Fun Buns

Here is another buttermilk recipe; the third I've made this summer - starting with buttermilk fried chicken, then the buttermilk pie and now these.  This recipe was the easiest of all with a quick 6 minute knead using the dough hook on my mixer and then letting the dough rise a couple of times.  The results made me smile.  The rolls turned out so big and fluffy.  They are a very bready roll, not particularly light in texture but very tasty.  Now I can't wait for winter so I can start making hearty soups and stews again, with these delicious rolls as an accompaniment.

Buttermilk Cluster

1⁄4 oz. active dry yeast
1⁄2 tsp. sugar
1 3⁄4 cups buttermilk
1 tbsp. honey
5 cups flour
1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
Unsalted butter, for greasing
1 egg

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, sugar, and 1⁄4 cup water heated to 115°; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Whisk in buttermilk and honey; add flour and salt. Mix on medium-low speed until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the side of the bowl, 6–8 minutes. (Sprinkle in a little water if dough seems dry.) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to let dough rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 400˚. Grease a 9" round springform pan with butter. Uncover dough; divide into 12 portions. Roll each dough piece into a ball; transfer ball to pan; repeat with remaining dough. Cover pan with plastic wrap and set aside to let dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 tsp. water. Uncover dough and brush egg mixture over the top.  Bake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dough registers 190°, about 35 minutes. (Mine took 45 minutes).  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Feather Rolls

In my repertoire of recipes I have a few old standards that I turn to time and time again. Every now and then I discover something new to add to that collection and the following is one of them. This is a recipe for wonderful, light and airy yeast rolls that require absolutely no kneading. They just could be easier and the end result is a roll that is great to serve alongside soups or stews.

The entire process for making these Feather Rolls takes approximately 2 hours from start to finish and the beauty is that everything gets beat together in one bowl to rise and then the dough is put in muffin tins for a final rise and that's it. All you need is a little elbow grease to mix the dough together in the bowl. I usually make a double batch and stick a dozen in the freezer to have on hand when the mood strikes for a yummy roll with our dinner.

Feather Rolls

1 package dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

4 Tbsp. cooled, melted butter

1 Tbsp. sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 beaten egg

3/4 cup tepid milk

2 cups white flourSir the yeast into the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes to dissolve. Mix the butter, sugar, salt, egg, milk and dissolved yeast in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Add the flour and beat vigorously until well blended. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour.Stir mixture down and fill buttered muffin tins half full. Cover and let rise in warm place for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 deg F and bake rolls for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown. Makes 1 dozen rolls.