For 50 years, Rhodes frozen dough has been a boon for busy moms, enabling them to take hot, freshly baked rolls from the oven without the mixing, kneading and rising time.
In fact, when Herbert C. Rhodes started the company in Portland, Ore., in 1958, the slogan on the package was "We make it ... Mom bakes it!"
It's also a great help for kids who want to make a Mother's Day breakfast or lunch. There are good reasons why some of the company's recipes have become classics: They're easy and they taste good. You don't have to be a Rhodes scholar to make them. And you can adapt the recipes to homemade dough if you prefer to make your own.
Originally from England, Rhodes' first inventions were automotive parts for Model T Fords. In 1932, he founded Rhodes Bakery Equipment and patented machines for bread- and cookie-making. Then he bought a freezer manufacturing plant. In 1958, he combined the bakery equipment and refrigeration plants and developed Rhodes Bake-N-Serv bread, franchising 17 frozen dough plants over most of the United States, Canada and England.
In 1962, food broker Ken Farnsworth Sr. helped open the Idaho franchise, known as Champion Bake-N-Serv, and in 1964, his son, Ken Jr., brought it to Utah. In 1975, Ken Jr. became a partner in the Utah/Idaho franchise, and in 1990, he brought together all the remaining franchises as Rhodes International, with corporate headquarters in Murray and plants in Wisconsin and Idaho.
Over the years, various products were added, including dinner rolls in 1970, cinnamon rolls in 1991, orange rolls in 1997 and multigrain rolls in 2006. In 1999, the company came out with a freezer-to-oven AnyTime! line of products that doesn't need thawing and rising. The newest products are AnyTime! Pull-Aparts, modeled on a popular use for the dough.
Sue Petersen, who has been with Rhodes almost 20 years, said she remembers the days when Ken Jr.'s wife, ZoeAnn, created new recipes using the dough, with an artist sketching them for brochures. Today, Petersen sends out recipes and color photographs by e-mail to 8,000 newspapers and magazines. She also comes up with a weekly new recipe complete with a how-to video for the company's Web site, www.rhodesbread.com. Consumers can call the toll-free Bake Line at 800-876-7333 for recipes and advice.
The top-requested recipe is the Butterscotch Bubble Loaf, Petersen said. The concept is also referred to as "monkey bread," "sticky buns" or "pull-aparts" but uses butterscotch pudding mix instead of the usual cinnamon and sugar.
Kids can assemble it in a Bundt pan the night before, cover it with plastic wrap that's been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and refrigerate it. The dough will rise slightly overnight. In the morning, set it on the counter and let it rise to the top of the pan, then bake for a sweet and simple breakfast.
"A lot of consumers put it together while the dough is frozen and leave it out to rise overnight," said Petersen. "But I've done it, and it rises too much. But you could put it in the fridge overnight, then next morning it wouldn't take long to finish rising."
Rhodes Monkey Bread uses the same concept, but it's even easier because you use frozen cinnamon roll dough and caramel ice cream topping. And if Mom prefers savory over sweet, try Bacon Cheese Nibbles. The recipe can be streamlined even further by using precooked, crumbled bacon.
And if you're really pressed for time, you can use the company's new AnyTime! Pull-Aparts, in either "sticky bun" or "garlic butter" flavors. There's no rising time, and they bake in their own aluminum pan.
The second most-requested Rhodes recipe is for breadsticks crusted with Parmesan cheese. "They're just fabulous. As many years as I've worked here, that's still my family's favorite," said Petersen.
Some tips for making the breadsticks: It's easiest to work with the dough if it's thawed, but cold. Just roll the dough into a rope. If the ropes spring back a little, let them sit a minute and then restretch slightly, said Petersen.
The breadsticks are a great accompaniment for soup or chili. Or kids could make their own bread bowls for the soup, a touch impressive enough that no one will care if it's just Campbell's du jour. Add a green salad (from a bag if necessary) and a vase of flowers to make it a meal for Mom.
Another easy option: Kids can form the dough into a pizza crust and get creative with different toppings, from barbecue sauce and chopped chicken to banana cream.
When using the dough, the most important thing is to start with good product, said Petersen. "Make sure they're not stuck together or have ice crystals in them. Check the date on the package."
Also, let the dough rise until it's doubled in size before baking. Some cooks try to hurry the process by zapping it in the microwave. But excess heat kills the yeast, and after just a few minutes the dough becomes hard little balls. Rhodes has come up with a two-stage microwave thawing chart. You microwave them in a sealed bag on high for 15-120 seconds, depending on how many rolls you're thawing. Then you turn the bag over, redistribute the rolls and zap again for 20-60 seconds.
If the dough is left uncovered at room temperature, the air will dry it out. The Rhodes folks recommend spraying plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and then covering the rolls with it.
The rolls rise faster in a warm, moist area. You can create this by placing a steaming bowl of hot water in either a microwave or a regular oven, with the oven turned off. Set the dough in the closed oven to rise.
Tips
One 16-ounce loaf of Rhodes frozen dough equals eight Texas rolls or 12 regular dinner rolls.
To make a 12-inch pizza, use eight dinner rolls or six Texas rolls.
To thaw, allow eight hours in a refrigerator or one to two hours at room temperature. Thawed dough can be refrigerated up to two days.
Don't refreeze thawed dough.
To keep dough soft and moist while rising, cover with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Remove wrap before baking.
Dough is ready to bake when a finger is pressed into dough and an indentation remains.
CINNAMON STREUSEL BUNDT
12 Rhodes cinnamon rolls, uncooked and thawed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
Combine sugar and cracker crumbs. Place frozen cinnamon rolls in Bundt pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size (about 4-5 hours at room temperature).
If using AnyTime! rolls, no rising is needed. Bake at 350 degrees F 25-30 minutes. Invert immediately on serving platter. Frost with cream cheese frosting, included in package. Makes 12 servings. — Rhodes International
BUTTERY BREADSTICKS
24 uncooked rolls, thawed but still cold
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Garlic salt or McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning mix, if desired
Pour melted butter on an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet. Roll each roll to about 6 inches and then roll in butter until completely coated. Place cheese in separate bowl and roll buttered breadstick in cheese. Place breadsticks on baking sheet in two vertical rows of 12 each. Sprinkle with garlic salt or seasoning mix, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 24 servings.
Nutrition per breadstick: 130 calories, 6 grams fat, 12 mg cholesterol, 218 mg sodium, 17 grams carbohydrate, no dietary fiber, 2 grams sugar, 4 grams protein. — Rhodes International
BACON CHEESE NIBBLES
20 uncooked, frozen dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
6 pieces bacon, fried and crumbled
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Melt butter in a 9-by-13-inch or 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan. Cut each roll into three pieces. Roll pieces in butter and leave in pan. Sprinkle crumbled bacon over the rolls. Top with grated cheese. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Makes 20 servings.
Note: The Deseret News test kitchen had good results substituting multigrain rolls for dinner rolls, and 1/2 cup jarred precooked bacon bits for fried bacon, plus 1 tablespoon of dried minced onion.
Nutrition per serving: 189 calories, 11 fat grams, 24 mg cholesterol, 299 mg sodium, 17 grams carbohydrates, no dietary fiber, 2 grams sugar, 7 grams protein. — Rhodes International
BUTTERSCOTCH BUBBLE LOAF
24 uncooked, frozen dinner rolls, or 16 Texas rolls, semithawed
1/2 box butterscotch or vanilla pudding mix (about 1/3 cup, noninstant)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 cube) butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Thaw rolls until soft (about 2 hours at room temperature). Spray Bundt pan. Cut dinner rolls in half and dip in dry pudding mix. Arrange rolls in pan, alternately arranging and sprinkling pecans. Sprinkle remaining pudding mix over the top. Combine brown sugar and butter in microwaveable bowl. Heat together until butter is melted and a syrup is formed, about 1 1/2 minutes on high. Pour syrup over rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until dough doubles in size or is even with top of Bundt pan. Carefully remove wrap. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.
Cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking. Immediately after baking, loosen from sides of the pan with a knife and invert onto a serving plate. Serves 12. — Rhodes International
BERRY-ORANGE DELIGHT
8 Rhodes orange rolls, frozen
1 cup raspberry pie filling
1 cream cheese frosting packet (included with rolls)
Place 8 rolls in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon raspberry pie filling evenly over the top.
Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees F 15-20 minutes. Drizzle with cream cheese frosting. Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition per serving: 315 calories, 9 grams fat, no cholesterol, 272 mg sodium, 56 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram dietary fiber, 22 grams sugar, 4 grams protein. — Rhodes International
RHODES MONKEY BREAD
12 unbaked cinnamon rolls, thawed
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
Place cinnamon rolls in refrigerator overnight to thaw. Reserve frosting for another use and cut rolls into quarters. Dip each roll piece into butter and roll in sugar. Place in a sprayed Bundt pan. Sprinkle with pecans. Drizzle caramel topping over rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees F 35-40 minutes. Cool 1 minute and invert onto serving platter.
Note: If using Rhodes AnyTime! cinnamon rolls, they don't need any rising time. Bake at 350 degrees F 25-30 minutes. — Rhodes International
BANANA CREAM PIZZA
8 Texas rolls or 12 regular-size uncooked dinner rolls, thawed and risen
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 cups banana cream pudding (made from small box directions)
4-6 bananas, sliced
1 cup whipped topping
Press rolls together and roll dough into a 13-inch circle. Place on a 12-inch pizza pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Turn up edges of dough to form a ridge. Let rise 10 minutes. Combine brown sugar, butter and pecans. Sprinkle evenly over crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
Cool crust completely. Arrange bananas on crust. Spoon prepared pudding over bananas. Top with whipped topping. Serves 8.
Nutrition per serving: 462 calories, 15 grams fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 503 mg sodium, 73 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 43 grams sugar, 9 grams protein. — Rhodes International
SOUP BOWL
1 loaf Rhodes bread dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten
Cut loaf of bread dough in half for large bowls, into thirds for average-size soup bowls. Form into a ball. Place on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Brush with whole beaten egg. Cover with plastic wrap that has also been sprayed and let rise until double in size, about 2 to 3 hours. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool; slice off top.
Hollow out bread bowl and fill with favorite chili, soup or dip. Makes two large or three average-size bowls. — Rhodes International
E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com