Monday, January 14, 2013




YUMM! Buttermilk Fantails - Rich pull-apart rolls made with honey and buttermilk

Ingredients:

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
1/4 cup warm water (105–115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon honey
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Instructions:

First, butter muffin cups with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Stir together the yeast, warm water, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast). I’ve made these twice. The first time, the yeast took forever to foam and I thought I’d have to start over, but I let it sit for a full 10 minutes and it foamed up. The second time it happened much quicker. Just be patient!

In a large bowl, mix together your flour, salt, buttermilk, and 6 tablespoons of melted butter into the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead, dusting the surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes.

I found the best way to knead this dough was to slap it down on the surface, pull it towards me, fold it back into itself, flip it over, and do the same for a solid 6 minutes. Form the dough into a smooth ball, then place it in a clean, well oiled bowl. Turn the ball over to coat well, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and a cloth towel. Place in a warm spot, like the corner of your kitchen, and allow to rise until doubled in size about 1.5 to 2 hours.

When you’re ready, punch the dough down (do not knead it), then halve it. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch square (about 1/8 inch thick; keep the remaining half covered with plastic wrap). Brush the dough with 1/2 tablespoon of butter (you may be tempted to use more – do not do this or the rolls will not stick together) and cut into 6 or 7 equal strips.

Stack the strips, buttered sides up, and cut crosswise into 6 or 7 equal pieces. Turn each piece on a side and put into a muffin cup. Make more rolls with remaining dough in same manner. Separate the outer layers of each roll to fan outward, then cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a draft-free place until doubled and the dough fills cups, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the rolls until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Brush the tops with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, sprinkle with some sea salt, if you like, then transfer to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

These will keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or you can freeze them after they’ve cooled, store in an airtight container or bag, and warm back up in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes or so when you’re ready to serve.

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