Changing up a bit....
I'm trying to change my recipe repertoire a bit. It's not that I'm tired of my rolls but I just had a thought about the way the French incorporate butter into their dough to create layers and thought I'd give it a try.
I made my usual quick bread recipe which can be used in so many ways. It's based on the famous NYT no-knead recipe with wisdom from Jenny Jones about amending it for a fast rise with hot water.
THE RECIPE
3 cups bread flour (plain AP flour is fine but I can get my bread flour for $12.40 for 25 pounds, about 0.50/lb)
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
Mix together the dry and add 1+ 5/8 cups of hottest tap water (13 oz).
Stir well until all the dry is mixed in. No kneading required. Lately I've been using a large fork to mix with.
THE BOULE OPTION
It is covered for an hour with saran wrap and left in a warm place.At the end of the hour I turn it out, flouring the surface just enough to keep it from sticking, forming a boule, placing it into a parchment lined bowl.
Then I preheat a Dutch oven with lid to 450F. After thirty minutes, I lift the dough, including the parchment paper, and place it into the Dutch oven. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 10-15 minutes. Finished!
This can have some lovely things added including spinach, garlic, olives, and onion, or cheese and spice, or cinnamon and sugar. I also add seeds and nuts and dry oats too! Fold the additions in when you turn the dough onto the floured surface. Just plain works great too.
THE ROLLS OPTION
The other variation I use more often utilises the same recipe except I turn it into rolls. Again, the flavor additions are endless. I divide the dough into eight portions, rolling and tucking them into small rolls. They are brushed with butter, or an egg wash, or a salt wash. The rolls are placed onto a parchment lined baking pan to rise about 30 minutes, no more than an hour. The preheated oven temp remains 450F but the cook time is about 16-18 minutes.
A FRENCH TWIST FOR THE ROLLS
This week I decided to gently stretch the dough onto a floured surface so it was rectangular shaped. I smeared a vegan butter substitute across the surface. My dairy allergy sends my immune system into overdrive so I have to substitute all milk and whey. I would use salted butter otherwise. Spreading the butter across the dough wasn't a pretty thing, uneven, hit and miss, but enough that I was satisfied. I then rolled the rectangle up into three parts. I flattened it out a bit and cut this into eight portions. I tucked the cut edges under and into a ball shape to form the rolls. My goal was to keep as much of the butter between the layers contained within the roll shape. A bit messy but is basically worked.
I divided the rolls into two 8x8 parchment lined glass pans, four rolls in each. I wanted to keep any spilled butter in the pan and also wanted to encourage the rolls to rise upwards instead of splaying out onto a baking sheet. I topped them with melted butter.
I allowed these to rise until they rose above the edge of the pan. My thinking was that if they rose a lot then the interior layers would have a better chance of cooking through without doughiness from the excessive moisture of the butter left in a denser roll. It seemed to work nicely after I adjusted the cooking time.
For these rolls I put the first batch in for 16 minutes but the inside wasn't quite done so I added another 4 minutes. The second batch went in for 22 minutes at 450F and came out completely cooked through. My only concern was eyeballing the surface so I wouldn't end up with well-fired Scottish rolls. I wasn't about to let that happen so I had extra melted butter on hand if needed, but it worked at 22 minutes.
This batch came out lighter than the usual rolls and definitely tasted more buttery. I'd like to continue experimenting with the folding of the dough and butter layers in a similar vein as French croissants but the dough may not have the elasticity to bear up. It was a tasty experiment and I'm glad I tried something new. I didn't need to add any butter with my jam so there was that. I'm thinking that a cinnamon sugar mixed with the butter might make a nice treat.
This roll was cut top to bottom instead of sideways. I wanted to see how the layers looked in this direction. Layering in the butter leaves air pockets and unevenness which means the roll won't stand up for sandwich making as nicely. But it would work with soups, jams, and as a side.
