OK, I know what those of you who don’t bake bread are thinking – not another stinkin’ bread recipe from Patti! Has she nothing better to do than bake bread? Well, I guess realistically speaking – no, I don’t have anything better to do with my time. And furthermore, I actually love to bake bread. It is just so satisfying watching little yeasty beasties enjoying themselves and getting high, so to speak. And then of course, there is the joy of biting into a perfect piece of bread, knowing full well exactly what ingredients are in, and more importantly, not in each loaf I build. And of course there is always the pleasure I get from watching others enjoy the fruits of my labor.

So a couple of Sundays ago it was our turn to host our dinner club.

(As you can see, we not only eat well, we have a great deal of fun together. Cheers to my dear friends!)

I knew I wanted to fix pork tenderloin, a soufflé, and some type of dinner roll as our contribution. But what I envisioned to go with the pork and soufflé, was a really light yet rich dinner roll. The first thing that came to mind was brioche. I had been making brioche for years, but always before in the form of a loaf. What I wanted was a perfect little piece of bread that came tidily in its own little package. So of course I went on-line to see what others had concocted before me. (Believe me, there is no new recipe under the sun. If I’ve thought of it, hundreds have already been there before me!) And isn’t that a blessing! I don’t think there could be a better age to live in if you are a serious cook. Anything you want to know about food, or cooking, or cooking tools, or a particular chef is right there on the internet. It’s fantastic! But I digress…

Anyway, this recipe is loosely based on a recipe featured in Cooking Light magazine. The rolls are light and airy and just perfect for a dinner party. And, the dough is made the day before, which you know always makes me happy.

So next time you want to serve light and delicious rolls to your dinner guests, bake up a batch of these small brioche babies. And if you are of the ilk who strongly believes that serving dinner rolls is déclassé, I don’t want to even think about that ever happening. And I definitely don’t want to hear about it, even if you feel duty bound to share with me your feelings on the subject! (covering my ears – la, la, la – can’t hear you……)

• 1½ tsp. active dry yeast
• 3 T. warm milk
• 2 T. sugar
• ½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 c. bread flour
• ¾ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 lg. eggs, room temperature
• 4 T. plus 2 tsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, divided, plus more for buttering the muffin cups
• vegetable oil
• 1½ tsp. water
• 1 small egg, white only

Dissolve yeast in warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar and let stand until yeast dissolves and mixture is slightly bubbly, about 10 minutes. Add salt, flours, and eggs to yeast mixture; beat on low speed until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Cut the 4 tablespoons butter into small cubes. Add half the butter to dough, mixing at medium speed to incorporate. Add the remaining butter cubes and beat until well blended. Continue beating another 4 minutes or until the dough is shiny, soft, and smooth.

Pour a tiny bit of vegetable oil over the dough and using your hands, turn the dough until all sides are lightly greased and shaped into a ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, then give it the old “poke it with your finger” test. After you have withdrawn your finger, the dough should push back very slowly. In fact, it should barely push or spring back at all. Punch dough down; form back into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or better yet, overnight.

The next day, uncover the dough and let it stand for 2 hours or until the dough reaches room temperature. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Then cut each portion in half again and divide that half into three pieces. Roll each piece into a rough ball and place in a muffin cup lightly greased with butter. (You should have 12 rolls total.) Cover the pan and let rolls rise for 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

(Rolls just put in the pan.)

(“Weapons” to cut the dough)

(Rolls ready to bake)

Combine the 1½ teaspoons water and egg white; whisk until light and fluffy. Gently brush rolls with egg mixture. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 14 minutes or until golden brown. Place pans on wire racks to cool. Place the remaining 2 teaspoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave gently until the butter melts. Gently brush butter onto hot rolls. After about 10 minutes, remove the rolls from the pan and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. This recipe doubles, triples, etc. beautifully.