RJM62
Touchdown! Greaser!
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- Jun 15, 2007
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Geek on the Hill
These are nice rolls for those who like highly-flavored foods. My family insists I make them every Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Directions given below assume a decent-quality electric mixer with a kneading hook.)
Ingredients (for 12 decent-sized rolls):
Dump the flour, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning, and yeast into the mixing bowl and mix it, dry, until thoroughly mixed.
Next, throw in the rest of the ingredients (except the water) and mix it some more. Do this before you add the water because the ingredients have some water in them, and you don't want the dough to wind up too wet.
Change to the kneading hook and add the water, slowly, until the proper consistency is reached. The dough should be in a loose ball, but still very slightly wetter than an average white-bread dough. (Whole wheat flour doesn't rise quite as much as white flour; the slightly wetter dough helps it rise.) If the mixer starts to thump and bounce off the counter if you don't hold it down, it's probably just a touch too dry. Add a sprinkle of water.
Let the dough knead for a long time -- 20 minutes or so. Then let it rest for about 15 minutes. Then knead it for another ten minutes.
Next, remove the hook, cover the bowl with a clean towel, and let the dough rise for half an hour to an hour. It should almost triple in size. Then punch it down and let it rise again.
Next, dump the dough on to a cutting board or other work surface with some flour sprinkled on it, and hand-knead the dough into a long cylinder, about 20 inches long, give or take. Cut it into 12 more-or-less equal pieces, and roll each one into a ball. (They should be about the size of racquetballs.)
Evenly space the balls, six to a sheet, on two baking sheets that are lightly sprinkled with whole wheat flour. Leave plenty of space. Because this dough is a little wet, it will spread out a little more than a dryer dough would as it rises.
Don't grease the sheets: That just causes the bottoms of the rolls to burn. All you need is a light dusting of flour to prevent sticking. (I usually cover the cookie sheets with foil and then dust the foil with flour.)
Cover the rolls with a clean towel and flick some water on the towel with your hand. Don't soak it! Just very, very lightly sprinkle it. (The moisture helps the yeast do their thing.) Let them sit in a warm place to rise a third time. This step usually takes between 45 minutes and an hour and a half.
When the rolls have risen, bake them at 375 F for 35 - 45 minutes, until the crust is, well, crusty, and you get a nice, hollow-sounding "thud" when you tap them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Rich
Ingredients (for 12 decent-sized rolls):
- Three cups unbleached white flour
- Three cups whole wheat flour
- Two packages active dry yeast
- One tablespoon sugar
- One-half teaspoon salt
- One to two tablespoons Italian seasoning, to taste
- One to three tablespoons grated cheese (Romano, Parmesan, provolone, etc.) to taste. Romano will give a robust flavor. Parmesan or provolone are more delicate.
- Two eggs, beaten
- One tablespoon olive oil
- One-quarter pound prosciutto, shredded or slivered
- One-quarter pound ham, shredded or slivered
- Three tablespoons pignoli
- One red bell pepper, finely chopped, sweet or hot (your choice)
- One green bell pepper, finely chopped (ditto)
- About two cups or so warm water (120 - 130 degrees F.)
Dump the flour, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning, and yeast into the mixing bowl and mix it, dry, until thoroughly mixed.
Next, throw in the rest of the ingredients (except the water) and mix it some more. Do this before you add the water because the ingredients have some water in them, and you don't want the dough to wind up too wet.
Change to the kneading hook and add the water, slowly, until the proper consistency is reached. The dough should be in a loose ball, but still very slightly wetter than an average white-bread dough. (Whole wheat flour doesn't rise quite as much as white flour; the slightly wetter dough helps it rise.) If the mixer starts to thump and bounce off the counter if you don't hold it down, it's probably just a touch too dry. Add a sprinkle of water.
Let the dough knead for a long time -- 20 minutes or so. Then let it rest for about 15 minutes. Then knead it for another ten minutes.
Next, remove the hook, cover the bowl with a clean towel, and let the dough rise for half an hour to an hour. It should almost triple in size. Then punch it down and let it rise again.
Next, dump the dough on to a cutting board or other work surface with some flour sprinkled on it, and hand-knead the dough into a long cylinder, about 20 inches long, give or take. Cut it into 12 more-or-less equal pieces, and roll each one into a ball. (They should be about the size of racquetballs.)
Evenly space the balls, six to a sheet, on two baking sheets that are lightly sprinkled with whole wheat flour. Leave plenty of space. Because this dough is a little wet, it will spread out a little more than a dryer dough would as it rises.
Don't grease the sheets: That just causes the bottoms of the rolls to burn. All you need is a light dusting of flour to prevent sticking. (I usually cover the cookie sheets with foil and then dust the foil with flour.)
Cover the rolls with a clean towel and flick some water on the towel with your hand. Don't soak it! Just very, very lightly sprinkle it. (The moisture helps the yeast do their thing.) Let them sit in a warm place to rise a third time. This step usually takes between 45 minutes and an hour and a half.
When the rolls have risen, bake them at 375 F for 35 - 45 minutes, until the crust is, well, crusty, and you get a nice, hollow-sounding "thud" when you tap them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Rich
