Yeast Rolls

This recipe is one of the easiest which involves yeast.  It is adapted from the Mary Mac's Rolls recipe in Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs beaten
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
6 cups flour

PREPARATION

• Pour the boiling water over the shortening in a large bowl.  Add the salt and the sugar then let the mixture cool.  

• Add the eggs.

• Meanwhile, place the yeast in a separate bowl with the warm water for five minutes.

• Stir the yeast mixture into the shortening and egg mixture.

• Mix in the flour, one cup at a time.  Place dough in a greased bowl then place in the refrigerator for at least two hours.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.

• Roll the dough out on a floured board.  Cut the rolls out with a donut cutter or a drinking glass.  Brush with melted butter and then fold them over.

• Place in a buttered pan and brush with more butter.  For an 8-inch square pan, you should be able to fit 15 to 18 rolls.

• Let rolls rise 1 1/2 hours in a warm place.

• Bake at 375 degrees or until brown on top, about 12 minutes.

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Focaccia Bread

Basically a double-recipe of the Pizza Dough for a large 11 x 17 jellyroll pan..

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cup lukewarm water (105–115°F)
2 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast (5 teaspoons)
2 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil plus additional for brushing
3 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon table salt
Optional: rosemary, roasted garlic


PREPARATION

1.Stir together water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over.) Stir in oil, flour, cornmeal, and table salt, then stir until a dough forms. Add chopped rosemary (about 3 tablespoons) if desired.

2.Knead on a floured surface, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes (dough will be moist). I use my Kitchen Aid mixer at medium and the dough hook for 5 minutes.

3.Put dough in an oiled deep bowl and turn to coat with oil. Let dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

4. Punch down dough and then place on to well-oiled jelly roll pan. Pat out dough and let rise in warm place for another hour.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush top of dough with olive oil or with egg wash. Dimple dough with thumb. Place pieces of roast garlic on top if desired.

6. Bake for 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown on bottom.

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Sweet Olive Bread

We had Garlic Soup again last night and I just wish that I had made some bread to go with it - but there wasn't enough time. Mom never made bread - either it just didn't interest her or she felt it was too much work. I like making bread and living with a Greek-American I've learned that bread is a staple that you can never be without. But I really need to get a baking stone for the oven the make good bread with a great crust.

This recipe is from Saveur magazine which I absolutely adore. A few years ago I let most of my subscriptions run out - no time for magazines! But this is the only one I kept and I also give as a gift to friends around the holidays. It isn't just recipes - it is more like the anthropology of food. Saveur will take one ingredient like bacon and devote the entire issue to its history, how different cultures use it, etc.

In this recipe, I tend to use a little less olive oil than the recipes states - I find the bread can be a bit oily. I also tend to double the recipe and make two loves since it is usually devoured quickly in my house!

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
1 7 gram package active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
Kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Make a poolish: Put 1/1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and 1 cup warm water into a large bowl and stir well with wooden spoon to combine. Let the mixture sit in a warm spot until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

2. Add remaining flour, ¾ cup oil, and salt to the poolish and stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5-7 minutes. (I have used the dough hook on my KitchenAid mixer for this)

3. Grease a large clean bowl with the remaning oil, place dough in the bottom, and cover with a clean towel. Set the dough aside in warm spot to let rise until doubled in bulk, 3-4 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Gently turn dough out onto a large sheet of parchment paper and gently stretch is with your fingers to form a large rectangle. Carefully transfer the dough – on the parchment paper – to a large baking sheet and bake until golden brown and puffed, about 15-20 minutes.

5. Remove the bread from the oven and immediately brush the top and sides with 2 tbsp hot water to soften the crust. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Transfer the bread to a rack to let cool, or serve warm, if you like.

SERVING: Remember to tear the bread into pieces – tradition says that cutting it might sever your friendship with the people at the table.

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