Dinner Rolls....the enriched favorite of Papa Keith

I love baking. My favorite bread baking is french bread but Papa Keith loves his enriched white bread, so years ago the gift that keeps on giving was Peter Reinhart's A Bread Baker's Apprentice where I became even more in love with the process of making bread. I even developed science lessons making bread when teaching seventh graders about cell structure, and properties of matter. So making bread is more than just sustenance or delicious, its a science lab.

I usually like to make this bread all in one day, starting early while making my coffee I have all the fats out on the counter to warm to room temperature. The recipe calls for 3 and 1/4 tablespoons of butter, one large egg slightly beaten, about 1 and 1/2 cup of buttermilk. There are variations where I may use more butter but always a butter that has a good flavor that I like. Or instead of butter milk sometimes I use milk or powdered milk. If I use powdered milk then I must use water and add the powdered milk to the dry ingredients. If your water is hard, and here in Las Cruces it is very hard, I try to use filtered water from my refrigerator after allowing it to warm to room temperature, but have not noticed that much of a difference in this bread, but when making french bread I do notice a difference because that bread does not have any fat. Until after we bake it and slather it with...I digress on the french bread thing.

AND here is the full disclaimer. I do not use exact measurements ever. I really get a kick out of seeing the dough come to one mass, then rise, shape and bake. This enriched bread will easily be delicious with certain changes in texture and flavor but always a hit at my house.

Mixing the dry ingredients in my mixing bowl is next. With four cups of bread flour if you are using volume to measure works out good for me because if the flour is packed you could have too much flour. If you use a mass scale for your flour the amount should be about 21.5 ounces.  The other dry ingredients is added; 3 tablespoons white sugar, 2 teaspoons of instant yeast, 11/2 teaspoons of salt. Using a whisk, I make sure all the dry ingredients is mixed well before adding the fats. 

Add the buttermilk and slightly beaten egg with the paddle attachment until the dough is starting to come together but not fully mixed. Don't be afraid to add a few drops of milk or a little sprinkle of flour if you think the dough is too wet or too dry. I like to let the dough rest about 5 minutes max to allow for the liquid to be absorbed by the flour a bit. Remove the paddle by wetting your hands with water, and cleaning off the dough from the paddle before allowing a few minutes of resting.

I have made this bread by hand without the mixer and it works well. You need to adjust the timing but it is still yummy and great to get your hands in there. Probably do not need the resting time if doing it by hand but inevitably you get tired and need a rest too.

After attaching the dough hook add the small room temperature butter to the dough adding a little at a time. Allow the dough hook to incorporate the fat a little at a time ensures a great texture of dough. The dough will come to a ball and you will not have any flour sticking to the sides either. This usually takes about three minutes of kneading but I hardly ever look a the clock. Just watch the dough and see its texture to know if it is all one mass. Another way to test too see if the dough is fully formed is to check out the membrane. Cut off a small piece of the dough and stretch it in your hands. If the dough makes a membrane or sort of window pane then the gluten in the dough is forming those long chains of carbohydrates that makes bread or any flour a lovely stretchy envelope to but some good to go stuff in it. YOU know...a sandwich.

Prepare a bowl with oil. I usually use an oil that will not add flavor like canola oil, but sometimes I will use butter. Get your hands full of the oil and spread it around the bowl. Then use your oiled hands to take the dough off the hook and remove it from the bowl while trying to gather in all in one mass. Its ok if some is left in the bowl, just scoop it out with your hands and add it to the larger mass. Some people use a dough scraper here which works good but I like to use my hands as they are already full of oil. 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap, but not too tight because it may rise above depending on your bowl.  Place the dough in a draft free area on the counter to double in size. Depending on the weather it usually takes about 3 hours but again I do not usually watch the clock I watch the dough. I also have refrigerated the dough overnight or more. Shaping and forming the dough after it warms up a bit when taking it out of the refrigerator.

After rising or double in size I remove the plastic wrap and lay the plastic oil side up, flat on the counter to use after shaping. It has the oil already on it so its good to go. I oil the pan and do the same thing with the pan as I did for removing the dough from the mixing bowl. Getting your hands oily makes the dough easier to handle. I have used flour here before. It works well but the bread is already enriched with oil so why not just add more. After claiming not to measure I must say that making rolls of all the same size becomes way too important during the baking. It is not necessary for baking but some of the rolls will be cooked more than others. So get everything ready so you can just complete the process after getting your hands oily.

                                         

I divide the dough into pieces by cutting and then plopping on the scale to make all the rolls even. Then I begin to shape. The picture with my hand is blurry because I am forming them under my hand making a circular motion. Two ounces for dinner rolls placing them on the oiled pan after shaping them is what is pictured above. I use about 3 and 1/2 ounces for sandwich rolls and flattening them after shaping while on the oiled pan. If you want to make pull apart rolls, make 1 ounce dough balls and place closer together so when they rise and bake they are all one mass with just the tops being brown.  If you want a loaf, divide the entire mass in two and shape or place in oiled loaf pan. Baking times will vary depending on the size. The ones in the picture above are all 2 ounces with one exception. Can you spot it?

Cover lightly with oiled plastic to rise again in a draft free place. They should double in size and take about an hour, but depending on the weather that could be more or less. Seems when I first started to bake learning when the highest rise was was a challenge. AND the maximum size bubbles in New Orleans was different when living at higher altitude. Don't worry, just enjoy because this bread is great when ever you bake it. 

These are after about 25 minutes on 350 degree oven. Still could use more baking but I would rather save that for when I reheat them. Bread out of the oven is delicious but remember the bread is still baking and needs cooling time to complete the process, but I can't wait that long sometimes and go after it right out of the oven. Caution not to burn yourself.

Notice the air spaces in this roll as I pull it apart. The crust is fine layer on top while the inside is protected and filled with the gas from the yeast. Ready to slice and make sliders or any other way to eat really good white bread.

These rolls are for brisket sandwiches for a camping trip. I love the dark color of the crust. They will cool completely and then be stored in a plastic rubbermaid box for the trip.

Grand baby Ella Jane makes her entrance

Cooking for Jessica was my assigned task after delivery, which to my delight meant that sometimes Ella Jane's bassinet traveled to the kitchen with me.

Waiting for you, Dear Ella Jane, was not hard to do because your mama and me started out thinking how lovely it would be for Jessica to be a mom. I only wanted that for her because of the love, joy and delight I have in being a mother. I can honestly say I was a nervous wreck as I arrived at the airport the day after your due date because I did not want Jessica to see me so freaked out…freaked out in a good way. She was waiting to go into labor. Childbirth is not a picnic and witnessing Jessica go through it was somewhat scary for me. I am so proud of her because she made it look all so easy. I imagined myself for weeks, or maybe since 5 August 1980, being very calm, quiet and economically vocalizing words of wisdom and comfort during the pregnancy, birth and Ella’s entire life. Jessica never ever was a problem, conundrum, or basket case as a baby, toddler, grade school kid, teenager or at all, so Ella will most likely be just like, or even better than, her mama.

Since Ella Jane’s arrival, headlines in the news, apps, television broadcasts, radio are just not interesting anymore. I read and write daily, sometimes twice a day and I cannot even remember anything when I scan the headlines. And all I want to write about is you. Everything else is of no interest to me. When Ella squeaks, or Jessica changes her diaper, or Engin asks me if I can see if Ella is breathing ok when she is on his shoulder. Now THAT is a headline worth reading. All three of us are just smitten to no end. She is like the Star and we are orbiting her because the gravity is so defining to our every essence, being and action. It’s been 5 days since she is born and time has just flown by.

Flown by while giggling. I am giggling so much when I see her little pants. Jessica says she needs to fold the Ella’s laundry as she refuses to go lie down for a few minutes. Ella is in Engin and my charge in her chair sleeping. Wiggling indicates that she needs something as she is lifted from her baby device and is placed on the neatly folded placed granny crochet blanket on the couch. Sitting next to her on the couch is her clean laundry and her mama. Jessica is folding Ella’s clothes on the couch. With the Ella focusing as a new human does on all that is around her, Jessica proclaims, “I am gonna need to learn how to fold clothes with her so I might as well do it now.” Emma is watching her every move and talking her baby vernacular as she squeezes in her bunny pajama feet with bent paired knees up to her belly, arms moving about. Then Jessica yells out to Engin in the kitchen, “Come play with Ella because it is her play time.” Engin listens dutifully by turning off the water in the sink dishes and sits on the coffee table next to Jessica and coos just like a dove at his beautiful baby girl.

I can remember collecting Jessica as a baby with the laundry, clothespins and yellow bonnet. I enjoyed every miniscule thing I did taking care of her. Denying the reality that I could use the dryer and not hang the laundry up. I placed Jessica in the stroller after securing a yellow bonnet around her head and we rolled out on the green grass under the makeshift clothesline. Christopher was always following along and held Jessica’s hand as we all three, laundry and stroller moved in unison slowly to the task of hanging diapers in the breeze of August in New Orleans. Jessica was protected from the wind because she had her yellow bonnet, brother and mama with her.

Engin and I are entrusted to watching Ella Jane in her bassinette I the living room while Jessica gains a few minutes of precious privacy after days of having the most unglamorous Ella Entrance into the world. We two watch in utter amazement to Ella’s movements with her back to the crib bed focusing through glassy sleepy eyes. This must be her second feeding after Jessica’s mild came in. As her arms and feet come to a sudden stop, her right arm is still high above her body.  And suddenly fall with as large as the less than seven-pound baby thump on the bed with about a 30-degree angle from her shoulder. Engin and I both look at each other and say in unison, “I guess she is out!” Like the show is over, she is gonna be sleeping now, and a milk drunk sleep at that. Sweet serenity with a hint of “I am busy making more cells” or AKA growing is her second most important job.

Jessica is the kind of mom I thought she would be, serious, focused and pleasant to her child. We all think of Emma Jane as the cutest thing. Engin and I ponder why Jessica puts her in clothes that have the emblem on the baby small chest that says, “Sweetie.” You think we might forget? Why does she have a small chest rose budded pocket. Is she going to whip out her little notebook and pencil and calculate her feeding to diaper changing variables? Too cute for me,….that Jessica Jane and her new baby.

We said goodbye this morning with out tears. Could be that I am returning in twelve days, but still we should be used to this living so far apart for 15 years now. We lived together for 19 years so I guess we can handle it. After all I left Keith for 18 days. As Engin put the car in reverse we saw Jessica come out on the porch with baby in arms and noticed she was just waving. Rain filled driveway felt as though there was a large ocean to cross to get away from that separation butterfly jumbling feeling in my gut. I have survived leaving my kids before, I gotta do it again. Tears were going to add to the rain soaked streets, but I did not want to cry in the car. Engin could have handled it, but I want to be strong and fearless in front of him.

Jessica had a trip out of the house yesterday. We planned the next feeding, preparing for an hour or so get away. All was well. That sweet baby a sleep in her crib, grandma on one couch reading and Olive the cat on the other keeping watch on that tiny bundle of happiness, hope and love. Oh yeah, that is why they put that label on Ella’s Pajamas…. and sweetness. She slept for an hour without a move, until a big stretch of the arms over the head, knees up on her belly. SQUIRT explosive out of her rear. Ella jumped as if some one else released the excrement from her bowls. Her eyes opened, and SQUIRT again, with another jump. She has such a small amount of experience that this one is new, or at least not recollected from previous experience, only to be repeated for all hopes in the future least daily for many years to come. I  properly picked her up from where she lay to clean her up and talk to her about the many things in life that will scare her, but to fear not of the unknown because she will have the capacity to learn and cherish all her experiences, scary and not so scary. “Experience teaches” Grandmaleen quietly repeats as I button up her “Sweetie” embossed pajamas.

Recipes to write for Jessica

Meatballs and spaghetti

Chicken soup with drop and rolled dumplings

Macaroni and cheese

Beef stew

Lightly breaded on one side flounder