" contest.
Breast-cancer awareness, raised by the Fleischmann company in one category of its baking competition, attracted Gorseth's attention.
"My mother and several friends are breast cancer survivors," she said, "so that part of the contest caught my eye." Her displays of pink balloons and flowers, as well as a pink cancer-survival T-shirt, attracted the judges' attention, too.
While she had the stove fired up, Gorseth, also an avid gardener, baked the Spaghetti Bread, which won a second Fleischmann's contest, and her Decadent Chip cookies, filled with a variety of chips and toffee bits. She noted ingredients in that bread recipe also are good sources of lycopene, reputed to help fight cancer.
The wife of a Cathay rancher said, "My husband Dan and others tell me I'm a good cook, and on the farm you get a lot of practice, so I thought, 'Why not?'"
Gorseth, an English teacher in the Fessenden-Bowdon schools, brought her youngest son Dan, 9, also an enthusiastic cook, along for support at the Fair.
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Brenda Gorseth's Spaghetti Bread
1 package Fleischmann's RapidRise yeast
1-1/2 cups homemade spaghetti sauce (thinner than commercial brands)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-1/2 cups bread flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat spaghetti sauce and olive oil to 110 degrees in 2-cup glass measuring cup. Pour into large bowl. Sprinkle yeast in and stir. Let set for 10 minutes.
Stir in flour, sugar and salt, working until smooth. Knead 8 to 10 minutes on floured surface. Place in greased bowl, cover, let rise until doubled. Punch dough down; place in greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise again. Brush with egg white and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.
(Note: If you don't can your own spaghetti sauce, use 1 cup tomato juice, 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 teaspoon each of oregano, garlic powder, basil and rosemary.)
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Brenda Gorseth's Decadent Chip Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup butter-flavored Crisco
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding mix, dry (half of box)
1/3 cup SACO buttermilk blend, dry
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chips
1 cup Heath English toffee bits
Cream fats and sugars until creamy. Add pudding mix, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Sift flour, salt and soda together and add. Stir in chips and bits. Place on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 375 F.
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Brenda Gorseth's Multigrain Bread
3 cups bread flour, divided
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup ground flax
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
2 packages Fleischmann's active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons canola oil
Sesame seeds, optional
In mixing bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, rest of flours, sugars, soda and salt. Heat milk, water and oil to 120 F. Add to dry ingredients, beat until smooth. Stir in remaining cup of flour to form soft dough. Knead until elastic, 6 to 8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Punch dough down.
Divide into four pieces. Roll each into a 15-inch rope. Twist two ropes together and pinch ends to seal. Repeat with remaining dough. Place in two greased loaf pans. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover with towel and let rise about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 F for 30 to 35 minutes.
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Tobi Lynne's Peanut Butter & Fudge Fair Fantasies are a cookie that requires some preparation fuss, she admits, but she and judges at the North Dakota State Fair SACO "Bake your Best Cookie" contest agreed they are worth it.
The rolled cookie placed second in competition.
Lynne's Cheddar Bacon Braid, created for use in a bread machine, was runner-up in the Fleischmann's Yeast bread competition.
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Tobi Lynne's Cheddar Bacon Braid
3/4 cup water at 120 F
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons minced onion
1 teaspoon fresh garlic
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup fried bacon bits
3-1/2 cups white flour
1 package Fleischmann's Yeast
Place ingredients in bread machine in order given, using dough cycle. When dough has completed cycle, turn out on floured board. Divide into three pieces and shape into 15-inch ropes. Place on well-greased cookie sheet and braid. Make sure to tuck ends under to secure braid. Brush with 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water. Sprinkle top with 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt. Allow dough to rise 15 to 20 minutes. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 375 F. Check at 15 minutes and cover with foil to prevent over-browning if necessary. The last 5 minutes, sprinkle top with 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese.
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Tobi Lynne's Peanut Butter and Fudge Fair Fantasies
Cookie Dough
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons SACO buttermilk and 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-3/4 cup quick-cook oatmeal
2-2/3 cup flour
Fudge Filling
12-ounce bag SACO baking chocolate chunks
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
For fudge filling, place chunks and milk in glass or microwave-safe bowl. Cook 1 minute. Stir until blended. Depending on microwave, you may have to cook 30 seconds more.
For dough, cream shortening, butter, peanut butter and sugars well. Add eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla. Mix together and add oatmeal and flour. Divide dough in three parts. Flatten each into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick on greased wax paper. Dough will be sticky, so spray hands with cooking spray to ease preparation. Top each dough rectangle with 1/3 of fudge mixture. Roll up, jelly roll style and chill for an hour. Cut into slices and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 350 F. Allow to cool slightly on sheet before removing. Makes 48 cookies.
