Homemade Yeast Rolls

Homemade yeast rolls add a comforting touch to any meal.

Holiday and special occasion meals almost require a pan of hot yeast rolls slathered with sweet-cream butter. Breaking bread together has been a sign of hospitality for centuries. Even though brown-and-serve rolls are quick and easy, they don't have that loving touch that makes homemade baked goods so delicious. Yeast rolls mounded on a tray, next to platters of sliced turkey, beef, pork or ham, become mini bocadillas when paired with a plate of Catalonian-inspired, black pepper aioli.

Things You'll Need

• Large and small mixing bowls
• Hand-held egg beater (not an electric mixer)
• 3 packets active dry yeast
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• Instant-read thermometer
• 1 cup warm, not hot, evaporated milk
• 6 cups sifted self-rising flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• Butter flavor nonstick cooking spray
• 9 by 12 high-sided baking pan
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 bulb garlic cloves, peeled (about 6 cloves)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• Mortar and pestle or blender

Instructions

1. Use a thermometer to ensure that your cup of warm milk is less than 115 degrees F. Stephanie and Rick Jaworski in"The Joy of Baking" recommend 90 to 104 degrees F as the optimum range for the warm milk. Linda Stradley of Whatscookingamerica.net, however, recommends 105 to 115 degrees F. Proof your yeast by pouring all three packets into a large mixing bowl with 3 tbsp. sugar and the warm evaporated milk. Allow the yeast to sit on top of the milk without stirring. It will sink and blend together on its own.

2. Let yeast mixture sit 10 to 15 minutes, until it looks frothy. Beat the 4 large eggs with 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup sunflower oil and 1/4 cup water until they are a pale, frothy yellow. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and stir three to seven gentle strokes.

3. Work 5 cups flower into the egg/yeast mixture 1/2 cup at a time until all the flour is incorporated into a coarse, crumbly mix. Add water 1 tbsp. at a time, working it into the dough, until you have a stretchy dough that does not break when you pull it. If the dough begins to stick to your hands, add 1 tbsp. flour at a time until the dough returns to a smooth, stretchy mass.

4. Coat a 9-by-12-inch, high-sided baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Invert the pan and shake it over your sink to remove any excess.

5. Break your dough into walnut-size balls and place them in groups of three in the baking pan. Push each group of three dough balls together, almost squashing them. Spritz each trio of dough balls with the nonstick cooking spray and cover the pan with a cloth until the rolls rise.

6. Use a baking thermometer to calibrate your oven temperature. Set your oven to 400 degrees F and wait until your preheat light goes off, or about 10 to 15 minutes. Check your baking thermometer. If the oven temperature is lower than 400 degrees, wait another 10 minutes and check it again. If it is higher, set your oven lower by that many degrees. If it is still lower than 400 after 20 minutes, add 5 minutes to the cook time for every 10 degrees difference.

7. Bake your homemade yeast rolls at 400 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Tips & Warnings

• To make black pepper aioli, mash 6 cloves of peeled garlic to a paste with a mortar and pestle, or whirl it on a medium setting in your blender while adding 1 cup olive oil. Once the mixture is blended, add the black pepper and whisk it briskly for one minute. Serve aioli next to your basket of homemade yeast rolls and a platter of sliced meat.

References

• Joy of Baking: Yeast
• What's Cooking America: How to Use Yeast in Breadmaking

Resources

• Mediterranean Food Recipes: Aioli in Authentic Catalan Style