Just like grandma used to make
About once a week, usually when she did a fricot or other soup types, Mémère would always bake some dinner rolls. I went through her recipe book a couple of years ago (and by “book,” it was really just her half-filled recipes written on whatever scrap of paper she had nearby), and I nearly cried. This recipe, more than others, meant most to me. Mémère made enough that we had dinner rolls available for most of the week, and she would make extras and send some home with people who came to visit. When I was in university and living on my own, if I visited Mémère on weekends, she’d send me home with a care package that always included dinner rolls.
Like bread loaves, these can be frozen and are enjoyed as much with butter as they are with molasses for that little sweet bite.
A couple notes about the preparation:
- The egg should be at room temperature
- Although technically you don’t need sugar to activate dry yeast, my Mémère swore that this is what made the rolls delicious and who am I to say?
- Make sure your water is warm and not hot. If the water is hot, it will kill the yeast, and it will not rise, so let it get to a lukewarm temperature before adding active dry yeast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (240ml)
- 1 pack active dry yeast (7g)
- 2 tsp of white sugar
- 3-1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp of flour
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- 1-1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (separated in half)
Preparation
- In a bowl, sprinkle the active dry yeast and sugar on top of the warm water. Stir well and let sit for 5 minutes until you see slight bubbles at the top. In a separate, large bowl, add 3-1/2 cups flour, canola oil, salt and egg. Add active dry yeast mixture to a large bowl and mix thoroughly. The mixture should no longer stick to the bowl. If still too sticky, add a 1/2 tsp of flour until the mixture no longer sticks to the bowl.
- On a table or countertop, spread 2 Tbsp of flour. Turn the dough mixture onto the table and knead until smooth and soft (about 1 minute).
- Transfer dough ball to a greased bowl (PAM spray is fine) and cover with cling film. Place bowl in a proofing oven or on top of the warm surface (on top of warm oven or dryer works) and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size (approx 70-90 minutes).
- Melt 2 Tbsp of butter and brush the bottoms & sides of a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Divide the dough into 24 portions, roll them up in balls, and place 2 balls side-by-side per muffin cup. Cover with cling film again and put in a warm area to double in size AGAIN for approx 60 minutes.
- Bake in the oven at 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and brush with remaining 2 Tbsp melted butter. Let sit for 3-5 minutes before putting on a cooling rack. Enjoy!