KLEBBA HOUSE ROLLS

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Inspired by the traditional Parker House Rolls, this is the recipe Phil’s Mom used to make every Thanksgiving. Phil keeps a bunch of recipes handwritten in small cards, held inside an acrylic box that is very likely older than his grownup kids. I learned to love and cherish that little box of recipes because they were all part of his childhood, teenage, and hippie years. His past.

KLEBBA HOUSE ROLLS
(from Louise Wilhelmina Klebba)

One 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
1 + 1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed

Make the dough. In a stand mixer mix the yeast with the water, sugar, butter, egg and salt.

Fit it with the dough hook, and add the flour in two increments, kneading it at low-speed. Knead the dough for about 4 minutes, until smooth. Remove from the mixer, transfer to a buttered bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Roll the dough with a rolling pin, cut in circles with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it rise again for 1 to 1.5 hours. Brush with melted butter before baking at 375F for 15 minutes or until golden. Brush again with butter as soon as they are out of the oven.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The traditional Parker House Rolls are shaped differently, they are shaped as rounds, then flattened and folded. I used the method that Phil’s Mom used, which is different, so if you want to check how it was originally made, read this article. I am so glad I made them with very minor modifications from Phil’s family recipe. In those days there was no instant yeast, so the whole method was slightly more convoluted. Most important thing, our Thanksgiving meal this year had a touch of loving memories from a distant past. And that made me very very happy.

ONE YEAR AGO: Root Vegetable Clafoutis

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20Jun2023

FLOWER SHAPED DINNER ROLLS

Posted in Breads by sallybr

These adorable rolls popped on my Instagram feed, and I fell in love with them so hard that I mixed the dough right away. To be precise, 20 minutes after watching the reel (click here for it). I consider it a work in progress, for reasons I will discuss in the comments…

FLOWER-SHAPED DINNER ROLLS
(from Joyce Mrad)

325g flour
150mL slightly warm milk
1 egg
50g butter, softened
1 tsp instant yeast
30g sugar
1 tsp salt
purple carrot powder or any other natural food coloring, about 1 tsp

In a KitchenAid type bowl, add milk, sugar, yeast, egg, salt, and flour. Mix them together until they form a shaggy mass of dough. With the machine running (dough hook), add the butter in small pieces and knead until smooth. Split the dough in half. Color one half with your choice of natural dye.

Place both dough portions in a warm spot and let them rise for approximately 2hours, or until doubled in size. Once the dough has risen, punch it down. Roll and flatten both dough portions into squares, layering the purple dough over the white dough.

Use a cookie cutter to cut small circles from the layered dough. Take each circle and fold it three-quarters, then fold it in half again, pinching the ends to form petals. When you make five petals add a small ball of dough in the middle. Repeat the folding and shaping process until all the dough is used.

Cover the flower-shaped dinner rolls and let them rise again until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Brush the rolls with milk. Bake them in a 375F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. Once the rolls are baked, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle sesame seeds in the middle of each roll for decoration.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I used ebony carrot powder which was very beautiful in the raw dough, but baked to a much less appealing color. I will use something different next time. Also, I believe the rolls will be better if made with a smaller cookie cutter, so that the petals are more delicate and the rolls smaller. The whole recipe gave me just three rose-shaped rolls, so smaller circles are going to work better for this.

The rolls work almost like a pull-apart bread, pretty cool! Not at all complicated to make, and you can always use a single dough for the shaping effect, which will still be nice.

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3Oct2011

SPELT AND CORNMEAL ROLLS

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Rustic, toothsome, flavorful, and if all that wasn’t enough, these rolls are a cinch to make. In a classic Dan Lepard’s approach, the recipe calls for minimal kneading, and because they are baked as small rolls, shaping is a breeze. The rolls also freeze quite well, individually wrapped, then placed in a low oven to come back to that freshly baked feel.

Per Mr. Lepard’s request, I won’t post the full recipe. But you can find it in the database of “The Guardian” through a quick jump here.

I will, however, give you a quick outline of how this recipe comes together….

The cornmeal needs to be soaked in boiling water for a few minutes, once you do that, all ingredients – soaked cornmeal, spelt flour, water, honey, and yeast – are added to a large bowl, mixed quickly, and left standing for 10 minutes.

A kneading cycle of 30 seconds, a 20-minute rise (yes, that fast…), and you are ready to divide and conquer… rather, divide and shape in 8 rolls.

After shaping, they rest on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour. Only 45 minutes to go before baking time!

Once they bake, they will more or less join together, let them cool this way, breaking them apart at serving time.

Adorable little rolls, dense, but in a good way… 😉 We enjoyed them in sandwiches – smoked turkey & provolone, ham, cheese, tomato & pesto sauce – but also as plain small bites with our dinner of roast chicken. They will certainly be a favorite in your home too!

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting event…

ONE YEAR AGO: Roasted Potato and Olive Focaccia (another Dan Lepard recipe, another winner!)

TWO YEARS AGO: Salmon Curry

24May2011

BUTTERMILK CLUSTER

Posted in Breads by sallybr

One of the English expressions that puzzles me the most is “easy as pie.” That’s because I don’t see anything easy about making the dough, rolling it out, and mastering the finishing touches that result in a gorgeous pie. But, I promise that this bread is a cinch to make, and much, much easier than pie! It quickly comes together, so you can wake up on a sunny Sunday morning and make this bread in time for brunch.

BUTTERMILK CLUSTER
(adapted from The Fresh Loaf Forum)

Makes 12 to 18 rolls, depending on size

6 to 6 1/2 cups (750 grams) bread flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 envelope (2 1/2 teaspoons) instant yeast
1 tablespoon warm water
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon honey

Glaze:
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Topping:
1-2 tablespoons seeds (poppy, sesame) or grains (cracked wheat, rolled oats)

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Combine the warm water and yeast in a small cup and allow to proof for 5 minutes.

Pour the yeast, buttermilk, and honey into the flour mixture and mix to form a shaggy mass. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then do a 10-20 seconds kneading. Cover the dough with plastic film, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Repeat the minimal kneading two more times, at 30 and 45 minutes, then let the dough rise for another 45 minutes undisturbed or until almost doubled in size (total bulk fermentation will be about 90 minutes).

Divide the dough into 12 to 18 pieces. Shape each piece into a neat ball and place in a round dish or spring-form pan close together.

When all of the rolls are in the pan, cover again with plastic and set aside to rise again for 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425.

Uncover the rolls and brush gently with the egg wash. Sprinkle on the grain topping. I used sesame seeds.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the rolls are firm and spring back when tapped.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I didn’t have a springform pan, and my smaller round cake pan could only fit 11 of the dough balls. So, I shaped the leftover dough as a small loaf and baked it separately.

As I munched on these soft, springy rolls I kept thinking about Thanksgiving dinner : they are perfect for that occasion, so keep them in mind. Thanksgiving is such a busy cooking day, and this recipe is so easy that it will be something to give thanks for. 😉

Something strange and unexpected happened to the individual loaf I baked. I sliced it, then placed on the kitchen counter to wrap in plastic and freeze. But, I forgot about it for a couple of hours and when I went to search for it, it was gone! My beloved husband was not around, and one of the dogs is too short to reach the counter, which left two possibilities:

1. I have a double-personality disorder and the “other me” has no self-control.

2. The “other dog” knows how to get the most of those long skinny legs.

I guess we know which one it was (sigh).

I am sending this to Susan’s Yeastspotting…

ONE YEAR AGO: Grilled Lettuce Salad (you’ve got to try it!)

Pain De Provence (bewitchingkitchen.com)
A Focaccia Experiment (bewitchingkitchen.com)
Back to Cooking…Sort Of (bittman.blogs.nytimes.com)

15Dec2010

FESTIVUS DINNER ROLLS

Posted in Breads by sallybr

A post dedicated to all the Seinfeld fans… 😉

Sometimes in a meal a bread grabs the spotlight. Think about the glory of a rustic sourdough boule beside a bowl of lentil soup, or a slice of pain Poilane beneath a golden cheesy layer of Croque Monsieur. But during a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner feast the breads accept a more humble place. Small rolls, soft and unpretentious, are the best choice. This recipe was published in Fine Cooking magazine in 2001, with Abigail Johnson Dodge behind it, which means it is flawless. You can make and shape the dough a day beforehand, place it in the fridge, and bake it while entertaining your guests on even a very busy cooking day.

CLASSIC DINNER ROLLS
(Abigail Johnson Dodge, Fine Cooking 2001)

18 oz. (4 cups) all-purpose flour
1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) rapid-rise yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter
3 large egg yolks

Place the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of your KitchenAid type mixer, mix to combine. Put the bowl in the mixer stand and fit it with the dough hook.

Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan, stirring gently until the butter melts, and the temperature reaches 115F to 125F. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl, add the egg yolks, and mix with the dough hook in low speed until everything forms a shaggy mass. Increase the speed to medium high and mix/knead for about 8 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, shape it into a ball, grease the bowl lightly with oil, and place the dough back inside, covering with plastic wrap. Let it rise until doubled in size (45 minutes if using rapid-rise yeast, a little longer for other types of yeast).

Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Turn the dough onto a clean work surface (no need to flour; the dough is soft but not sticky) and gently press to deflate. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, form each into a ball, and place in the pan, with the seam side down.

Cover the pan with plastic and let the dough rise until almost doubled, about 30 min. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375°F. Remove the plastic and bake the rolls until they’re puffed and browned, about 20 min. Serve warm.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: To make this recipe in advance, cover the rolls with plastic wrap right after shaping and place them in the fridge. Next day remove the dish from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours, and then bake the rolls at 375 F.

I brushed the rolls right before baking with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with a couple of teaspoons of water), because I like the shiny look it gives to the bread. However, you can also bake them without it, as the original recipe suggests.

Warm from the oven, these rolls are perfect to soak up that last bit of gravy on your plate. And they can return the next day sliced in half, for mini-turkey or prime-rib sandwiches, a holiday tradition in many American homes!

If you are hosting a big Christmas or New Year’s Eve dinner, these rolls will be a nice addition to your menu. They are very easy to make – even if you are a rookie bread baker – and absolutely delicious.

I am submitting this post to Yeastspotting.

ONE YEAR AGO: Lebanese Baked Kibbe (one of my favorite recipes ever!)