Things that are flat...
Is is a pancake? No....
Is it a pita? No....
Is it a sugar cookie? No......
Oh, yes - It's a yeast roll! Thank you so much to MO for taking pictures of my Easter yeastness and making sure that I post them for all to see. I still have them in my freezer. Somewhere in the back of my head I'm convinced that I can throw enough butter and sugar and cinnamon on them and come up with something tasty.
8 comments:
They were still tasty...MO
I second that - they really, really did have a good flavor and were mighty tasty! Yeast Rolls or not, it was a wonderful day! JLH
not that you are soliciting my opinion, and you seem to be a very experienced cook so I'm sure you already know this, but:
1. do you proof your yeast? It might be bad. Doesn't hurt to test it.
2. make sure you don't kill it with too hot of water (or milk whatever you use).
3. I know most recipes say "softened butter" but I actually get a better rise from butter that is a little cold
4. where is it rising? In the oven with the light on? Only because it is so cold up here, sometimes I get the oven a little warm and then turn it off and put it in there.
Just some thoughts :)
P.S. Did you ever look at that website? I even saw a bunny, almost, but not as cute as yours! :)
oh, and just to be more descriptive, I use cold butter, but I break it up into little pieces, not the whole chunk.
And one more thing...how long did you wait. Sometimes I have had loave that are just, um, tempermental, and I wait longer and they will eventually rise. Also, after I break them into rolls (have you ever tried three little balls stuck together--I think they look cute, and my grandmother calls them "clover rolls") I let them rise again, before they go into the oven to bake. Actually, I have gotten some of my best loaves when I forgot about them and let them rise for "too long".
Anyway, sorry for all the advice, or whatever you call it, I just really like baking bread and rolls and I had a lot of help in the beginning from my grandmother because it is so different.
(I love her cinnamon rolls and doughnuts and raisin bread--some stuff you just can't be taught, and no matter how hard I try, hers just taste better :) Have fun!)
The heighth of the roll does not matter to me. I would have gladly eaten a flat roll. I think they look like they taste wonderful.
Katie - I have no idea what happened. But now that I know you have yeast experience, I'll have you on the phone if I ever get brave enough to try again!
The problem happened somewhere around phase 2. The first time I got everything in the bowl and left them alone they rose great. The bowl was literally overflowing with dough. I sat them on top of the oven (I was baking something inside the oven so the top was a little warm) and covered the bowl. When I went to roll and cut them the dough was VERY sticky. I tried to only add enough flour so I could handle it. Perhaps I used too much anyways? Once I got them cut, I put them on the pan for a second rise. I was told to add butter to the tops. I was afraid to do it after they rose again so I brushed a tad of butter on top before the second rise. This, also, could have been the problem because they never rose the second time. I sat them on the same place on the stove and covered and waited. And waited. But no rising. Maybe I should have just waited longer and "forgotten" them as you said. I thought they would poof up in the oven but that didn't happen either. Maybe I cut them too thin? My mom had suggested the three balls in the muffin pan trick but I was stubborn and trying to make them look just like Big Granny's. So anyway - I will try again one day.
Any ideas for the frozen things in my freezer?
ok, a couple of ideas of what could have gone wrong, but they might just be preference--not actual problems.
1. seeing how sticky the dough is (sounds like it was abnormally sticky) it might have been too warm where they were sitting.
2. I don't think that the added flour hurt, but I don't ever add flour. I don't roll or cut either, though. My grandmother doesn't cut, she just tears the dough, then put the "torn" part on the inside. If I have to make a cinnamon roll or something where I need to flatten the loaf I just pat, pat, pat. I think that it is possible to be too rough with a rolling pin and crush the little critters. And the torn edges need to rest (think about how the edges "pull back" after you cut, and get tough)--this is why when I am making clover rolls, I tuck those little edges all together and make them act as the bottom. If I am making a large loaf, I make sure that the whole top part is not torn. In your case, I'm sure that you could tear off a little lump and fold it into a little ball to get your Granny's rolls. But like I said, if she rolled and cut them then it obviously works--so don't let me talk you out of it, just remember you can be pretty rough when you are kneading it because you are not breaking the skin or pressing all the air out as you are when you are rolling or cutting, so maybe you could do it, just more gently.
3. Lastly I don't butter before baking. Maybe halfway through, but not before. I'm certain some people do though, but I would try it during and after if you think it hurt it. I think that milk makes it soft enough anyway. Oh! You weren't using cake flour were you? Probably not--just a thought.
Oh, and you said that you were baking other things too...does your oven have a vent near the back panel (where the buttons are) where all that hot air from the oven comes out? I don't think I would put it on the oven if I was using it.
You know what? It could have been a million things and it could have been one thing that was a freak accident. I think that you should just keep trying until you get them perfect and then memorize everything that you did and do that every time. haha! Just kidding, but not really. I have to play with every recipe until it is just right. Obviously everyone liked them, so you definitely have the flavor right!
If you can't bring yourself to eat them, just thaw them, then break them up and bake them really slowly and then crumble them. Then put them in tupperware or something and you have croutons or stuffing crumbs(depending on the size) or bread crumbs for breading chicken or fish or okra or whatever you bread. MMM!! Or bread pudding. Or you could put garlic and parmesan on them and have Granny's yeast breadsticks :) haha!
Ok, I'm done! Whew! Yeah, call me anytime if you think that I might be able to help
I'm telling you what I didn't realize just how educational this blog is...MO
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