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Christmas: Velvet Crumb Rolls

Source of Recipe


From "Camille Glenn's Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookbook"



List of Ingredients



• 1 package dry yeast
  
• ¼ cup lukewarm water
  
• 1 large mealy potato, peeled and chopped
  
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 2 Tbsp sugar
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 cup sour cream
  
• 2 tsp salt
  
• 5 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, for brushing the rolls
  






Instructions



1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Set aside.
   
   
2. Boil the potato, well covered with water, until soft. Drain the potato, but reserve the potato warm and keep it warm.
   
   
3. Sieve or rice the potato and measure 1 cup of it into a large bowl. Do not put it in a food processor.
   
   
4. Add the butter, sugar, and ¼ cup of the reserved warm potato water and mix well. When the butter has melted, add the eggs, sour cream, and dissolved yeast. Beat thoroughly by hand or with an electric mixer. Add the salt and flour, beating the mixture hard.
   
   
5. Toss the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead heavily, adding enough flour to make the dough smooth and elastic but not sticky. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn it to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, place in a warm, draft-free spot, and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
   
   
6. When the dough has risen, punch it down lightly. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is well chilled, about 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
   
   
7. When the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Roll each half into a circle about ¼-inch thick. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, roll the rounds into balls, and place in lightly greased muffin tins (each cup should be about two-thirds full). Cover the tins with plastic wrap, place in a warm, draft-free spot, and allow the rolls to rise until doubled in bulk and light and springy, about 1 hour.
   
   
8. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400° F.
   
   
9. When the dough has risen, place the tins on the lower rack of the preheated oven and bake until the rolls are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Brush immediately with the melted butter and serve.
   
   Makes 30 to 36 rolls
   
   
   Variations:
   
   ◦ Glazed Rolls:
   Before baking, the rolls may be brushed with a glaze made from 1 beaten egg yolk and 2 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream.
   
   ◦ Poppy Seed or Sesame Seed Rolls:
   After glazing and before baking, sprinkle the rolls with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. If you use sesame seeds, you will have to toast them beforehand, as they will not toast sufficiently on the rolls to bring out their nutty flavor.
   
   ◦ Velvet Crumb Bread:
   This recipe also makes wonderful bread. Before the second rise, place each half of the dough in a lightly greased standard-size loaf pan. And for a sweeter bread, increase the amount of sugar in the recipe, up to 4 tablespoons.
   
   
   Note:
   Day-old rolls may be split, buttered, sprinkled with poppy seeds, and toasted in a preheated 450° F oven. This makes for a crisper roll than one that is broiled under a flame, and it is a superb way to revitalize any roll that is not oven-fresh, or even a slice of bread that is not delightfully fresh.