Bread Making – Dinner rolls complement Thanksgiving menu
Sweet Potato-Cranberry Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
Makes 1 dozen
Chef Mike Kalanty and his students at the International School of Culinary Arts at the Art Institute of California in San Francisco created these bread rolls to serve at Thanksgiving. Note that these can be made a day ahead.
- – Hot tap water
- 10 ounces whole milk (1 1/4 cups)
- 1 1/2 packets (10 grams) active or instant dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 5 ounces whole wheat flour (1 cup + 1 tablespoon)
- 4 ounces baked sweet potato or yam, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 ounces light or dark brown sugar ( 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons, packed)
- 2 ounces granulated sugar ( 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 ounce kosher salt (1 tablespoon) or fine sea salt (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, heated until nutty brown
- 11 ounces all-purpose flour (2 cups + 2 1/2 tablespoons) + more to dust
- – Water in a clean spray bottle, for misting
- 4 ounces dried cranberries (about 1 cup)
- – Melted butter, for greasing the pan and brushing dough
- – Pan spray or oil as needed
- – Rolled oats or additional flour, for garnish (optional)
Instructions: Pour very hot tap water into the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl, if making by hand) to warm it. Heat the milk to 110°. Discard the hot water in the bowl, then pour in the warmed milk. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk, let stand for about 5 minutes, then lightly whisk and let stand 5 minutes more to dissolve.
Make a yeast “paste:” Blend the whole grain flour into the yeast mixture; let stand 5 minutes for flour to hydrate.
Meanwhile, combine the sweet potato, brown and white sugars, cinnamon, allspice, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the browned butter; whisk until smooth, add to the yeast paste and mix by hand until well blended.
Stir the remaining salt into the all-purpose flour; add to the yeast-yam mixture. Use a plastic scraper to combine the ingredients until there is no dry flour. You may need to use a spray bottle of water and mist any dry areas (a few times should do it) to more easily incorporate any dry flour near the bottom and sides of the bowl.
With a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or by hand on a clean, dry work surface), knead the dough on medium speed for 2 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky, but do not add any more flour.
Scatter cranberries over the dough, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside for 5-8 minutes. Remove plastic and knead on medium speed for another 2 minutes.
Butter a 9- by 12-inch glass baking dish. Gently press the bread dough into the pan. Brush with butter. Lightly cover dough with plastic wrap; set in a warm spot (80°-90°) for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, gently press the plastic-covered dough until it is fairly flat – be gentle. Return to the warm spot for 30 minutes more.
To form the rolls: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat with pan spray and dust with flour; set aside. Remove the plastic wrap and lightly dust top of the bread dough with flour. Lightly dust a clean, dry work surface with flour, then invert the baking dish, letting the bread dough drop out (it might need coaxing). Lightly dust the top of the bread dough (which used to be the bottom) with flour.
Use a metal pastry scraper to portion the bread dough into 12 pieces, roughly 2 3/4- to 3-ounces each. Gently round each piece of dough by tucking the ends under, then place on the prepared baking sheet. Do not over work the dough or the bread rolls will become tough; uneven, not-exactly-round rolls add to the hand-crafted appeal.
Lightly brush the tops and sides with melted butter or spray with flavorless pan spray, then lightly mist rolls with water. Loosely drape rolls with plastic wrap; mist the top of the plastic with water.
Place the rolls in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°.
Remove the plastic wrap, generously mist rolls and pan with water then decorate with rolled oats or lightly sift flour over for a more rustic look.
Just before placing baking sheet into the oven, mist the bread rolls and entire tray with more water. Bake about 14-16 minutes to desired color, rotating the baking sheet about halfway through
Set the baking sheet on a rack to cool 30 minutes before serving.
To make rolls a day ahead: After pressing the dough down in the pan after the first rise, refrigerate overnight. The next day, lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and turn the bread dough out of the pan onto floured work surface. Divide the bread dough into 12 even pieces, space out on a lightly sprayed, parchment-covered tray, then cover with plastic. Let stand until they reach room temperature, about 30-45 minutes. Form and let rise as above, but add at least 10-15 minutes to the anticipated rising time, especially if it’s chilly. Then continue with recipe.
Per roll: 248 calories, 6 g protein, 48 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat (2 g saturated), 18 mg cholesterol, 478 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.
This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)
Return from bread to Home Page
