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Friday, February 10, 2012

Carbo loading- scones and rolls

Christmas.  That's how old this post is.  Rather, that's how long it's been sitting in my stash half done.   Anyway,  February is as good a time as any to eat.  

Holidays and family getting together is such an excuse to carbo load!  I tried two new bread-y treats this Christmas and both are winners for sure!

When we had farm day recently, the family served us delicious white chocolate chip scones.   She told me it was basically a biscuit recipe with chips rolled out differently.  I looked at my biscuit recipe but doubted they would turn out the same. I was looking for a buttery taste but a little dryer and denser than a biscuit. 


I searched around online and all the scone recipes and videos had pretty much the same recipe for scones, which was basically a biscuit recipe.  Here's what I went with and we devoured them.  Hubby said they were better than the ones we were served on farm day, so either 1.  He's a smart boy or 2. these really were pretty good.  I think it was a combination.  

Here's the recipe I went with: 
White Chocolate Chip Scones
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1 1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
Whisk these dry ingredients together. 
Add in 1/2 c cold (unsalted) butter.  I used my pastry cutter to cut it into pea sized pieces.
Add 1/2 c chocolate chips... who are we kidding... add more than that, then eat the rest of the bag while these are baking. 
Add 3/4 c buttermilk and 1 t vanilla
mix briefly and roll out on a floured surface. Roll to about 1/2 inch thick or so in a circle and cut triangular like a pizza.  Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. 


Now, I thought I had a good recipe until I tasted Lou's teacher's recipe at the teacher Christmas party.  These rolls are super duper.  They are light and airy and buttery and sweet.  They are pretty much the roll that they served us in highschool on chicken noodle day- which was the day at school when everyone ate school lunch.  


Lou's teacher said I could share the recipe.  I thought I'd have to beg- but she's cool like that and offered no resistance.  Here is exactly what she emailed me:

Easy Refrigerator Rolls (Evelyn’s Rolls)

2 cups water
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 pkg. yeast
1 TB salt
6 cups flour

  Combine sugar, yeast, salt & 2 cups flour in a mixing bowl.  Heat water & butter until warm.   Add to dry ingredients & beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.   Add 1 cup flour & 2 eggs.  Beat at high speed for 2 minutes.  Stir in remaining flour to make soft dough.  Place dough in refrigerator and use as needed.

  The dough needs to be in the refrigerator at least overnight.  It will be rather sticky, so use flour on  your hands to help in shaping.  Place in a greased pan with sides and let rise about 3 hours or until doubled.  If I need them to be ready sooner, I will preheat my oven on the lowest temp. for about a minute; turn it off and let them rise in the oven until nice and puffy.  Bake rolls at 350 for about 20 minutes.  You can brush with butter if you want.  They’re a little fragile right out of the oven, so I usually let them sit a few minutes before I get them out of the pan.  The entire recipe makes about 32 rolls.  You can easily halve the recipe.  

I will add that they are indeed fragile out of the oven.  Also, I think when she served them to us at the teachers meeting, she baked them in a 9x13 or something.  I baked mine on a flat stone.  Her's had a prettier tall shape and mine (since they were not as closely spaced and in a confined space), rose out as much as they rose up and were just not as tall.  Also, I think the overnight in the refrigerator is part of the wonderfulness of this recipe.  My old roll recipe is similar ingredient wise, but doesn't have that time.  I think that makes a difference.   Also, I didn't use a mixer like this recipe says.  I did it all by hand and no one suffered.

My poor sister is visiting next week and I can't make any of this wonderfulness for her.  Darn the gluten.  Darn all the gluten in the world.

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