Generations of the Hunter-Beagle family have been featured in Come Into My Kitchen
Since 1956, two generations of one family’s cooks have been featured in the Come Into My Kitchen column. Now it’s Michelle Beagle’s turn.
Catherine “Nan” Hunter (Mrs. Earl G. Hunter) of Kansas City was profiled on Jan. 23, 1956, the 12th cook to be featured in the column. Her daughter, Kathy Hunter Beagle of Kansas City, North, was featured nearly 30 years later, in 1985.
Although Nan died in the spring of 2008, her legacy of love and food lives on as Michelle remembers four generations gathering in her Liberty kitchen around the 24-foot-long table custom-made by Michelle’s husband (and Kathy’s son), Brandon.
“Nan had a way of making you feel so special and just loved anything you would make for her to eat,” Michelle says. “She loved these caramel-pecan rolls, which are actually my mother’s recipe.”
Kathy cherishes the recipes that are woven into her family’s history. “Nan would just be thrilled,” she says. “And we have all these recipes to share with generations to come.”
Fourteen-year-old Regan Beagle, the middle child and only daughter of Michelle and Brandon, continues what seems to be her baking birthright.
“I remember Nan, and I guess cooking runs in my family, since I like to help my mom and make monkey bread for my family on Christmas,” she says. “It’s really cool to be featured in something my great-grandma, my grandma and now my mom and I are all a part of.”
Caramel-Pecan Rolls
Makes 12
For the dough:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 (.25-ounce) package active dry yeast
3 to 3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
For the caramel sauce:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
For the filling:
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 (6-ounce) bag shelled whole pecans
To make the dough: On stovetop over medium heat, scald milk in a saucepan on the stove to 105 to 110 degrees, using a quick-read thermometer.
Whisk in butter, sugar, salt, egg and yeast. Allow yeast to begin to proof and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add in flour and knead until a soft dough forms.
Lightly oil the sides of a mixing bowl and place dough in bowl. Cover the bowl with a dish towel or plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down dough and allow to rise again for an additional hour.
During the second rising, prepare the pan of caramel sauce: In a saucepan, whisk brown sugar, butter and corn syrup together on the stovetop over medium-high heat until mixture just comes to a boil and sugar has dissolved.
Sprinkle pecans in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan and pour caramel sauce over all. Set aside.
To make the rolls: Punch down dough again and turn out onto lightly floured board. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 20- by 12-inch rectangle. Brush melted butter evenly onto surface of the dough, leaving 1/2 -inch edge unbuttered around the rectangle.
In a small mixing bowl, stir sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over surface of buttered dough.
Starting from the 20-inch side, carefully roll up dough, jelly-roll style. Using a sharp knife (or heavy-duty thread) cut the cylinder into 12, 1-inch pieces and place into prepared caramel sauce-covered pan. Cover with a dish towel and allow rolls to rise again (at least 1 hour) until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Allow rolls to cool for about 3 minutes before carefully inverting onto a serving platter.
Recipe can be easily doubled.
Per roll: 587 calories (45 percent from fat), 30 grams total fat (13 grams saturated), 71 milligrams cholesterol, 77 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 309 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.
Source: Michelle Beagle, Bonnie Bothwell
This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 3:00 AM with the headline "Generations of the Hunter-Beagle family have been featured in Come Into My Kitchen."