Clover Leaf Rolls - Away A While Recipe Favorites

Clover Leaf Dinner Rolls

From the Kitchen of One Perfect Bite...No holiday or get-together here on the hill would be complete without warm, home-made rolls on the dinner table. We have a lot going on this year, so to accomplish that I've fallen back on a very simple recipe I found in Gourmet magazine over a decade ago. I love the rich color of these buns and because they can be reheated without sacrificing quality, they are a great make-ahead candidate for the holiday table. The recipe is straight forward and can be made entirely by hand. If you feel more comfortable using your mixer, by all means do so. The rolls have a lovely crust that I know you will enjoy. If you are looking for an easy roll recipe, you might want to give this one a try. The recipe can be found here.

                    

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Cloverleaf Rolls + Thanksgiving Menu

From the Kitchen of One Perfect Bite...No holiday here on the hill would be complete without warm dinner rolls. We have a lot going on this year, so I've fallen back on a very simple recipe I found in Gourmet magazine over a decade ago. I love the rich color of these buns and because they can be reheated without sacrificing quality, they are a great make-ahead candidate for the holiday table. The recipe is straight forward and can be made entirely by hand. If you feel more comfortable using your mixer, by all means do so. The rolls have a lovely crust that I know you will enjoy. If your menu is not yet set in stone, you might want to give this recipe a try. Speaking of menus, I promised some of you that I'd post our holiday menu today. Recipes for these dishes will be featured over the course of the next few weeks. Here's what is happening at our house tomorrow.

                                                       Thanksgiving Menu

                                                          Andean Corn Chowder
                        Apple and Escarole Salad with Oregon Blue Cheese and Hazelnuts
                          Roasted Double Rack of Pork with Morel Mushroom Pan Sauce
                                             Bacon, Leek and Mushroom Dressing
                                                           Gratin Dauphinois
                               Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Golden Raisins
                                                           Creamed Corn
                                                          Cloverleaf Rolls
                                                   Apple and Apricot Tart
                                                          Sweet Potato Pie
                                                        Maple-Walnut Tart

Cloverleaf Rolls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons warm water
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (2-1/2 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons sugar, divided use
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, divided use
1 cup whole milk
2 cups bread flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon poppy seeds and/or toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling

Directions:
1) Stir together warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2) Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan, then add milk and heat to lukewarm. Stir together yeast mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, butter mixture, bread flour, and salt in a bowl with a wooden spoon until combined well, then stir in 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or enough to make a slightly sticky dough.
3) Butter a large bowl. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, kneading in more all-purpose flour as needed to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (dough will still be slightly sticky). Form dough into a ball. Grease a large bowl and place dough in it, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4) Butter 18 muffin cups with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into thirds. Working with 1 piece at a time (keep remaining portions covered with plastic wrap), cut off tablespoon pieces of dough and form pieces into balls. Put 3 balls into each buttered muffin cup. Let rolls rise, loosely covered with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth), in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.
5) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush rolls lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm. Yield: 18 rolls.

Cooks' note: Rolls can be baked 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then kept, wrapped well in foil, at room temperature. Reheat in foil in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

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Three Years Ago Today: Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

Shamrocks AKA Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know. I know. It's a stretch, but I needed a batch of bake once-serve twice rolls that could be served for dinner on St. Patrick's Day as well as Easter Sunday. While doing research for an earlier post on Edna Lewis, I came across the recipe she used to make old-fashioned cloverleaf rolls. The recipe belonged to her mother and I knew immediately that I wanted to try it. The rolls shown in the photograph above were made using her recipe, and, while I'm sharing it with you today, I'm also going to direct you to an easier version that was developed by her partner, Scott Peacock. You can find his recipe here, and if you'd like to see a video of the rolls being made you might want to view this link. I'm suggesting an alternate recipe because Edna's rolls, which use a starter that must sit for a day before using, are made with a sticky dough that is difficult to work with. Scott's version is quite straight forward and much easier to handle. Both recipes are similar in taste, though the use of a potato starter and lard put hers a notch above his in terms of flavor. If you are an experienced hand at bread baking, or are a patient beginner, use her recipe. If you want something that's easy to execute, use his. Both recipes tend to produce sticky doughs but the amount of extra flour you will need is easier to control in Scott's version. Under the best of circumstances, the dough in both recipes will remain tacky, so don't be alarmed. As long as the dough doesn't stick to your fingers you'll be fine. The good news is that these rolls require no kneading, and once they are baked they freeze beautifully. Those of you who try these will be happy campers. Here is Edna's recipe.

Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Edna Lewis and Food and Wine Magazine

Ingredients:
1 medium baking potato ( 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
3 cups water
5-1/2 cups plus 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 cup milk, scalded and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons lard or solid vegetable shortening, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon salt

Directions:
1) In a medium saucepan, cover potato with water and bring to a boil. Cook until potato is just beginning to fall apart, about 15 minutes. Drain potato, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Pass potato through a ricer into a large bowl. Add reserved potato water and let cool slightly. Stir in 6 tablespoons of flour, sugar and yeast. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let stand overnight in a draft-free place.
2) Uncover starter; it should be foamy and have a slightly fermented aroma. Add milk, eggs and 2-1/2 cups of flour and stir until incorporated. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter, 2 tablespoons of lard and salt. Add remaining 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir vigorously to form a silky, slightly soft dough that pulls away from the bowl as you stir, about 8 minutes. It will still be tacky but will not stick to your hands.
3) Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
4) Gently deflate dough by turning it in bowl several times. Cover bowl and let dough rise again until doubled, about 40 minutes.
5) In a small bowl, combine remaining 6 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of melted lard. Punch down dough and divide it into 5 equal pieces. Cut 1 piece of dough into 18 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball; dip balls in melted butter and lard and place 3 balls in each cup of a muffin pan. Continue to form rolls, working with 1 large piece of dough at a time. Brush tops of the rolls with the butter and lard and set aside in a draft-free spot until risen just beyond the rims of the muffin cups, about 1 1/2 hours.
6) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake rolls in the lower and middle thirds of oven for 15 minutes. Remove rolls from oven and brush liberally with butter and lard. Return rolls to the oven and bake for 5 to 6 minutes longer, or until golden all over. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen cloverleaf rolls.

Cook's Note: To make ahead, prepare dough through step 4. Gently punch down and refrigerate, covered, overnight. Bring to room temperature and proceed with recipe.








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