We're on a Roll!

I've had a request for a roll recipe. Pretty much I just use a regular bread recipe, and I usually don't measure. But here are some guidelines:

For one (1) cup of warm water I use one (1) teaspoon of dry yeast (the regular kind--not instant). And for 1 cup of water I use two to four (2 to 4) tablespoons of oil, and about one (1) teaspoon of salt. I just add flour until there's enough. A recipe using one (1) cup of water will make one (1) loaf of bread or about a dozen (12) rolls.

So much for the guidelines. Here's kind of a real recipe for two (2) loaves of bread or two dozen (24) rolls. Or you could make one (1) loaf of bread and one dozen (12) rolls. The possibilities are endless . . .

REGULAR, BASIC WHITE BREAD (OR ROLLS)

2 cups warm water [about 105-115 degrees, if you're measuring. Or about the temperature of a nice, warm bath. But don't use bath water--especially not bubble bath!]
1 tsp. sugar, I guess. More if you want sweet bread. Lots more. About 1/4 to 1/3 cup.
2 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup oil [that's 4 Tbsp. You could use melted butter instead. Yummy!]
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. salt
7 to 10 cups flour [unbleached, of course]
3 Tbsp. powdered milk (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the water. Let stand for about 5 minutes to let the yeast proof--this means you are waiting to see if it's alive. You can tell it's alive when the mixture gets all bubbly and foamy on top. If the yeast is dead you will end up with dinosaur bread.

Well anyway, once you've determined that the yeast is alive [and it probably will be], stir in the oil, the salt and about three cups of the flour and the powdered milk, if you're using it; mix well. Now continue adding the flour, mixing in one cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir it in with a spoon. Pour some of the remaining flour onto your work surface, dump the dough out onto it and start kneading.

To knead the bread, fold the half that's farthest away from you, toward yourself. Use all your body weight to push the two halves together. [I am short. I stand on a stepping stool so I can have better leverage when I knead my bread dough.] Now rotate the dough 1/4 turn and fold and push it together again. As you do this the dough will eat up the flour on the table. Put more flour on the table and keep kneading for about ten (10) minutes, incorporating the rest of the flour as you go. You have added enough flour when the dough is smooth and elastic--not real sticky. You can quit kneading now.

Whew!

Clean out your mixing bowl and oil it lightly. Put the dough back in and then turn it over so that it gets all coated with oil. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until it's doubled in size--about an hour. Punch the dough [Yup. Just like it sounds], knead it for about 30 seconds and then shape it into two (2) loaves of bread or two dozen (24) rolls. Or you could make one (1) loaf of bread and one dozen (12) rolls. The possibilities are endless . . .

Put the loaves into greased bread pans; put rolls onto a greased cookie sheet. Let them raise 30 to 60 minutes--until they've about doubled in size. Bake loaves in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Bake rolls in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from oven. Dump out onto cooling racks. Turn off the oven [I always forget that part.] Try to restrain yourself--fresh bread is hard to resist, but bread is also difficult to slice in the first 30 minutes after it's baked. Also it kind of wrecks the texture of the sliced edge. I guess this really isn't a problem with rolls, though. But they might burn you if you don't wait a bit. I don't know. None of this has really ever stopped my family from just gobbling up fresh, hot bread.

Hmmmm. Was this recipe helpful at all?