One Perfect Bite: pan rolls

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Soft Dinner Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... Bread, in one form or another, has always been a part of our holiday meals. I've been looking for a recipe that would allow me to make rolls from a dough that could be shaped and frozen days before the rolls were to be baked off. I envisioned the maddening aroma of just baked bread greeting guests as they walked through the door. While that's a great appetite stimulant, it's also helps boost the cook's reputation and I'm not above a dirty trick or two. Martha Stewart had a recipe for a rich and buttery pan roll that I thought would work well for my purposes. I've just completed a test run and these are just what I was looking for. The dough for these rolls can be made without special equipment. If you have a wooden spoon, you can have rolls for dinner. They are easy to make and have a soft crust that covers a buttery interior that is light and fluffy. They are a perfect addition to the holiday table and I can assure you they will be on mine this year. I hope you will give them a try. The recipe for the rolls follows and below it you can see the complete menu for our non-traditional holiday dinner. Bon Appétit!

Soft Dinner Rolls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water
4-1/2 teaspoons (4 packets) active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for bowl and pans
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, divided use
6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

Directions:
1) Place water in a small bowl; sprinkle with yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, butter, sugar, salt, and 2 eggs. Whisk in yeast mixture.
2) Using a wooden spoon, stir in 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, until you have a soft, shaggy dough (if necessary, add up to 1/2 cup more flour). Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes. Butter the inside of a large bowl; place dough in bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 1-/4 hours.
3) Butter two 13-by-9-inch baking pans. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 15-inch rope; cut each rope into 15 1-inch pieces. Press each piece into a disk, then shape into a ball. Arrange dough balls in prepared pans. (To make ahead: Wrap pans well, and freeze, up to 2 months.) Cover pans loosely with plastic; let stand in a warm spot until rolls have doubled in size, about 1 1/4 hours (2 hours more if frozen for a total of 3 to 3-1/2 hours).
4) Position racks in upper and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg until blended; brush onto rolls. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Let rolls cool 15 minutes before serving. Yield: 30 rolls.

Thanksgiving Menu 2011