Last week, I told you that I only blog “of the moment” foodstuffs, things that I’ve just made that grab my attention firmly and hold it, and things that are inspiring enough for me to make the leap to the virtual page. It seems fitting then, that all of that goes out the window with what I have to share with you this week. I didn’t actually make up a batch of these dinner rolls yet, but I will on Wednesday evening. Thanks to my very impressive digital organizational skills, and a massive external hard drive, I was able to dig up some pictures I took of these in 2009. Somehow, I feel this act alone has justified my digital packrat-ness…
back in 2009, there was still a highchair at this table…
Thanksgiving has arrived once again, and for someone like me who usually does not cook the turkey or do the hosting on this hallowed cook’s holiday, I arrive like so many others in our nation with a part of the larger picture in tow. This year, I am in charge of bringing a custard pie, and dinner rolls – from a recipe that I’ve been making for the past 5 or so Thanksgivings, and several other times throughout the year when I’ve been invited to larger, sit-down meals.
Though I have an array of bread accomplishments under my belt, nothing is more popular at a traditional dinner like Thanksgiving than these dinner rolls. They are soft and sweet, as decadent with butter and jam as they are to sop up whatever is left of a meal on your plate. This recipe is one my Mom has made for years, usually when the whole family is together, and she needs fresh, warm-from-the-oven bread to serve with dinner. (At the start of one memorable meal, my younger brother took a bite of a roll and said only half joking, “What? This isn’t warm?” Ever since, when we gather for a whole-family meal, my Mom has made sure that the meal is ready and we’re waiting on the rolls to come out of the oven!)
just formed
This enriched type of bread is best eaten the day it is served. Since it contains both fat and sugar, it stales more quickly than lean, traditionally made breads. Fortunately they probably won’t stick around long enough for you to find that out. If you do find yourself with a lucky extra few, they toast up like a dream.
Before I go any further, I will let you know that this is a yeast dough recipe. Yeast phobic readers need not freeze in fear, however, since this dough is extremely easy and doesn’t require any real kneading. If you are looking for a good, first yeast dough experiment: these are your rolls. They are also shaped into charming and classic croissant shape. I have recently determined that I think this is because the dough is incredibly similar to croissant dough. I made true croissants for the first time in September, and the only thing separating this dough from his French (or Viennese) ancestry is about a half pound of butter laminated into his middle.
It is the dinner roll with the softest feel I’ve ever made, a golden pillow of fluffy crumb completely unlike the flaky layers of the sophisticated croissant… and no contrived doughboy will laugh a pudgy, hydrogenated laugh at you. Go ahead and plan to make them on Wednesday night – so you can bake them Thursday just before your feast. They will make you look like a kitchen rock star.
The original recipe was called “Sunday Dinner Rolls”, because the dough was mixed on Saturday night and left to rest, presumably, until before going to church on Sunday. After forming the dough into rolls, it need time to rise for a couple of hours (and that is very forgiving: once I forgot about them for almost a day as they rose in a warm spot on top of my fridge…) and then it bakes in short order, about 15 minutes, giving you plenty of time to set the table. I’m not in the habit of making promises about things turning out, but I’m willing to bet these will work for you even on the first try!
Thursday Dinner Rolls (adapted for content from Edwinna Manley & Bonita Wuertley) Yield: 16 rolls, recipe is easily halved
2 eggs
⅔ c. sugar (we use a scant measure of this)
2 ¼ t. active dry yeast (or one packet)
¾ c. warm water (110 degrees, like warm bath water)
½ c. cooking oil (like grapeseed or canola)
¼ c. milk
1 t. salt
4 c. all purpose flour
Combine all ingredients except flour and salt in a large bowl, and beat well with an electric mixer. Add flour and salt, and beat well by hand (a wooden spoon works well). The dough should be well mixed, and it will be sticky. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap, and let stand overnight – do not refrigerate. Overnight is at least 8 hours, but probably no more than 12, or the yeast will have eaten their fill and maybe not have enough energy to lift the dough. (There are eggs in this dough, and some may be intrepid of leaving it overnight at room temperature. I have no issues with doing this, but if you do, you may refrigerate the dough overnight instead. You will need to allow several hours for it to return to room temperature before continuing.)
The next day, about 2 ½- 3 hours before you would like to eat them (or longer if you don’t want to devour them warm…), turn the dough out onto a lightly floured area of the counter and divide it in half. Form each half quickly into a rough ball, and using a rolling pin, roll out each into a large circle (about 12 inches). Cut each circle into 8 slices as you would a pizza, and roll each piece up into a croissant shape starting with the outside edge and rolling inwards. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, and cover with a clean, lint-free kitchen towel. Let them rise for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or so, until puffy and light looking.
Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake them for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, rotating pans halfway through the baking time.
After baked, the rolls may disappoint a little visually since their marked croissant shape blends into a more homogenized rolled mound, but one bite will have you and your fellow eaters hooked enough that you won’t notice at all. These may just be a gateway bread to all types of new yeast bread experimentation for you as well.
Thanksgiving is always a good time to pause and reflect on the things you are most thankful for, and good bread, made from my hands, is very near the top of this long list. I hope if you try them this week or anytime, that you are filled with a similar sense of thankfulness and wonder: to appreciate where a part of your meal comes from, and to maybe get a little flour in your hair in the process.
