Dutch Oven Dinner Rolls

This recipe is a combination of a dinner roll recipe taken from The Dutch Oven Cookbook by the Kohler and Michaud families and The Pioneer Woman's Buttered Rosemary Rolls.

 While I think it best made in either a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet to absorb some flavor, you can make it in a greased baking dish or tin as well. With the cast iron, though, I let it warm up on a low heat burner for 20 minutes or so, then turned the burner off and let the skillet or whatever stay sitting on it. Coat it with a thin layer of Crisco and it will be all warm and prepped for your roll's second rising. No sacrilege intended.

(if you need a crash course in cast iron cookware, check out my article Cast Iron: The Only Pan You'll Ever Need)

Dutch Oven Dinner Rolls (makes approx 1 dozen rolls)

Time: 15 minutes prep. 2 hours rising time. 15 minute cooking time.

Ingredients

1 Tbl yeast
1/4 cup warm water (I think its more like hot water that you can stand...120 to 130 degrees...haven't had yeast die on me yet!)
1/8 tsp sugar (a pinch)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl sugar
3 cups flour
1 cup milk
1 Tbl butter

sea salt and melted butter and rosemary (if you like it) for during baking time

Directions

1.  In a small bowl, mix the yeast, water and the pinch of sugar. Let sit until foamy and it smells yummy (unless I'm the only one who likes that smell).

2. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter over medium heat. Dissolve the salt and the rest of the sugar in the mix and stir well.

3. Transfer to a large bowl and add half the flour (1 1/2 cups in case you're not great at math).  Mix thoroughly.

4.  Add the yeast mixture, stir well, then add another cup of flour (retaining half a cup). The dough will be stiff. Don't worry.

5.  Sprinkle some of the flour on a flat (clean) surface and knead until the dough is smooth.  Enjoy this part...its my favorite.  

6.  The Dutch Oven Cookbook says to put in a greased bowl but I think dishes are awful and don't want to add another one.  So put it back in that same large bowl and it will be just okay.  Or mostly okay.  Or if you're anal-retentive you can break out another bowl and grease it up and put your dough baby in that.  Whatever you put it in, place it in a warm place and cover with a clean towel and leave it alone until its doubled. (an hour or so)

7.  When its all nice and puffy, use some Crisco and grease up your cast iron or baking dish. Rub a little of that Crisco on your hands and grab a hunk of that delicious dough. Shape it into a nice round ball and place it in the dish. Repeat with the rest until your little dough babies are all shaped.

8.  Cover with a towel and let it double again. I know. Sigh. Set your timer for 35 minutes or so and when that goes off, pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Set your timer for another 10-15 minutes and by the time your rolls are done rising your oven will be ready.

9.  Pop those suckers in for 10-12 minutes.

10.  Pull them out and have your melted butter and a brush ready. Coat the top with luscious butter and sprinkle with coarse ground sea salt (or just salt..but the coarse really makes it) and the rosemary on top. Thank you Pioneer Woman. Pop it back in for 2-4 more minutes or until the tops are nicely browned.

The nice thing about making it in cast iron is the bread will stay warm for hours.

Pumpkin-Applesauce-Flax Bread?

It being No Spend Month I had run out of vegetable oil. It was a lazy Sunday morning and we weren't wanting to have to go to the store for any. 

That morning I had already made blueberry pancakes with flaxseed meal in place of oil. 

That was on a smaller scale, though. 

FYI, if you want to use flaxseed meal instead of oil the ratio is 1:3. For one tablespoon of oil you can substitute 3 tablespoons of flaxseed meal. The first time I tried it I was expecting it to be dry and coarse, but instead it was still moist and fluffy! The pancakes needed a bit more milk, but once you get the consistency right its all good from there!

The recipe for pumpkin bread called for 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.  That's 8 tablespoons of oil, or what would be 24 Tbl of flaxseed meal...that's a lot!

Then I remembered we had applesauce, too. Replacing applesauce for oil is a 1:1 ratio, but sometimes that can come out dry.

So for this I did part applesauce, part flaxseed meal and the result was delicious! We're running low on unbleached flour and whole wheat flour so I used a cup of each.

That doesn't look too dry now, does it? A little dollop of butter and a cup of coffee and it was de-lish! (Not that it needed either, but they completed it...like Dorothy completed Jerry Maguire)

I would have taken a picture of the top of the bread but I had already eaten it...

There are a lot of benefits to flaxseed. Two tablespoons of flaxseed meal has just as much fiber as 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal! It can also lower bad LDL cholesterol and packs a lot of omega-3. 

So here is my modified Pumpkin Bread recipe, should you want to try it out.

Ingredients

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used evaporated cane juice and it worked well)

1 cup canned pumpkin (I used a whole can cuz I can)

9 tablespoons of flaxseed meal (really good flavor, actually. Not so health-nutty)

5 tablespoons of applesauce

2 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg  (or more, if you like)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon  (or more, if you like)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger  (or more, if you like)

1/4 cup water (I just realized I forgot this...maybe the extra pumpkin made up for it...no one's perfect, right?)

Optional:

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts or pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

3. In a medium or large bowl, combine sugars, pumpkin, flaxseed meal, applesauce and eggs. Beat until well blended.

4. In a separate large bowl, sift together flours, soda, salt and spices. Add the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in water, raisins and nuts if using.

5. Turn into prepared pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

6. Spread with luscious butter and make yourself a Morning Cup and you're ready!

For more tips on eating for cheap, check out my article on Frugal Fine Dining.