Easy and Delicious Refrigerator Dinner Rolls

Holiday dinners do not seem complete without fresh, hot dinner rolls.  There is something about their yeasty fragrance mingling with other holiday aromas that beckon you to the kitchen, enticing and teasing.  They are a promise waiting to be fulfilled.

This no-knead dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to four days and they make some of the lightest, most flavorful, pleasantly sweet,  rolls you've ever tasted.  I have used this recipe for ages and have yet to find one that I like more.  This recipe makes 24 rolls, but you do not have to use the dough all at once, so you can have fresh, hot rolls for several days in a row.

To have ready for your meal, allow time to roll and form the dough and rising time and then time for baking, (generally allowing an hour for rising time, depending on how warm your kitchen is).

I made this recipe twice this past holiday.  For the family holiday, I had taken the dough out 90 minutes beforehand, to form and to raise the dough, but at the end of an hour when the dough needed to go into the oven to bake, the rolls were only three-quarters risen in the pan.  In desperation, I went ahead and baked them anyway, and thanks to the heat of the oven,  the rolls finished rising fully and beautifully. 

The second time I made them, I took the dough out 2 hours ahead of time, formed them, and allowed them to rise.  This time they started to over-rise.  I put the pan of risen rolls back into the refrigerator to slow them down and took them again when it was time to bake.  The rolls did not over proof, and once again, the rolls were gorgeous and light.

The original directions say to use a 9 x 13" pan and make 24 rolls.  However, I found that the middle rolls remained doughy and needed an additional 5-10 minutes of baking time.  I have had much better success using 2" inch high x 9" round cake pans and making 12 rolls in each pan.  I think they would be gorgeous baked into cloverleaf shape in muffin pans as well.

Refrigerator Dinner Rolls
(makes 2 dozen rolls)

1 cup warm water (105* to 115* F)
2 packages active dry yeast (not instant)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may need more or less depending upon humidity)
additional melted butter for brushing on finished rolls, if desired

In a large bowl, combine the water and yeast and let the mixture stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the butter, sugar, eggs and salt. 

Beat in the flour, one cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix.  Cover and refrigerate anywhere from 2 hours or up to 4 days.

Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan.  Turn the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into 24 equal-sized pieces.  Roll each piece into a smooth round ball.  Place balls in even rows in the prepared pan.  Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 375* Fahrenheit.  Place rolls in the oven and bake until they are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Brush the warm rolls with melted butter, if desired.  Break rolls apart to serve.

Coleen's Decadent Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

If you ever want to celebrate a morning  you must make these maple glazed cinnamon rolls.

Sweet, fluffy, cinnamon-y, pecan-y, maple-y goodness, delectable rolls just for you.  All warm and fragrant and waiting...

You know you want it.   Just a nibble. A tiny corner where all the maple glaze just spills so sweetly over the edge.  Couldn't hurt.  Right?

My beautiful friend and cook extraordinaire, Coleen of Coleen's Recipes, bubbled with enthusiasm and compliments for these, and, no surprise, here,  she was so right. So when Coleen mentioned that I should make these, well, I knew that I just had to.  Coleen has many loyal followers and fans of her terrific cooking, but if haven't had the pleasure of meeting her, I encourage you to skip on over and visit.  Believe me, you won't want to leave, and if you're like me, you'll be bookmarking everything she makes.

Coleen's Pecan Maple Cinnamon Rolls

For the rolls:
2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar

One package dry active yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons if using bulk)**
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

For the filling:
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons softened butter (for spreading on rolled dough)

Maple Glaze
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple flavor extract (such as Mapleine)
2-3 tablespoons milk or enough to make a nice smooth glaze

Mix the buttermilk, vegetable oil and sugar in a saucepan and warm the mixture to about 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit, just below the boiling point.  (Alternatively you could use your microwave, which is what Coleen and I did.)  Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool down and then stir in the dry yeast.  Allow the mixture to sit for five to ten minutes, allowing time for the yeast to "bloom."

Add 4 cups (from the 4/1 2 cups required) to the liquid ingredients and stir well; no kneading is required.  The batter is heavy and sticky, but that's okay; it's supposed to be.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place for an hour.


In a small, separate bowl, mix the final 1/2 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir down the rested dough and add dry ingredients.  Mix until well incorporated. The dough will still be quite sticky.



Turn the batter out onto a well-floured work surface and roll the dough around a few times, coating the outside so that it is not quite so sticky.  Roll or pat the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick.  Spread the dough surface with the 2 tablespoons of butter and then add evenly spread on the filling ingredients and top with the nuts, patting the nuts into the sugar.

Roll the dough up jelly roll style, keeping it as tight as you can.  Inch the seam shut.  Cut 1 1/2 inch slices and lay them cut side dwn, in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake in preheated 375*F oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and then sound hollow when you tap on them.  Drizzle with glaze while the rolls are still hot.

To make the glaze, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, using only 2 tablespoons of milk to start.  If the glaze is too thick, add additional milk in drops, stirring well in between, until the desired spreading consistency is achieved.

**A packet of yeast contains 2 1/4 teaspoons.  In Coleen's notes, she indicated she used an entire tablespoon, which is what I did (I am such a follower, grins).  The additional yeast gives it a little additional loft, I buy yeast in bulk,  but if you only have the packets of yeast, I'd used the suggested amount.

Refrigerator Potato Rolls

Growing up, bread was served at virtually every meal. It was the store-bought, squishy kind, but it was there, slices piled high on a plate with homemade butter beside it. When dining out, it was customary to have a bread basket of crusty rolls or the soft fluffy rolls served as part of the meal.

Nowadays, with all the anti-carb hype, bread has lost its status as a mealtime staple. Even here we have bread primarily for French toast or the occasional sandwich; we rarely see bread baskets in restaurants. Times do change. Yet, the much beloved tradition of homemade rolls at the holidays is still very much alive. At holidays, my mother always made homemade rolls, usually cinnamon rolls, which were my favorite (and to this date, I cannot make them as good as I remember hers to be). I cannot consider a holiday or family gathering without homemade bread; it's ingrained.

The rub, though, is multi-tasking cooking. I have a wee Victorian with just barely enough room in to change my mind. When cooking and baking a big meal, space and time is a premium commodity. Sure, I can bake cakes or pies the night before, have the vegetables peeled and ready to be cooked, get my slow cooker involved for slower cooked mashed potatoes to free up a burner for the half dozen different vegetables and sauces I am wont to prepare. It seems no matter how much I do in advance, there is always a last minute rush to get everything hot on the table at the same time.

Especially the rolls. They have to be hot. I want to split one open, see the steam still rising, and the butter melting and spilling out. The thing with bread (and especially rolls because now you have to take the time to form them into shapes) is that they take precious time. Unless you make refrigerator rolls, of course.

I found these perfectly delightful rolls on My Kitchen Cafe. Melanie swears these are perfect and her absolute favorite to date. After trying them for myself, I think these are indeed excellent. These golden globes are beautiful to behold and toothsome (having a bit of a chew to them). I didn't try them as a refrigerator roll because I didn't plan far enough in advance to be able to bake the next day, but potato rolls make an excellent refrigerator roll. (As a matter of fact, my cats also liked them; they broke into my bag and bit into every single one that I had left over, naughty cats!) These rolls will be part of our Thanksgiving celebration this year.

Perfect Dinner Rolls

1 1/4 cups warm water (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup instant potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 egg, lightly beaten for glazing

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the water, oil, sugar and yeast, and allow the yeast to dissolve.

In a separate large bowl, add the flour, potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes), and salt. Stir to combine the ingredients.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring as you do so, until well combined. Continue to stir until the dough all comes together.

Then on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough, about six to eight minutes. This dough has a rough feel to it (because of the potato flakes) so it will not have the smooth silky feel of other non-potato doughs, even after eight minutes of kneading, but it will loose its shaggy appearance or an under-kneaded dough.

Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour and a half.

After the dough has risen, deflate it by punching it down. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. For the pieces into balls, either by cupping your hands and rolling it on a smooth, unfloured surface. Here's a U-Tube link that really explains it better than I can.

As the balls are formed, transfer them to a parchment-lined or lightly greased rimmed baking sheet (aka jelly roll pan). Once all the rolls are formed, cover lightly with greased plastic wrap (I usually tent with aluminum foil because I don't want to risk the wrap sticking to the dough and deflating the dough when I remove the wrap). If you are making the rolls for immediate use, allow the dough to rise in a warm area until doubled, about one hour.

If you are making the rolls for the following day, do not let them go through this second rise. Instead, cover them with the greased plastic wrap and place directly in the refrigerator. Take the rolls out 2 hours before baking to allow them to come to room temperature and complete the second rise.

Beat the egg, and with a pastry brush glaze the tops of the rolls.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the rolls for 15 minutes, or until a beautiful golden brown.

This recipe makes 12 ample-sized dinner rolls.

For Ingrid: Cinnamon Rolls for Christmas

Ingrid, here it is ~ a really nice cinnamon roll recipe that I believe your family will love. This Paula Deen recipe makes 15 medium sized rolls, works up pretty easily, with ingredients that are typical to most pantries and kitchens. I hope my pictures and my narrative will help you serve these delightful rolls for your family's Christmas breakfast and many more!

First the ingredients.

Paula Deen's Cinnamon Rolls
For the Dough

1/4-ounce package active yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons if you're using bulk form)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk, scalded
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided


Get all all your ingredients and any tools you might need. As I use my ingredients I put them away so if anything is left over I know it's one that I inadvertently admitted, grins.

Start by scalding your milk. Boil over medium heat; you will notice a skin forming, which is just the milk fat that has cooked. You can just scoop it out and discard. I then melted my butter in the heated milk and set it aside.

While the milk was scalding, I microwaved the wave, tested with an instant-read thermometer. The directions on my jar of yeast said to proof in water between 100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. I had heated the water too hot, cooled it down by stirring in an ice cube, took out any water added by the melting ice cube.

Add the yeast and stir quickly to combine. Within moments you will see the yeast start to "bloom," meaning that it's active and good to use.

Once the yeast is fully proofed, it will look nice and foamy. This will generally take about 5 to10 minutes. If your yeast does not fully bloom like this, throw it away and start over.

In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Sift the dry ingredients in as you add them to remove any clumps or lumps.


Add the yeast mixture and give it a good stir. The batter is loose, but heavy.

The directions say to add in the remaining flour, but I would exercise some caution and not blindly follow those directions. There is 1 1/2 to 2 cups of flour remaining. Start with one cup, give a good stir until it's well incorporated. Take a look and see how sticky it still looks. Then get your hands involved here because you need to feel how wet and loose the dough is. I sift additional flour in with one hand and massage it in with the other, turning and mixing the whole time. Now as I've stated previously you make not need all the additional flour called for, but depending on the humidity of your home or the amount of moisture the wheat had while it was out in the fields, you may actually need more. The only way you are going to be able to tell is by the feel of the dough.

You are looking for that balance where it loses its gloppy, wet look and acquires a craggy, raggedy look that will not stick on your surface when you begin to knead it. Keep in mind that you will be using additional flour on your work surface, so it may be better to err on the side of too little flour because you can add it in while you're kneading. Unfortunately, the photo above was after I had dumped my ball of dough on my dough linen, patted it out, and flipped it front and back to flour to begin kneading so there's a light dusting of flour on it.


What's really important here is that I'd like you to note just how raggedy and rough the dough looks.

Kneading is going to take care of that! I start by folding my dough into a neat little package. I fold it in half and fold it again.


And then with the heels of my hands at the edge of the dough that is closest to me, using my upper body strength, I push the dough away from me, as if I were trying to push it through the linen. Give it a really, really good push. It's almost like those old timely washer women with their washboards, if you know what I mean.


You should now have an elongated piece of dough. Fold in half, and half again, and give it a quarter turn.

You want to work all the dough around the clock, working each side, by folding and turning, and kneading.

You may need to add a dusting of flour to your work surface and the top of the dough to prevent it from sticking.

Most directions say knead for 5 to 10 minutes. I think, unless your Superman and you have arms of steel, you'll want to knead for the full ten minutes. Once you have adequately kneaded your dough, it should look nice and smooth and luxurious.

Put your dough in a well buttered bowl, flipping the dough over so that it doesn't stick and let it rise for 1 to 1/2 hours, or until doubled. I use my oven, with a hot bowl of water beneath it, and the oven light on. (Yes, I know my oven needs to be cleaned, but I'm always using it!)

My dough rose in about an hour. Once it's doubled, punch it down. Let the dough rest for five minutes or so because it will make it easier to work with.

For The Filling
1/2 cup butter, melted, plus additional for pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pan
2 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 cup walnuts, pecans or raisins, or a mixture, optional

Once again lightly flour your work surface and a rolling pin, and the top of your dough. Roll the dough into a 9 inch x 15 inch rectangle.

Generously spread the melted butter on the dough. Sprinkle on the cinnamon, sugar, and the nuts or raisins if you are going to use them. (I didn't use all the butter or all the cinnamon-sugar mixture called for, because for me, it's just too much.)

Beginning at the long end that is facing you, evenly roll the dough into a cylinder towards the opposite side. It helps to use both your hands and roll both ends simultaneously, evening up the edges as you roll as best you can.

When you reach the end, pinch the ends together. I also give the cylinder another couple of turns to try and smooth the edges to stop the rolls from unraveling when I cut them or as they rise.

Generously butter a 15-inch x 9 -inch baking pan. Sprinkle in a little sugar and cinnamon on the bottom. Slice your cylinder into 15 one-inch-wide slices. My linen has one-inch markings on it so I just follow the lines. Otherwise I'd use a ruler to try and make the slices as even as possible.

Because I was doing the second proof on my counter top, I covered with plastic wrap. The directions said to proof for 45 minutes. My kitchen tends to run cool, it took about an hour.

You can see how the rolls are now touching.

Somewhere during this time, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When ready, bake your rolls for about 30 minutes, or until a nice golden brown. I start checking my rolls at 25 minutes and then check every couple of minutes for doneness, first by sight, and then by lightly tapping a roll with the back of a knuckle to see if the roll sounds hollow. If there's a hollow sound, it's done.

For the Glaze
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-6 tablespoons hot water

While the rolls are baking, make the glaze. Combine the first three ingredients together and mix well. Add the hot water, one tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition until a desired spreading consistency is achieved. I only needed two tablespoons, but you may like a thinner glaze. When the rolls are slightly cooled (maybe ten minutes or so), lavishly spread on glaze.


And so, we have it. Cinnamon rolls.


Let me pluck the last two roses of my garden and join me at my table. Tell me about your day and what's in your heart. I want to hear all you have to say.

A nice hot cup of tea or coffee and hot cinnamon rolls await you.

Mall-Style Cinnamon Buns

This past weekend I learned a new-to-me Yankee idiom. Apparently, we are having what is described as a "dividing rain." It's a term used to describe the rain that comes between the seasons of summer and fall and heralds the commencement of autumn's rainy season (as if our summer hasn't been rainy enough!). It's generally a week of steady downpours that brings down the autumn leaves before we've had an opportunity to enjoy the full flush and peak of their vibrant colors and beauty.


So what do I do to cheer myself up? I bake! I went to our local library and borrowed several cookbooks, one of them entitled 150 Best American Recipes by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens. I think I want to try virtually every recipe in the book and it's one I'm going to look to buy when I'm next at Border's.

Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? I leave that for you to answer. This recipe will make either 12 or 18 buns. Because I was craving something sweet for breakfast and because I was feeling extravagant and because I don't have two 9 inch by 13 inch pans, I went with twelve buns. As you can see, four buns almost spill over a cake plate, and one bun generously fills a dessert plate. These buns are huge!

You will need a good sized space to roll out this dough (it's rolled into an 15 inch x 20 inch rectangle). The dough is absolutely gorgeous to work with. For those who are familiar with working with yeast breads, you'll know what I mean when I say the dough was soft and silken after kneading.

A frosted cinnamon bun used to be my all time favorite and these buns really are very good. Would I make these again? It's quite likely. This recipe calls for a ton of butter and cinnamon sugar, which I found I did not completely use. I ended up saving nearly a cup of the cinnamon-sugar mixture in a jar to use on cinnamon toast. If you like deadly sweet and gooey then by all means go for it, grins, and use the entire amount. I never thought I'd hear myself say it, but yes, for me, there can be too much of a good thing.

For flavor, I much prefer my Lion House Orange Rolls; they're more work, but are still the best breakfast roll I've ever made.

The directions look long and tiresome, but it's not really not so bad once you get into it. Read through them first, get your ingredients ready, and it all goes pretty quickly, with a little down time in between while the dough is rising to do other morning activities. You'll win smiles and Wows! with these.

Cinnamon Buns From Heaven
(The 150 Best American Recipes by Frank McCullough & Molly Stevens
They credit "The Oregonian" as their source)

Dough
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
2 envelopes active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon plus 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk, heated to lukewarm
10 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
7-8 cups all purpose flour, more or less as needed, sifted

Filling
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)

Glaze
10 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/3 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 cup hot water (using only enough to make a desirable spreading consistency)

Making the Dough
In a small bowl or large cup, combine the warm water, yeast, and one teaspoon of the sugar; stir and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the milk, 2/3 cup sugar, melted butter, beaten eggs, and salt. Stir well; add in the yeast mixture.

Add 3 1/2 cups of flour and beat until smooth (it will be like a thick pancake batter). Stir in enough remaining flour until the dough is slightly stiff ~ it will be sticky. More flour will be added for kneading so don't despair.

Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding small amounts of flour by sifting flour over the dough as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Once a small, elastic ball has been attained, place the dough in a well-buttered bowl, flipping the dough over in the bowl to lightly coat the dough with the butter (helps with rising). Cover and let rise in a warm place (or place in the oven with a pot of warm water beneath the dough and close the oven door) for 60-90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. Punch down the dough and allow the dough to rest for five minutes (this will help to relax the dough to make it easier to roll out). Lightly flour a clean surface and your rolling pin and roll the dough into a 15 x 20 inch rectangle.

Making the Filling
Spread half the melted butter on the dough. In a small bowl combine the 1 1/2 cups of sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the buttered dough. Sprinkle the walnuts and raisins if you're going to use them. Roll the dough up, as for a jelly roll, and pinch the edges together to seal.

To cut into twelve near even sizes (grins) I take out my ruler and cut the roll in half. I line up the two halves in front of me, one behind the other, measure, cut the two halves in half (there should now be four rolls of equal size). After that I just eyeball it and cut each quarter into thirds, making 12 rolls. I cup the rolls in my hands to bring them back to a nice circular shape as cutting the rolls can slightly flatten them.

If you're making 12 buns, use the remaining butter to generously grease a 9 x 13 inch pan and an 8-inch pan. If you're making 18 buns, use two 9 x 13 inch pans. Sprinkle the pans with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Place the cinnamon buns, cut side down, close together in the pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the rolls are a delicious golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before glazing.

Making the Glaze
In a medium bowl, combine the first three ingredients, and then add the hot water, one tablespoon at a time, stirring in between, until you have a spreadable glaze. Spread the glaze over the buns and serve.

An Afterthought: I know that this is already a long post, but I have to share this with you. I'm not going to share the recipe but I wanted to share the picture. Some folks are a little shy about making yeast products. Want to know what I have problems with? No Bake Cookies!!


The picture on the post that I saw showed these as beautiful glossy morsels of delight. **Sigh** I think the question that was raised by Ole Sweetie-Pi was "Have we been visited by a giant rabbit?"

Cream of Chicken Soup and 30-Minute Rolls

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the earthy smells and aromas seeing and the abundance of harvests dot our countryside with stands and farmers' markets. It seems everywhere we go we see signs for bags of apples, freshly picked corn and pumpkins. Farmers markets are selling jams and pies and homemade fudge, and bundled cornstalks and grapevines to decorate our doorways.

I even saw one local enterprising farmer selling hay and bagged manure for $3.00 a bag.

The green meadow across the road from me is golden and the uncut hay sways in the breezes. In my own yard, my lavender phlox perfumes the air, and the last of my rose buds their valiant final flush before the killing frost.

As the night air and harvest moon usher in the waxing summer sun, there is a new coolness, welcomed but nonetheless foreboding of more frigid weather in the short months ahead. (The cats do not want to even stick their little noses outside; they are content open up one eye, give one long lazy stretch in acknowledgment of our presence, and then curl up again into the late morning.) My attention is on soups and breads to warm our stomachs and our hearts. The heat from the oven warms the kitchen, and its warmth draws us in, inviting us to linger.

The cream of chicken soup was very good. I think the chicken, as cooked according to the recipe, was too dry. It definitely needs less cooking than specified in the directions. The good news is, I absolutely loved the foundation of this soup; this is the soup base I've been looking for to make other chowders such as corn and clam. The onions and potatoes were perfectly flavored by the bacon, the flavors intermingling and blending and fully complimenting each other.

We have certain "go withs" when I make soup; one of them is a nice hot roll. I saw these 30-minute dinner rolls on The Sisters' Cafe, and I could not resist the temptation to have hot dinner rolls without all the rising times. Melanie states in her post that she thought they weren't fluffy enough; I thought the fluff factor was quite satisfactory, grins. (I made two pans of eight rolls, so perhaps mine were a little larger?) Also, even though her recipe didn't specify, I lightly kneaded the dough for several minutes to make a smoother looking dough and added additional flour to roll into balls. I used active yeast for these, and I'm wondering if these might not have been a little better with instant or rapid rise yeast. (They require less rising time than active yeast.) What I did find to be a drawback is the lack of the signature yeasty flavor that is imparted with long risings. I thought these were a tad on the bland side. That would not stop me from making these again, as I think they're terrific in a pinch, though I do have other hot roll recipes that I much greatly prefer when time allows.


Cream of Chicken Soup

3 slices bacon, chopped
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast (about one breast)
2 tablespoons butter
3 large potatoes, chopped
3 large onions, chopped
2 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
fresh parsley for decoration and color

In a good sized stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the bacon and chicken, and without any added fat, fry for about ten minutes. Stir frequently to ensure that these do not burn or stick to the pan.

Add the butter, potatoes, and onions, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring all the time.

Add the broth and milk; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30-45 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper. Just before serving add the cream and simmer (do not boil) for another 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

I was thinking that this needed another spice to really round out the flavor. Thyme maybe?

Frosted Orange Rolls from the Lion House

The first time I made these orange rolls was this past Easter. Unfortunately, their presentation wasn't the best, and no amount of turning them to get their best side improved their appearance or my temperament and I decided not to post. So, this is my second attempt, and alas, my skill at rolling them them for a beautiful presentation hasn't improved, but I'm posting away.

I selected the four prettiest rolls for you; the other 14 rolls seemed to have a mind of their own, more so than these four, rising in all manner of disrespectful direction and size. Grins. Oh, well.

Regardless of their appearance, these rolls are light and fluffy and without question the single best breakfast roll I have ever made. I used two mineolas which probably yielded more orange zest than two regular sized oranges, as well as the mineola juice. The fresh citrusy flavor and aroma just filled my senses. As the rolls were baking, Ole Sweetie-Pi couldn't find enough reasons to walk through the kitchen to catch a whiff. I barely had spooned on the frosting and he was there waiting for me to offer him the first hot, gooey roll. I gladly obliged him, but I had beaten him to the first bite though. I ate one while I was frosting the rest!

These rolls take some time to put together; I spent about four hours this morning beginning with pulling out the first bowl to taking the first warm, drippy frosting, orange-filled, fragrant bite. It was totally worth the effort, and no question, this recipe is a a keeper.

Beautiful Burger Buns

For our little family gathering, I made pulled pork and naturally the needed sandwich rolls. These Beautiful Burger Buns have received a lot of acclaim with the nice folks who frequent the King Arthur Flour site.

They certainly are beautiful; just look at those golden globes! Plus they're easy enough for a beginner bread maker to tackle and have great success. The first time I made these, I followed the directions and made eight huge rolls. Since then, I make ten, which is a much better size for us.

Alas, they just aren't my favorite for either burgers or pulled pork. I think they are a little too fluffy and tender as the rolls just didn't hold up that well. They would, however, be perfect for chicken salad, tuna salad, sliced roast beef or turkey, etc. If I were going to make a tray of chicken salad sandwiches, for example, though, I think I'd make the rolls even smaller.

These rolls are easy, delicious, beautiful. I'll make them again.