My mission when I first started working on simple bread recipes to share with you during this coronavirus crisis, was to use less yeast and concentrate on sourdough, baking soda, and baking powder as the primary leavening agents. Then I read this recipe from the lanascooking.com site.

And although this recipe does use sourdough starter, it also requires a packet of yeast. At about the same time I became interested in this recipe, it dawned on me that not everyone wants to wait 2-3 days for a loaf of sourdough bread. That there are bakers out there with sourdough starter happily fermenting away in their refrigerator that want to start a loaf in the morning, and serve lovely homemade bread for dinner that evening. While at the same time not wanting to spend all day at the task. 

Well folks, sourdough bread doesn’t get much easier than this. Nor does it get any tastier. This is a winner. An absolute winner!

So if you too are starting to bake bread again after an absence of say – 30 years, this is the perfect bread to get you hooked again on the joy of baking your own loaf. And if you are just beginning your relationship with yeast, I assure you that there is nothing scary about preparing this bread. So do not be intimidated. Remember, you are in charge. If you can read and follow instructions, you’ve got it made! (So to speak.) So give this recipe a try. It truly is scrumptious!

And stay healthy everyone. Eat well, laugh lots, and tell everyone you know how much you care about them. We are all in this crazy new situation together. I’m just enough of a Polly Anna to be hopeful that when we have conquered the coronavirus that most people will have learned to be more empathetic and willing to accept each other’s differences. I mean really! What reasonable person could still care or feel threatened by another persons’ ethnicity, religious preference, sexual orientation etc. when having just been confronted with his or her own mortality? Regardless if they believe in an after-life or not. If a pandemic isn’t a universal playing field, I sure as heck don’t know what is! And color, political affiliation, religion, wealth etc. matters not. Not when it comes to viruses. Nor should it matter a whit in any other regard!

As always – peace and love to all. And happy bread baking.

1 c. room temperature sourdough starter (see recipe for starter below)

1½ c. lukewarm water

1 pkg. or 1 scant T. dry active yeast   

1 T. granulated sugar

2½ tsp. kosher salt

2 c. unbleached bread flour

1¾ c. whole wheat flour, plus more as needed

olive oil

Combine the room temperature sourdough starter, water, yeast, sugar, salt, bread flour, and about 1½ cups of the whole wheat flour in the bowl of your electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Knead on slow speed until a smooth dough forms, about 4-6 minutes. Add additional bread flour if required. (If you are used to bread dough that forms a nice clean ball around the dough hook, pull back a little on the amount of flour you usually use. This dough is a bit different. It is perfect when you touch it with your finger and it’s not sticky, but some of the dough is still clinging to the bottom of the mixing bowl.)

Pour a bit of olive oil over the dough and using your hands, form a ball completely coated in the oil. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap, and place in a draft free location until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

Divide the dough in half. Shape into two oval loaves and place on a parchment paper lined or lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise again for about an hour. Near the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 425 degrees.

About 5 minutes before you place the loaves in the oven, cut 2 or 3 deep, diagonal slashes in each loaf. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread when taken with an instant read thermometer stuck in the side of each loaf reaches about 195 degrees. The bread should be a nice golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

SOURDOUGH STARTER

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 T. sugar

1 T. or 1 pkg. active dry yeast

2 c. barely warm water

Combine all ingredients in a large glass or plastic juice pitcher using a wooden or plastic spoon. (Don’t worry about lumps because the little yeasty beasties will make short work of dissolving the lumps!) Cover with lid, turning strainer in lid to pouring lip. (This allows air to reach the starter.) Let ferment 3 days at room temperature, stirring several times daily. After the third day, transfer starter to a covered glass container and refrigerate. It is now ready to use.

To use, remove desired amount for recipe and replenish starter by stirring in equal amounts of flour and water or follow the instructions for the particular bread you are making. Let stand at room temperature overnight. Return to refrigerator.

If a clear liquid forms on top, stir back into starter. Every time you use, replenish with equal amounts of flour and water. Even if you don’t use every week, replenish every 7 – 10 days with equal amounts flour and water. (First remove about ½ cup of the existing starter. This allows room in your container for the new flour (yeast food) and water.)

Use in any of your favorite bread, muffin, or pancake recipes.

  

       

I recently stated that I love cornbread. Still absolutely true. But usually the cornbread I make is baked in a pan. Not this cornbread. This version is more like a regular yeast bread that just happens to contain cornmeal. And oh boy is it yummy.

I found the recipe on the “fromthegrapevine” site. It takes a sourdough starter and two days to produce a loaf. But it is well worth the effort and time spent. And since we are all confined to quarters anyway, what better time to spend some quality time in the kitchen.

And while you’re already in the kitchen, how about baking a sweet treat for your family too. There are lots of great cookie recipes on this site. But one that I failed to post when I first began this blog in January of 2013, is the bonus recipe you will find at the bottom of this post. It’s a very standard peanut butter cookie recipe but still one of the best, and sure to be a hit with your family. And I know if I still had kids at home, they would be yammering at me daily to build a batch. They truly adored these cookies. (Actually they still love these cookies and would probably love it if I would send them a care package today. But with the coronavirus curtailing most of my patently guilt ridden maternal instincts, they can just jolly well build their own damn cookies.)   

All kidding aside, this is a very scary time for everyone. And a little bit of special love coming from your kitchen, the very heart of your home, could really help.

And to my own children, their spouses and significant others, my grandchildren, and their children – please stay healthy. Always know how much I love you and that if it were the safe thing to do, I would bake cookies and send them to you in a heartbeat.

As always, peace, good health, and love to all.

• 1 c. + 2 T. lukewarm water, divided

• 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus more as needed

• ½ c. + 2 T. yellow corn meal

• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided plus more to coat your hands

• ½ tsp. baking soda

• 1½ tsp. kosher salt

Day 1:

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the sourdough starter, 1 cup of the lukewarm water, 1½ cups of the all-purpose flour, and all of the yellow corn meal together. Dribble about a teaspoon of the olive oil over the dough, and with your hand gently make a thin film over the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in your fridge overnight. By the following morning, the sponge should be light and pocked with bubbles.

Day 2:

Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons water, remaining two teaspoons olive oil, baking soda, and salt together. Pour the mixture into the mixing bowl containing the sponge and mix together with your dough hook.

Add just about all of the remaining 1½ cups flour. Mix and knead the dough until you have achieved a soft dough. Add flour as needed. You don’t want a stiff dough; just one that is easy to handle with oiled hands. 

Lightly coat your hands with olive oil, then shape the dough into a round “boule” shaped loaf. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap that has been lightly greased with cooking spray, and let rise in a warm place 1½ to 2 hours or until the dough has grown light, with noticeable bubbles under the surface skin.

Five minutes before placing in the oven, cut several horizontal slashes on the top with a serrated bread knife to help prevent a cracked crust.  

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches about 200 degrees when taken with an instant read thermometer from the side of the loaf. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Great slathered with butter and served beside a nice hot bowl of homemade soup. And absolutely fabulous for breakfast toasted and topped with butter and honey.

OLD FASHIONED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

½ c. butter, room temp.

½ c. peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (not natural style)

½ c. granulated sugar

½ c. brown sugar (packed)

1 egg

½ tsp. vanilla

1¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

Cream the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Gradually add to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.

Using a medium sized ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto a very lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten each in a crisscross pattern with the tines of a fork.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Do not overbake. As soon as cracks appear on the surface of the cookie, they are done.

Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Recipe easily doubles.   

OK, I just made this simple sourdough bread and it is not only stinkin’ easy to prepare, but absolutely delicious to boot! So being mindful of the fact that yeast is hard to come by right now, I plan to build this bread quite often during the next few weeks. At least until yeast once again appears with regularity on grocery store shelves. And even then, this bread may become the new “bread of choice” here at Chez Carr. It is truly that delicious. Plus, no fancy ingredients required, not even bread flour! And no added yeast. The sourdough starter and a bit of time supply all the leavening needed. And the only thing we spread on our toast this morning was a bit of butter. No peanut butter, jam, honey, flavored cream cheese etc. Simply not needed. That in itself will save us money and unnecessary calories.

So if you have ever had a hankering to build your own bread, now is the time. It does take a bit of time (making the sourdough starter to begin with and then two days to actually remove a loaf from the oven), but the reward is worth the wait.

The hard part, if you are not already a bread baker, might be finding a packet of active dry yeast to prepare the sourdough starter. But this is where your cell phone or computer come in handy.

Call a neighbor, friend, or relative. Explain that you are on a mission to find a packet of yeast. Explain why you need it, and then plan for 2 exchanges to take place.

First exchange: They place a packet or tablespoon of yeast in a clean plastic bag having just carefully washed their hands. They leave the bag on the steps of their home. You pick it up wearing gloves and immediately disinfect the bag. You go home, after blowing them a kiss from the street, and prepare the sourdough starter. After waiting 3 days for the starter to do its thing, you make a double batch of this bread.

Second exchange: After the bread cools, you wash your hands very carefully and place one of the boules in a clean plastic bag. You call your friends to make sure they are home (where else would they be) and tell them to look on their front porch in however long it takes for you to reach their home. They open their door, pick up the bag, blow you a kiss from their stoop, carry the bag inside, and carefully clean the outside of the bag. Both families enjoy homemade bread for dinner. A win/win situation!

So go crazy. Make bread. And watch for more bread recipes to come, or explore the bread recipes already on this site. I mean really. Anyone can build a loaf of bread! You went to college, or were/are a master plumber, or science wiz, etc. etc. You might even be one of those amazing people who can put together a piece of furniture from Ikea. If you can manage that, you can build bread!  

Please stay healthy, and as always peace and love to all.

• ½ c. active sourdough starter – see TIP below to make sure your starter is active. Also find a recipe to build your own sourdough starter at the bottom of this post.
• ¾ c. lukewarm water
• 2½ c. unbleached or regular all-purpose flour, or more if needed
• 1½ tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• olive oil

Day 1:

Combine the sourdough starter, water, and 1½ cups of the flour in the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir to combine. Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Then place in your refrigerate until the next morning.

Day 2:

Add the remaining 1 cup flour, sugar, and salt. Knead dough until smooth. Pour a bit of olive oil into the bowl, and form the dough into a ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled. This can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. (Mine took 3 hours.) Sourdough bread, especially sourdough without added yeast, is not on a timetable. Check every half hour or so, and be patient. When you think it has risen enough, moisten a finger with a bit of oil, and make a small dent in the dough near the side of the pan. If the dent remains, the bread is ready to shape into a round loaf, often referred to as a “boule”.  

Place the boule on a lightly greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray, and loosely cover the boule (spray side down). Let the boule rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours. (Mine took 2 hours.) (Don’t worry if the boule spreads more than it rises; it will puff up during baking.)  

5 minutes before placing in a pre-heated 425 degree oven, lightly spray the boule with lukewarm water. Cut three fairly deep horizontal slashes in the loaf with a serrated bread knife.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it’s a very deep golden brown. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the internal temperature should read about 208 degrees when you stick the prong into the side of the boule.

Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack before slathering with butter or dipping in flavored olive oil. Also makes absolutely wonderful toast.

Note: You can easily double this recipe and put one of the boules in your freezer for use at a later time or give to a friend.

TIP:

To test if your sourdough starter is active, drop one teaspoonful into a cup of tepid water. The starter should bounce right up to the top of the water and retain its form.

If your starter appears to not be active, discard about half a cup and replace it with a half cup of flour and a half cup of water. Stir well. Place on a counter at room temperature, then test your starter again after a few hours.

SOURDOUGH STARTER

• 2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 T. or 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 2 c. barely warm water

Combine all ingredients in a glass or plastic juice pitcher using a wooden or plastic spoon. (Don’t worry about lumps because the little yeasty beasties will make short work of dissolving the lumps!) Cover with lid, turning strainer in lid to pouring lip. (This allows air to reach the starter.) Let ferment 3 days at room temperature, stirring several times daily. After the third day, transfer starter to a covered glass container and refrigerate. It is now ready to use.

To use, remove desired amount for recipe and replenish starter by stirring in equal amounts of flour and water or follow the instructions for the particular bread you are making. Let stand at room temperature overnight. Return to refrigerator.

If a clear liquid forms on top, stir back into starter. Every time you use, replenish with equal amounts of flour and water. Even if you don’t use every week, replenish every 7 – 10 days with equal amounts flour and water. (First remove about ½ cup of the existing starter. This allows room in your container for the new flour (yeast food) and water.)

Use in any of your favorite bread, muffin, or pancake recipes.

I included this quick bread recipe in yesterday’s post entitled Soup and Bread for Dinner Tonight. But then I thought that folks might not be able to find it if they were just searching by ingredients. (Which is often how I search for recipes.) And since it is such a great tasting and easy to prepare bread, I wanted everyone to be able to find the recipe. Soooooo – sorry if you are seeing this recipe for the second time. But get over it! There are a lot worse things to worry about right now! And I will be posting more recipes for your perusal, so just be patient.

Meanwhile, stop reading this post and hie yourself into your kitchen and create something yummy. And yes I know that “hie” is an archaic word. But I like the word. And since I too am archaic……..well you catch my drift.

But as always – peace and love to all. And please stay healthy. I still desperately need readers that can delete my comments when I verbally display cantankerous behavior.  

• 2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading (I use unbleached all-purpose flour)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to sprinkle
• ¾ c. grated Parmesan, Pecorino-Romano, or Asiago cheese
• 1 c. buttermilk or buttermilk substitute (see “how to” below)
• 3 T. melted butter, divided (I use unsalted butter)

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper together. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter together. Add to flour mixture; mix just until combined. Sprinkle the top with a bit of additional flour, then carefully turn the dough so it is coated on all sides with flour. Then knead it a few times just to bring the dough together. Shape the dough into a 6-inch domed round. Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly sprinkle with just a grind or two of pepper.

Using a serrated knife, score the top of the round into 8 pieces. The cuts should be quite deep. Brush the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes or until nicely browned and the internal temperature reaches 210 degrees. (I use my instant-read thermometer to take the breads temperature.) Remove from oven and set aside to cool before cutting into wedges and serving.

Please note: If you are a rosemary lover, you could add 1-2 teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary to the flour mixture. Yum!

BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTION

To replace 1 cup of buttermilk, pour 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a 1 cup measurer. Pour enough milk (preferably whole milk) to reach the 1 cup mark. Stir and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. 

I have to preface my remarks about this recipe by saying that I love cornbread. And that I really haven’t tasted any cornbread that I found inedible. Of course I like some better than others. But in general I’m not terribly fussy. I like them all. That’s why this is not the first cornbread recipe to appear on this site. This is merely one of my favorites. So I hope you enjoy it too. The flavor is wonderful and the texture is moist and tender. And you don’t even need to involve your mixer in the preparation. Just 2 bowls, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a whisk, and your trusty rubber spatula. Easy as can be.

So next time you serve soup, stew, or chili, whip up a batch of this yummy bread as an accompaniment. Your status as kitchen wizard will not be threatened. In fact, it might even be enhanced. Happy baking!

• 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• ⅔ c. medium grained yellow cornmeal
• ¼ c. granulated sugar
• 2 T. light brown sugar, packed
• 1 T. baking powder
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• ¼ c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 (14.75 oz.) can creamed corn
• 3 lg. eggs
• fleur de sel or other flaky salt

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, and pinch of cayenne.   

In a large bowl, stir together the oil, sour cream, creamed corn, and eggs until well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, just until combined.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 11×7-inch Pyrex pan or 10-inch cast iron skillet. Lightly sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

I love banana bread, but I hate bananas. And even though I used to eat them regularly, the last few years I have given myself permission to leave them in the grocery store where they belong. And just because I already have a wonderful banana bread recipe on this site, doesn’t mean that another recipe wouldn’t be nice to have too. Especially if the new recipe contains malted milk powder, which this recipe just happens to include.

Now, do I like this recipe better than my old recipe? Not necessarily. It’s just a little bit richer and moister. And I find that a plus in its favor. But either recipe makes for some very good eating. And isn’t that what this blog is all about?

So if you too enjoy banana bread, and happen to want to try one that is just a tiny bit different, give this baby a try. But truly, you really can’t go wrong with either recipe on this site. They are both perfect with breakfast or as an afternoon treat with a hot cup of coffee or tea. And if you refrigerate the loaf, it will happily stay fresh and delicious for several days.

Happy baking dear friends. And stay healthy. I’ve got lots more recipes I want to pass your way. So stick around.

• ½ c. unsalted butter, room temp.
• ¾ c. granulated sugar
• ¼ c. light brown sugar
• 2 lg. eggs
• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1½ c. bread flour  
• 2 T. malted milk powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. kosher salt 
• 1 rounded c. mashed ripe banana (I used 3 medium sized bananas)
• ¾ c. toasted chopped walnuts
• ½ c. sour cream
• 2 T. coarse sugar (sometimes called decorating sugar)

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. 

Whisk the flour, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt together.

Add the dry ingredients, then bananas, nuts, and finally the sour cream. Mix well.

Pour batter into a buttered 9×15-inch loaf pan or 2 prepared 7½ x 3½-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle on the coarse sugar.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, or for smaller pans, about 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before slicing or storing.

Please note: If you have old aluminum pans that are rusting, maybe you should consider getting some new loaf pans. Mr. C. finally asked me to replace my old pans because he didn’t want to consume any more rust. OK, I get that. I don’t think I even noticed anymore because I had been using those same pans for 50 odd years.

So I went on line and purchased a two pack of Stellar James Martin 1 lb. non-stick Loaf Tin Pans.

Now you know this is a non-advertising site. But these are the best loaf pans I have ever used. They are the perfect size for us, because recipes that make enough batter for 1 9×15-inch loaf pan is just the perfect amount for 2 of these little darlings. They measure 7½ x 3½ x 2¾ inches. And I have always enjoyed using the smaller pans for everything from meat loaf to quick bread. For us, 1 loaf can be consumed while the other loaf can be tucked away in our freezer for some later date when it’s obvious to both of us that we deserve a treat. 

True confession time. I could eat carrot cake with cream cheese frosting every day of my life if weight and remaining healthy were not a concern. But since they are, I probably only bake a carrot cake once a year. But when I do – watch out baby. Because carrot cake is good 3 times a day – for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I really can’t stop myself. I like carrot cake that much!

So when I was preparing food for our last trailer trip, I thought a healthy (emphasis on healthy) quick bread would be nice to have along. Quick breads (think banana bread) are perfect with breakfast, for an elevenses snack with a cup of coffee, or even for dessert. So then, what quick bread to fix? And for whatever reason, I thought about how much I love carrot cake. Which then naturally led me to – why not a carrot bread?

Now I had never thought about a carrot bread before, much less tasted one (that I can remember), but the idea of a carrot quick bread was like a revelation. Maybe all those lovely carrot cake ingredients could be magically transformed into something I could enjoy more often than once a year! Then, I couldn’t imagine that someone out there wasn’t already several steps ahead of me in developing a recipe. So I went on line. And I found a recipe on the An Oregon Cottage web site that was almost what I was looking for. So I started with Jami’s recipe and added my own special touches. And I came up with the recipe I am sharing with you today. (Is that applause I hear coming from your computer?)

So to make a long story short, we cut into this bread for breakfast one morning while on our trip, and there was much rejoicing in the Carr trailer with our first bite.

Now understand, this carrot bread is never going to take the place of carrot cake with its moist and delicious texture and cream cheese frosting to die for. Never in a million years. However, not wanting either of us to die any time in the near future mandates a change in our way of thinking about food. And I’m thinking this bread is a pretty darn good way to enjoy the wonderful flavor of carrot cake without having the little devil that lives on my left shoulder applauding my lack of self-control, while the little angel who sits on my other shoulder weeps uncontrollably into a soggy Kleenex!

So if you love carrot cake, and happen to be looking for a quick bread with lots of carrot cake flavor, that’s easy to prepare, and contains considerably less carbohydrates than “the real thing”, this recipe is for you. And yes, you can add a bit of frosting or glaze to the top of this delicious bread. But you’re not going to get a recipe from me. I have enough to deal with from my own little devil. I don’t need yours hounding me too! (Enjoy the recipe and love and peace to all.)

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour*

2 tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ c. sour cream

½ c. real maple syrup

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted  

1 lg. egg

2½ c. shredded carrots

¼ c. golden raisins

¼ c. shredded coconut

½ c. chopped walnuts or pecans  

cooking spray

Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg together in a large bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, maple syrup, melted and cooled butter, and egg. Pour the sour cream mixture over the dry ingredients and mix just until just combined. Fold in the carrots along with the golden raisins, coconut, and walnuts. (The dough will be very thick.)

Spread the dough evenly into a large loaf pan or two smaller loaf pans that have been coated with cooking spray. Level off the tops with an offset spatula.    

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 50 to 65 minutes (depending on the size of your pan or pans) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a metal rack to cool completely.

Store in refrigerator or freezer.  

*or you can use all whole wheat flour

I love bread. Always have, always will. And for me the best part of a lot of restaurant meals is the warm bread brought out just after the server has taken our order. Yum. And so I like to serve some type of bread when I have company. Of course, some meals don’t warrant bread or rolls, but those that do, and I have the time needed to bake, I give it a go. And with this recipe that takes much less time than most roll recipes, it’s a snap for me to have rolls on the table in the blink of an eye. (Well, it takes longer than that, but not much!)

And these babies are delicious. And with a stand mixer, the ease of preparation makes me feel almost guilty for taking any credit at all. I mean really. Dump a few ingredients in the mixer bowl, set the thing on go, and add enough flour until the bowl is practically clean. How hard is that?

Of course it did take some talent to form the dough into 18 even hunks. But I can almost do that in my sleep because of lots of years of practice. But then again, you only get good at doing something by performing the act over and over. It’s just like that decades old question. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Answer – practice, practice, practice! How do you make a good dinner roll? Use this recipe and (you guessed it) practice, practice, practice. Enjoy.  

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, or more if needed

2 pkgs. or 2 T. rapid rise or instant yeast

¼ c. granulated sugar

1 lg. egg, room temperature

1 tsp. kosher salt  

1½ c. whole milk

6 T. unsalted butter, melted, divided

fleur de sel or kosher salt, for topping

Combine 3½ cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, egg, and the 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Heat milk until warm. (Remember, it can’t be too warm or the heat will kill the yeast.)

Add the warm milk and 4 tablespoons of the melted butter to the flour mixture. Knead 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally if needed. Add enough additional flour until the dough pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl while kneading. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Punch down the dough.

Divide the dough into 18 torpedo shaped pieces. (Don’t worry if the sizes are not perfectly equal. But do make them as consistent as possible.) Place in a lightly buttered 9×13-inch pan. (I use a glass Pyrex pan.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.  

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. (An instant read thermometer should register between 185 to 190 degrees when they are done.) Remove from oven and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter while the rolls are still warm. Lightly sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve warm or at room temperature with lots of room temperature butter.