Parker House Rolls

 

This recipe makes the most delicious rolls. When you take them out of the oven and lift one of them, they are light as a feather. You can barely tell you are holding one of them. The crease is so perfect, ideal for placing a big pat of butter. I use this recipe to make buns for hot dogs or brats. When made larger for using as buns, the crease is just right to hold your favorite weinner.  

2 1/2 tsp dry yeast

1/4 c. warm water

1 c. milk

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

4 c. AP flour

2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. melted butter to glaze,

 extra butter to grease bowl and baking sheet

 

Dissolve yeast in warm water with the 2 tablespoons of sugar.

In a large pyrex measuring cup, place your 4 tablespoons butter. Melt in microwave. Add your milk and beaten eggs. Beat with a fork to mix. Add your salt. Place back in microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds. Just long enough to warm mixture. Don't heat it too long, you don't want the eggs to cook. You want the mixture just lukewarm.

Pour your milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add your proofed yeast mixture. Mix with wooden spoon to combine.

Add two cups of your flour, mix with wooden spoon. Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time. Mix with wooden spoon and turn your dough out onto a well floured surface.

Knead dough until it is smooth, shinny and elastic, about 10 minutes.

If you require additional flour, add it one tablespoon at a time.

Avoid adding too much flour, you want your dough soft, not dry.

Put your kneaded dough into a buttered bowl and cover with a towel. Let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. This is a wonderful dough and will rise great for you.

After it has risen, punch down, then let it rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into two pieces.  Roll out each piece to form a 8 inch by 16 inch rectangle.  Cut each rectangle lengthwise into four strips, each 2 inches wide. Cut each strip into four strips, each 2 inches wide. Cut each strip into four rectangles, each 4 inches long.

Brush half of each rectangle with melted butter.

 

Fold the rectangle in half, leaving a 1/2 inch flap.

Place the rolls on a buttered baking sheet so that each roll overlaps slightly with the one next to it. Brush the tops of each roll with melted butter and lightly cover with a towel.  Let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 425F.

Lightly brush the tops again with a little more melted butter. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. (I bake mine for 15 minutes.) When done they will be golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped underneath.

 

 

 No Knead Bread

 

 

3 1/3 c. AP flour, more for dusting

 1/2 tsp. yeast ( sorta a heaping 1/4 tsp.)

2 tsp. Kosher salt (or 1 3/4 tsp. table salt)

1 1/2 c. water

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

In a large mixing bowl, with your hands combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Mix to combine. 

***Note: At this point, you might like to add a little rosemary or if you had rather you could add a little cinnamon and a little brown sugar to make a loaf of cinnamon bread.

 Add your vinegar to your water and add this to your flour mixture.  Now you can mix with a wooden spoon or continue to mix the dough with your hands. Mix just until you have a nice dough.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a comfortable temperature (70 or mid 70 F) for at least 12 hours and up to 18 hours. Mine was there for about 12 hours. You'll know when it is ready, it will be bubbly on the surface.

Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it a bit with your hands. Fold it over onto itself about 4 times. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Use only enough flour so you can manage the dough and shape it into a ball. Dust your bread towel, being generous with your flour as you are dusting.  Tightly pinch together the bottom where the seam is on your ball of dough. Place it seam side down onto your floured towel. Dust the top of your dough with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another  towel and let it rise for 2 hours.  It will double in size.

30 minutes before your 2 hour rising time is up, preheat your oven to 450F. Place your dutch oven (or iron skillet, if you have one with a lid) into your oven and let it heat for 30 minutes. When your 2 hours rising time is up and your dough is risen and ready, removed your pot from the oven. Do not grease the pot in any fashion!  Place your ball of dough seam side down into your pot. Cut one or two slits in the top and place on the lid. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

*****Note: I only baked my loaves an addtional 8 minutes. I imagine this will depend on your oven.

I checked for doneness by internal temperature which needs to be at least 190 F and an internal temperature of 200F or even 210 F is just fine for this bread.

There is no need to worry about your bread releasing from the pot. Just give it a shake, turn it over a wire rack and it pops right out.

The texture of this bread is great, taste wonderful and the crust is to die for, crunchy but not hard or tough.

 

 

Pane Casalingo

Rustic "Household" Bread

 

 

 

The Starter:

1 1/4 tsp. dry yeast

4 Tbsp. water

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. malt extract

1 1/2 c. unbleached flour

 

The Dough:

1 1/4 tsp. dry yeast

1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. water

2 c. unbleached flour

2 tsp. salt

For the starter: Sprinkle yeast into the water and milk in a bowl. Leave 5 minutes, then add the malt extract and stir to dissolve. Add flour and mix to form a thick paste. Cover with cloth and let it ferment for about 12 hours.

(Just make it before bedtime and mid morning it will be ready to use.)

 

The Dough: Sprinkle the yeast into 1/2 cup of water in a bowl. Let it stand for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve.  Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center and add the dissolved yeast and starter.

Puor half of he remaining water into the well.  Mix in the flour. Stir in the reserved water as needed. You want a  soft dough to form.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.  Cover with towel and let it rest for 10 minutes. Knead 5 more minutes.

Place the dough in a bowl that is oiled and let it rise until tripled in size. This usually takes about 2 hours. Punch your dough down. Here is where you want to Chafe the dough. This is the process of forming the dough into a ball by cupping your hands gently around it. Apply a light downward pressure to the sides, while at the same time rotating the dough continuously in a steady, non-stop clockwise motion. Keep doing this until the dough is formed into a smooth and even round shape.

Let dough rest for 5 minutes.

Shape the dough into a round loaf. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment, cover with towel and let it rise until doubled in size.

I let mine rise in a well flour dough basket and when risen, turned it out onto the parchment paper line baking sheet.

Dust with flour. Cut three times around top of dough. Cuts should be about 1/4  inch deep.

Bake at 400 F for about 50 minutes.

     I make this bread often and the majority of the time I just use my own sourdough starter that is fed the night before. So if you have a starter, it will work to use your own.

I have to order the malt extract, it isn't available here. If you don't have this ingredient, don't worry, you can bake the bread without it. The malt just speeds up the fermentation of the yeast and this always gives the bread a little more yeasty flavor.  Most baking supply catalogues carry this item, so it is easy to purchase online.