Dan of SaltShaker is in town, visiting from Argentina.  We met for tea and toast.  Okay, not quite tea and toast, but we did have peppermint tea and he ordered a toasted bagel, while I got a cherry muffin.  I’ve been a big fan of Dan’s blog for a few years now and have even been able to try a few of his recipes, three of which you can read about here.  It’s always nice to meet a blogging friend in person.

We passed through the Columbia University campus.  I couldn’t figure out which photo to post, so you get two.  

Happy Monday, everyone, and have a great week!

Paz

Ed. Note:   Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in Canada who are celebrating!

Dan of Saltshaker made some good-looking, tasty-sounding dinner rolls, a while ago, which enticed me to make them, too.

For those who are familiar with my blog, I like easy recipes and this one was relatively easy.   ;-)  The recipe calls for white flour and whole wheat flour but I just used white flour.  My rolls came out well, with a tiny exception — the shell was a little hard.  Edible but hard.  I’m not sure why?  Can anyone explain?  The inside was nice and soft.  Or was it supposed to be that way?  All in all, I liked my rolls.  Thanks, Dan!  You can find his recipe below.

 Olive Oil Bread Rolls

Saltshaker

Makes approximately 3 dozen

In the bowl of a mixer fitted out with a bread hook (or you can do this by hand if you like):

2 teaspoons of sugar
1½ cups warm water (that’s for here, you’ll need to experiment, I’d start with 1 cup and work up if needed)
1 packet of yeast

Let sit until the yeast proofs - all bubbly looking - about 5 minutes. Add:

½ cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (you can go up to 2 cups, and cut the white flour to 3, and still get a nicely texture roll, more than that and they tend to get dense and heavy)

Mix at low speed with the dough hook until it all comes together. You might have to stop once or twice and push stuff down from the sides, and, if need be, add more water - however, add it in very small amounts - bread dough changes texture very suddenly - I tend to add about a teaspoon at a time until it all comes together as one mass. Once it’s all in one mass, increase the speed - not too much, just a bit, and let it knead for about 5 minutes - until the dough is very smooth and elastic.

Mound the dough into one ball and either in the same bowl or another, cover with a small towel and place somewhere warm to rise. Let it double in size, then punch it down. Form it into small balls - a little smaller than a golf ball is about the size I use - but you can make smaller, bigger, or even form this dough into loaves if you prefer. I line them up on a silpat, a non-stick silicone sheet atop a cookie sheet, and let them rise, covered with the towel, again, until doubled in size. Bake in a 350°F oven for 35 minutes, until nicely browned, and if you flip one over and flick it with a finger, it’ll sound hollow. If you make loaves, it’ll take more like 45-50 minutes to bake, you’ll have to check it a few times until you get the “speed” of your oven down right. Let cool to room temperature and serve… or, I suppose, you could serve them pretty much hot, right out of the oven.

In terms of the butters, really all I do is let butter come to room temperature so it’s soft, and then add things to it, whipping it all together with a spoon or fork, and then leaving it at room temperature for enough time for the flavors to come together - don’t over-add stuff to it, the flavors will develop as the butter sits - better to go subtle than too intense.

For more info, go here.