Yeh – I don’t quite have the knack for shaping my rolls into cute little pillows – but they sure do taste fine!
I came across this recipe, from Ms. Christina Pittman of Parkville, Missouri in a Taste of Home magazine at Rich’s mom’s house, and it looked interesting enough that I snapped a picture of the recipe with my brandy-new iPad, and resolved to try it at home. A lot like the Challah Rolls I make, but with less butter and a lot more milk, which is not too hard, since, ermmm, challah have none.
INGREDIENTS
•4-1/2 to 5 cups flour
•1/4 cup sugar
•2-1/4 tsp yeast
•1-1/4 tsp salt
•1 cup whole milk – I used half skim and half, ermmm, half and half
•1/3 cup water
•3 tbsp butter
•2 eggs plus 1 egg, lightly beaten
Combine 2 cups of the flour with the sugar, yeast, and the salt in a mixer bowl.
Heat the milk, butter, and water to 120º to 130º (the ‘wave – with a wooden skewer inserted to keep the milk from super heating – works a treat), add to the flour and yeast mixture, and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Add 2 of the eggs and beat on high for another 2 minutes.
I should note here that I just used the dough hook for all this mixing and beating, and it worked fine, but sometime when I have less other stuff going on in the kitchen, I might would use the regular paddle attachment for these early steps.
Eggs well and truly beaten in?
Good.
Now, we add the rest of the flour – do this in stages – I go about 1/2 cup at a time – until the mixture forms a soft, sticky dough. I ended up using all 5 cups of flour.
Ms. Pittman recommends turning the dough out onto a floured board and kneading it for 6 to 8 minutes; well, that’s what I have the big boy mixer and the dough hook for – so I just set it on medium for about 6 minutes and went about my other business.
Ding!
Nice dough!
Turn the dough into a large, oiled bowl – give it a flip to coat all the dough with the oil – cover it with plastic wrap, and stash in a warm spot for about 60 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.
Pretty!
Punch down the dough, and now is the time to turn it out onto your lightly floured board.
Stretch the dough out into a rectangle and divide into 24 more-or-less equal portions.
Shape each portion into a ball (here’s where I have issues…) and arrange in two, lightly oiled or buttered, 13 x 9 inch baking pans.
Heat the oven to 375º.
Cover the rolls with a clean kitchen towel and set aside to rise for about 30 minutes. The recipe said they would double in size again – mine did rise, but I wouldn’t say they doubled in size – they would’ve been humongous if they had. Irregardless…
Lightly beat that last, lonely egg and brush the rolls with it.
Pop ’em into your hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the rolls are this lovely golden brown.
I ended up with 23 light and fluffy and tasty and pretty-darned-simple-to-make dinner rolls; and the house smelled terrific!