Just Baking

Thanksgiving is approaching fast, and I have been thinking of what I’m going to fix for that day.  It’s kind of a big deal of a day for my family.  It usually starts with biscuits and gravy sometime in the morning and ends with a huge meal with all the traditional stuff.

This year, I’m smoking the turkey.  I indirectly grilled one last year, but the wind picked up and got the fire too hot, so the bird was overdone.  This year will be different… In fact, I’ve already done a trial run, and the bird came out great! (you can see a bit of it on Get Your Grill On, and the turkey stock made from the leftovers at The Cook’s Kitchen)  We’ll also have green bean casserole, buttermilk mashed potatoes, stuffing, apple and pecan pie, and, of course, cranberry sauce.  Knowing my family, we’ll have black olives around, too… I think that’s genetic on my father’s side!

So I’ve been doing this baguette thing, and, after 3 tries, finally feel like I have it somewhat under control.  Baguettes for Thanksgiving, though, just don’t work for me.  I’m very much a traditionalist with meals like this.  I figured that it was time to learn how to make yeast rolls!

This was actually my third batch of yeast rolls.  I learned a lot doing them:

• The amount of yeast asked for in the recipe is there for a reason.  I can’t make due with less, hoping it will work.  My first batch turned out not tasting right because I was a bit shy of the amount needed for the rolls.
• Unlike baguettes, fluffy, pillowy dough is food for yeast rolls.
• Convection baking isn’t really needed for this type of roll.  While it’s great for baguettes, yeast rolls just need the ‘bake’ setting.

I got the recipe from the Food Network’s website, from the show Melting Pot:

• 1 (1/4-ounce) package dry active yeast
• 1 cup warm water, about 110 degrees F
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup milk, scalded but cooled to warm
• 4 ounces melted butter, plus 2 ounces
• 5 cups flour, plus more, as needed

6-cup, 3-inch muffin tin pan

In a standing mixing bowl with dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Let sit until lightly foamy, then stir in sugar and add egg, salt, warm milk, and 4 ounces of butter.  Slowly add 5 cups flour, adding more as needed to make an elastic dough.  Mix well, then roll out to floured surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes.  Place dough in buttered bowl, cover with towel, and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Lightly oil the muffin pan.  Punch down dough and form dough into 1-inch balls.  Place 3 balls in each muffin tin.  Fill muffin pan, cover with towel, and allow to rise an additional 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Brush with remaining melted butter. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Using my trusty KitchenAid Pro 600 mixer, I mixed and kneaded the dough, adding a bit more flour.  I think I could have added even more, as the dough was very sticky when I eventually worked with it, causing me to add flour just to keep it from sticking to my fingers.  

After kneading, I let the dough rise for about an hour.  Deviating from the recipe, I just made balls of dough big enough to fit on the muffin pans with room to at least double.  After seeing the results, I’d do the same, but I’d make them a bit smaller and let them rise longer, making a lighter roll in the end.

I put the oven on convection/bake for cooking.  The tops ended up browned, but a bit less even than they would have been had I just baked them, I think.  For Thanksgiving Day, that’s what I’ll do.

All in all, though, these came out very good, very tasty, very yeasty… I think my grandmother would have approved!