Recipe 12. Cheddar and Onion Rye Rolls

‘Tis the season to do a lot of baking.  I wish I could be baking more, but things like family, and holiday cards, and oh yeah WORK get in the way. Life really. Still, I have been doing my fair share of baking. I made gingerbread cookies and then I made a gingerbread house (had never done that before) and extra cookies because there was that much leftover dough. The gingerbread house deserves its own bonus blog post so I will do that at some point. I just ordered some new cookie cutters and a fancy tool so I can practice fancy decorations. Some people paint. Maybe I will paint – on cookies!

I was all about these rolls. Savory rolls! Cheese and onions? What could go wrong? Thankfully, nothing much. Sorry to disappoint. Other than taking too much time to calculate my quantities – I even dragged my husband into it – the recipe was fairly straightforward. I really wanted to make sure I made just enough rolls and not a ton like I did with the sesame seed rolls. There was bread flour and rye flour and instant yeast in one bowl. Mix. Then the wet ingredients go in the mixer (including molasses and vegetable oil though I used canola oil) to which you add the dry and let the mixer do its thing. I did throw in the cheese and onions too soon. I was supposed to mix on low for four minutes and then one tick up on the speed for four minutes more before adding the cheese and onions and then mix for two more minutes, but I did it one step earlier. Oops. I don’t think this messed anything up too much. I just added a little bit more time to compensate. Here’s a quick video of me walking you through the addition of the cheese and onions.

After the mixing in of the deliciousness, I let the dough rest and rise before I started the preshape (a round), and then the final shaping and proofing before the rolls hit the oven to steam for a few seconds and then bake. I swear, it sounds complicated, but it really wasn’t. My neighbor told me that people always say that something is easy and not complicated, but that just because it’s not complicated to me doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be to her. I think really though if someone showed you how easy it was you might consider doing it. At least entertain the idea. But then, I realize the real issue is time and more importantly desire. If you WANTED to make these rolls and were willing to be patient and take the time to make them, then it isn’t really all that complicated; HOWEVER, if measuring and weighing and doing the prep work and shaping and reshaping and sitting around waiting for everything to poof up, then well, yeah I suppose it is complicated. I find lots of things complicated – like changing the light bulb under the vented microwave though I’m sure it’s easy. Thankfully I can ask my husband to do it and he will eventually get to it. And he’ll do it in like three seconds and I will feel dumb and inadequate. Maybe I do get it now.  (Honey, can you replace the bulb? Please and thank you.)

Anyway – here’s the obligatory shaping and final look see at how these rolls turned out. And I got to use my special razor lame tool. I wish you could have smelled them – they smelled so delicious even my daughter asked me what that yummy smell was. She does love her cheese but she is not a fan of onions so she refused to try it. I took some of the rolls to dance class so the regulars could have a taste and then the rest we took to a cocktail party afterwards where they were enjoyed by all. I’m not kidding. I got a lot of compliments on this one. Speaking of compliments, one of my favorite ones is always “YOU MADE those?!” Yes, I did. I get such a honey glow in my cheeks when I get those compliments. (Fix it Felix from Wreck-it-Ralph is my cartoon boyfriend.)

Take a look at the inside, Perfect! 🙂

Next bread blog post is Naan bread. I’m looking forward to it mostly because I love naan bread AND it looks to be more of a quick turnaround time. Faster into my tummy. I should probably make a butter chicken or something to go with it. Doesn’t that sound good? Until next time. Toodles.