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Title: Soft Dinner Rolls
Yield: 0 Servings

Ingredients

      3 c  Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
    1/4 c  potato starch
    1/2 c  yellow cornmeal, preferably
           -whole-g
      3 tb sugar
  1 3/4 ts salt
      3 tb butter or margarine; melted
           -or softened
  1 1/4 c  milk
      1 tb instant yeast

Instructions

In Maine, there are basically two kinds of bread to have with your meal:
biscuits, or rolls, which refer to these soft (some would say squishy, but
we like to think of ourselves as a bit more refined than that here at King
Arthur), pull-apart rolls. These rolls typically appear at potlucks, Grange
suppers, or Legion dinners in large rectangles, reflecting the pans they
were baked in. Each diner is welcome to pull off his own roll, thus
allowing those who like extra crust to go for rolls on the outside edge,
while those who savor squishy (whoops!) can select from the middle.

As you might expect from a traditional Maine roll, these feature no exotic
ingredients or outlandish preparation techniques; like the state itself,
they're straightforward as all get-out. But, just as you'll find the best
plain boiled lobster in Maine, the best Grapenut pudding, and the best fish
chowder, so you'll find the A number one, top-dog squishy (OK, we admit it)
white roll. Ideal for dunking in chowder, pushing American chop suey onto
your fork, or sopping up the last of the gravy, these all-purpose rolls
will become a favorite of the kids, and even the adults (if you're secure
enough to admit you really do like squishy white rolls).

While it's not at all traditional, and might be considered heretical north
of the (New Hampshire) border, we've added some cornmeal to the recipe to
produce a roll that is more golden than white. Our taste-testers here at
King Arthur had a variety of responses to the cornmeal. One said she could
smell it ("This smells like a corn muffin"), though no one else could; one
said she could see it (in the color of the rolls; we all could); and one
said she could feel it in the texture of the crust, which is pleasingly
semi-crunchy. For an authentic Maine treat, serve the rolls, hot, with a
big smear of margarine (the usual spread at potlucks) or butter (usually
only served at home). And remember, these rolls are easily prepared in the
morning and served hot at lunch -- which is why we call them dinner rolls,
because in Maine, lunch is called dinner and dinner is called supper.
(Remember that, if a Mainer invites you to dinner; if you show up at 6
p.m., you're six hours late!)

Manual/Mixer Method: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, potato
starch, cornmeal, sugar and salt. Add the butter or margarine, milk and
yeast; stir till the mixture comes together. Transfer the dough to a
lightly greased work surface, and knead it for 8 to 10 minutes, or until
it's smooth. Or, knead it in the bowl of your electric mixer, equipped with
the dough hook, for 5 to 8 minutes. Place the dough in a clean, lightly
greased bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until
it's about doubled in bulk. Gently transfer the dough to a lightly greased
work surface.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your
bread machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start.
When the machine has completed its cycle, gently transfer the dough to a
lightly greased work surface.

Shaping: Divide the dough into 16 pieces, and shape each piece into a ball.
Place the balls in a 9 x 13-inch or 12-inch round pan, leaving a little
space between them. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and
allow the rolls to rise for about 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until they're
puffy and touching each other.

Brush the rolls lightly with butter or margarine, and sprinkle them very
lightly with flour, if you'd like. (This step isn't critical, but will give
you the typical flour-dusted "snowflake" roll.) Bake the rolls in a
preheated 350øF oven for 30 minutes, or until they're nicely browned.
Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Yield: 16
rolls

Notes:
*The potato starch, while not strictly necessary, gives the rolls a nice
softness and helps them stay fresh longer. If you don't have potato starch,
substitute 1/3 cup dried potato flakes; or leave it out entirely

You may find you need to use less milk during the summer, when your flour
has absorbed extra moisture. The dough texture you're after is soft and
slightly tacky, but supple and smooth -- like any good dough, really.

Nutrition information per serving (1 roll, 78g): 226 cal, 3.4g fat, 4g
protein, 23g complex carbohydrates, 22g sugar, 2g dietary fiber, 9mg
cholesterol, 249mg sodium, 101mg potassium, 46RE vitamin A, 3mg vitamin C,
1mg iron, 65mg calcium, 62mg phosphorus.

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Contributor: King Arthur Website

Preparation Time: 0:00

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