A Home Baked Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving aromas have been a wonderful part of today. All sorts of tasty items have been prepared, are being prepared, or will be prepared tomorrow. Besides this, texts and emails have flown back and forth between cooks young and older. It has all been the most great fun!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/69214385@N04/13459122185/

As for the SconeLady, she has been baking. Hot rolls are one of the cornerstones of Thanksgiving, and it is an honor to have that job. We love lots of butter and jam on our rolls, but did you know that this is not the norm in England? They would typically not serve jam for use on yeast rolls, at dinner time. It is something to do with sweet and savory, and not mingling the two. 

There are numbers of yeast roll recipes to choose from and each year, I think about which I would like to do this time. I have recipes short and long, complicated and simple, and all of them taste better than anything you will find in a restaurant. It's always a win-win.

The roll recipe this year comes from a friend - an Air Force officer's wife whom we knew early in our adventures. She was kind to me and welcoming, bringing me into the friendship and camaraderie of the OWC (Officer Wives Club). Both her friendship and her roll recipe have followed me for 30 years, and both are highly valued. 

I doubled the recipe today, but here is the single:

The SconeLady's Hot Yeast Rolls

2 tablespoons dry yeast
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons very warm water
1/4 cup sugar
   combine these ingredients gently, and let sit for 10 minutes
   add:
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 1/2 cups flour (you amy add more gradually, if too sticky)

• I mix these with a dough hook just until the dough is of a consistent texture - about 30 seconds.
• With floury hands, pick up and roll a handful of dough. Place in baking pan sprayed with PAM non-stick baking spray. I use round pie pans for this.
• let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes (depending upon how warm your kitchen is)
• Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes. 
• Loosely cover with foil and bake 3 more minutes. This final 3 minutes gives the rolls a chance to brown on the bottom without over-browning the tops.
• Let them sit for 5 minutes, then tip out of pan onto serving dish. May be made and frozen ahead.

*Hint: My mother-in-law gave me a great tip today: when forming the rolls, wear disposable rubber gloves - the type dentists use. Then you can just throw them away when finished, and won't need to wash all that dough off your hands. I love it!

May your Thanksgiving Day be blessed, tomorrow. And may you enjoy lots of yummy hot rolls! With, or without jam. There is just nothing like it.


See you along the way!

the SconeLady

photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69214385@N04/13459122185/">Don McCullough</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>