The Smell of Success

April 13th, 2010

Tic Tac, Please

I’m dying, here. I just made more rolls, and this time I pretty much got it right. I had to eat SIX GARLIC ROLLS. I could not stop. This is the way I usually become aware that a recipe is out of the conception stage and ready for public consumption and fine tuning.

I’ll just tell you what I did. Why keep this from the world?

INGREDIENTS

1 cup high-gluten flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
3/8 cup water (roughly)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

I do not know why, but it seems like bread tastes better when you make the dough without yeast and then knead the yeast into it. If you have the patience to do that, go for it. Mix everything but the yeast, using whatever method turns you on, and then fold the yeast into it. It’s okay (preferable, in my opinion) if the yeast is distributed in the dough a little unevenly.

As for the water amount, you want dough that is wet enough to work but not too sticky to handle. You’ll figure it out.

You can go two ways from here. You can make a dough ball, oil it (cheap olive oil, not green) and let it rise, or you can roll the dough out, make it into rolls and then let it rise under a sheet of plastic. The second way is how I just did it. The first way may be a little better, since you get two rises and more yeast flavor.

Either way, you will eventually want to flatten the dough into a rectangle about 9″ by 14″. Cut it down the middle, the long way. Cut each half into three strips. Pick a strip up. Double it back on itself. Tie the resulting double strip in an overhand knot and put it on a seasoned pan. Repeat with the other strips.

Cover the pan and let the dough poof up until it looks ready to bake. Put the pan in a preheated 550° oven. Rolls this size will bake in about 5 minutes.

SAUCE

3 oz. (weight) peeled garlic cloves, pureed or pressed
3 oz. oil
salt and parsley to taste

You don’t have to cook the sauce. Mike taught me that. Just dump the hot rolls in a bowl, pour the sauce over them, and toss. Use lots of salt.

If you can use less yeast and let the dough rise for a day or two, it may be a lot better. I will never have the patience to find out.

I truly stink. I have probably eaten an ounce and a half of garlic today. I love it.

Make sure you let the rolls rise enough to prevent them from being heavy and hard. Do NOT put oil in the dough. It adversely affects the flavor of the rolls.

I am dizzy with pleasure. And I can quit making rolls now, since I have the puzzle beaten.

God helps me with this stuff. I am convinced of it.

No photos. I ate the rolls before I could get the camera out.

5 Responses to “The Smell of Success”

  1. Ruth H Says:

    It is your Christian duty to get over here and cook for me. Do I need to whine? I’ve been sick, my husband caught it. We need a cook!
    Those look so good and he loves bread.

  2. Peg Says:

    I’m afraid I cannot afford to make this recipie, Steve! But – if I’m in FLA – happy to film the next production 🙂

  3. Gary Says:

    I do not know why, but it seems like bread tastes better when you make the dough without yeast and then knead the yeast into it.
    .
    Delaying the fermentation delays both the development of acidity and the strengthening of the dough.
    .
    Salt also has a tightening effect on the gluten network. You might find it good to hold back on it as well.

  4. Bert Says:

    First I made Steve’s dipdish pizza, three successes!- and I just now finished baking his and Mike’s garlic rolls- hot out of the oven, drizzled the garlic, oil , salt and some fresh parsley snipped from the garden- wolfed down three(testing of course), rushed two over to the neighbors(who weren’t home) so now I get two more! Have I died and gone to Italian Heaven? I now have imbibed enough of that most noble garlic to kill every vampire in the universe!
    I, too, have not had enough patience to let the dough sit in the reefer for 24 hrs. but I’ll try and take Gary’s sage advice in the future- if possible!
    I wonder if a little cheese and onion- what cheese? added to the dough would make a delicious variation on a superb theme?
    Once a tinkerer, always a tinkerer!
    And , on top of it all, my wife is taking a mini-vacation at the beach with her best highschool female friend, Chris, for a couple of days so I’m off the hook tonight vis-a-vis the disastrous kitchen- Yes, Dear! I’ll clean it in the morning!
    On a more serious note- Chris is fighting cancer-already had a double masectomy- but she’s a warrior(I’m glad my wife gets to spend some time alone with her) so any arrow prayers you can send her way would be greatly appreciated.
    God Bless-Bert

  5. JeffW Says:

    Looks like I have some thing to add to Pizza-Movie-Night…