It’s kinda interesting to watch. I mean, I’ve literally seen water evaporate off the dessert floor. But rolls? They can evaporate, too. That pan of Nana’s Potato Rolls was put in front of my grandsons and I turned around — and I did go get a coffee and the paper — and when I was back they were gone. Just gone. And the two thirteen year olds professed, not innocence, but that the rolls were really good and could they have more. Please.
Suzen, my wife and their grandmother, took this all in stride and with pride. She sent me back to the store. This time for more nonfat dry milk and potato flour supplies. Those are the "secret" ingredients here.
For the second batch, I made sure the rolls came out of the oven when the boys were outside playing. I got cold butter and warmed the honey in the microwave.
When the boys came inside, and four of “their” rolls were gone, I did profess innocence. They noticed the butter and honey. They learned.
Rolls are a treat we all have too infrequently. And, God forbid, many of the rolls we consume are taken, already “made,” from cardboard containers and baked. That is not the definition of home-baked.
Suzen has made these rolls since she got her first copy of The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion. In the book, this recipe is called White Bread 101 and it really and truly is the white bread recipe you should start your bread baking career with.
We’re going to a party next month and her contribution will be 125 of these rolls. She’s rolling her eyes at that quantity, but she never turns away an audience for her kitchen wonders. Make these rolls just once, and you’ll consider them a wonder, too. They have a soft, luxurious texture and an aroma out of the oven that will drive you, literally, to butter and honey.
I’m not sure how the nonfat dry milk and the potato flour contribute to the final result here. The official chemistry is probably a bit complex. But whoever discovered this combo deserves the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Or at least our many thanks.
Nana’s Potato Rolls [aka White Bread 101]
Yield: 11 rolls
Ingredients:
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
- ¼ cup potato flour or ⅓ cup potato flakes
- 1 ⅛ cups lukewarm water
Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients and mix and knead them together by and, mixer or bead machine. Knead until you’ve made a soft, smooth dough. Adjust the dough’s consistency with additional flour or water as needed. But remember, the more flour you add while you are kneading, the heaving and drier you final result will be. Cover and let the dough rise for 1 hour, until it is puffy [and not necessarily doubled in bulk].
Divide the dough into 2.5 ounce pieces. There should be 11. Roll each piece into a small ball and place symmetrically inside a 9-inch buttered cake pan. Cover the pan and let the dough rise for about 1 hour until the rolls “fill” the pan.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Uncover the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, tenting the rolls lightly with aluminum foil for the final 10 to 15 minutes if they appear to be browning too quickly.
Remove from the oven, and place on a wire rack to cool slightly. While still warm, remove the rolls from the pan by inverting over a second wire rack. Re-invert and allow the rolls to cool to room temperature.
[Or, if you are impatient, eat them warm. They are yummy by themselves, but I prefer butter and honey or jam.]
Source: The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/3.5 for1/30th second at ISO‑2500