Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Cottage Cheese Rolls



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I always tuck bread or rolls into my picnic hamper. I love the way the yeasty aroma permeates the basket and leaves no doubt that buried treasure lies within. I have a real weakness for good bread and can't imagine a proper picnic without a soft or crusty loaf as part of the meal. I first had these rolls at a block party when I was a child. They came from Hannie's German kitchen and they were still warm when she put them on the table. The rolls, obviously, created a taste memory that is not easily forgotten. I've since done some research, and learned that the rolls are much like those made in Central Europe in the days before World War II. I wanted to know why cottage cheese was used in the buns, and, unfortunately, came up with no good answers. While Hannie used cottage cheese to add protein to the bread, I was unable to discover why it was first used in those European kitchens. Chances are it was an afterthought, used to prevent the waste of cheese on the verge of spoiling. That is purely a guess on my part, but the history of the region suggests it is probably close to the mark. The cheese helps produces light rolls that have a vaguely sour taste. They are extremely good, but the dough, which rises quickly, is difficult to work with. It is very sticky. It will be hard to resist the temptation to add more flour than the recipe actually calls for. Resist with all your might. Some suggest using floured hands to knead the dough. I prefer to keep my hands wet. While, I know it seems counterintuitive, damp hands will do the trick and prevent too much flour from being added to the dough. Save for the stickiness, these rolls are easy to make. While, I think they are best from the oven, they keep well for several days if properly wrapped. The recipe can be doubled, and herbs such as dill or chives make a nice addition if you want to add additional flavor to the rolls. Here's the recipe.

Cottage Cheese Rolls... from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1 cup (8 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
1) Combine yeast and water in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2) Heat cottage cheese in a small saucepan set over medium heat until it registers a temperature of 110 to 115 degrees F.
3) Add cottage cheese, egg, sugar, salt, baking soda and 1 cup flour to yeast mixture. Beat until perfectly smooth. Stir in remaining flour to form a firm dough (dough will be sticky).
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
4) Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 15 pieces. Shape each piece into a roll. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
5) Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Yield: 15 rolls.








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49 comments :

lena said...

they sound lovely and i think they taste wonderful too with herbs!

Schnitzel and the Trout said...

"buried treasure lies within" Perfect explanation of what you have produced. :)

Heather S-G said...

I'm pretty sure that these wouldn't last more than a day in my house. They sound lovely :D

Young Adventures... said...

These sound really delicious Mary! I'm trying to work with yeast more often and this recipe sounds like a perfect opportunity. I might try it today. Thanks for sharing.

Rita said...

I have never heard of cottage cheese in dinner rolls, but yours are superb!
Rita

Emily Malloy said...

I love these rolls!

AllThingsYummy said...

Those rolls look so yummy and perfect for a BBQ. I've only worked with yeast a couple times and I'm thinking I need to try again with this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Oh, these look so good, I can almost smell them now!!! I guess cottage cheese would work well, as around here we have lots of breads with cheddar in them.

Anonymous said...

I just loved reading your description of these rolls,,

Gloria Baker said...

This look absolutely nice, Mary, Im sure this would be eaten in a moment in my house!! lovely piucture, gloria

SnoWhite said...

these look wonderful, Mary! I love how recipes and good food evoke such treasured memories.

How do you store these? I always have trouble storing homemade bread.

Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook said...

I've never heard of cottage cheese in rolls, but they look fantastic, I would love to try these!

lindalou said...

Oh yum. I'm currently on a diet phase where no bread is allowed, so that only makes these rolls more appealing to me.

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Lovely flavorful rolls...

JG said...

I've never used cottage cheese in bread and they look so good! I'm bookmarking this recipe.
~Judy

Mickey said...

Never heard of cottage cheese rolls, they look delicious.
mickey

Donna Elick said...

These look so good. I am not a cottage cheese lover. I think it is the texture, but prepared in this way sounds great

Lynn said...

They look beautiful Mary:@)

Wendy Irene said...

Wet hands! That is a great idea I would not have thought of. xoxo

Big Dude said...

These sound really good Mary

Priya Suresh said...

Rolls looks marvellous and prefect..

Susan..... said...

I am going to take a stab at this....I do know that milk makes a tender bread and raw milk was for the rich and the poor drank the whey. You were probably right on about using the cheese up before it went bad but I think they realized that the bread made with the cheese was tenderer. Grains way back when were not ground as fine and were more like a meal. Adding the cheese made a softer crumb and it just continued through the years. It also helped the natural yeast or starter to ferment faster. Hope this makes sense.

Y said...

mmm i love cottage cheese :)

Kate @ Demi-Glazed said...

I recently did a bunch of experiments with a Turkish filled bun that used cottage cheese in the dough - it was GREAT. Now I'm going to have to try this version, as a yeasted/raised bread, rather than the quickbread that came from the Turkish recipe. Thanks!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Funny you should post this. i have a recipe for a muffin that I will be trying soon and was wondering about the cottage cheese in that recipe. Always good info. i would indeed have densed it up with too much flour

Dave

Nathalia said...

Hola Mary: Estos rolls se ven buenĂ­simos! Me encantan con queso.
Las fotos estĂ¡n preciosas.
Un abrazo

Maris(In Good Taste) said...

I am so excited! Healthy rolls! I will be making lots of these!

Aldy said...

Oh my, this sounds delicious! I wish I could have one right now :)Mmmm lovely recipe, Mary!

Have a wonderful week,

Aldy.

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Oh my, I need to try these delicous sounding rolls!!

Swathi said...

These cottage cheese rolls looks perfect. I love to play with yeast.

Red Nomad OZ said...

What better antidote to an unseasonally wet day in the OZ outback than to read your fabulous recipe full of warmth and comfort??

Well ... maybe the bakery in downtown Winton will do the trick too!!

Have a great day!!!

Alessandra said...

The rolls look beautiful and fragrant, maybe you are right about adding the cheese that was getting a bit 'acid'. I think this must do some good things to the dough, although I don't have the scientific knowledge to talk about it, it is just a 'baking feeling' ;-)

ciao
Alessandra

Pondside said...

I love what you wrote about rolls on a picnic - I was right there, opening up the basket and inhaling that wonderful yeasty smell. When it comes to food, I am easily led!

Joyce @ Chunky Cooky said...

Lovely cheese rolls ! I am sure they go very well on a breakfast meal !

Elin said...

I love rolls with herbs and cheese in them...lovely combination especially if they have a crusty skin...wonderful rolls to take to picnic. Mary, have a wonderful summer :)
Regards,
Elin

Jihane @ Sinful Sundays said...

Never heard of cottage cheese rolls but I definitely want to track some down now. I want a picnic hamper! Love those.

Katarina said...

I like it when you have cottage cheese in these rolls! Looks really delicious!

nanny said...

Yeast rolls....oh I love em! I'll bet the flavor is wonderful.

Joanne said...

I've never seen cottage cheese used in yeast bread! How intriguing!

Anonymous said...

Love the perfect roundness of these rolls!

Unknown said...

I bet these are so good! I don't usually like cottage cheese..it's the curds that throw me. But this, this is definitely a way I could enjoy it!! Bread runs a close second to my biggest weakness, chocolate!

Glamour Drops said...

I'm curious about this recipe - so it will be on my baking list this weekend!

MijĂº said...

Un queso bien rico.
Buenos bollos.
Un saludito

Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 said...

What a cool recipe. I've never heard of cottage cheese in rolls, but the idea of a slightly tangy taste sounds delicious.

David said...

Mary, I've never heard of cottage cheese rolls...but I do like the idea! Moist and flavorful...the dill would be a good addition too. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Kelly | Eat Yourself Skinny said...

Hi Mary! Thank you so much for the sweet comments you posted on my blog :) These cottage cheese rolls look amazing, as do all of your other recipes! So glad to be your newest follower!

Betty @ scrambled henfruit said...

I have a weakness for good bread, and these look delicious. :) Years ago I made a honey wheat bread with cottage cheese, but I've misplaced the recipe. I'm anxious to try these!

dr.antony said...

so tempting

That Girl said...

I almost think there's no such thing as a good meal without some crusty bread!

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