OLD-FASHIONED YEASTY DINNER ROLLS (starring in Hot Turkey Sandwiches)

Easy peasy, throw 'em together, heavenly soft, potently retro, seductively yeasty, warm-from-the-oven dinner rolls, boasting an ever so slightly crunchy, buttery bottom crust.  Oh mama!

Did someone say, 'yeasty'?  I'm there.  Totally.

I don't know if I just simply love the flavour and texture of old-fashioned buns that were more deliciously commonplace back in the 1950's and 60's.  Or if maybe they're so jam-packed with plump, warm memories from my Mom's kitchen that I can't resist. 

Recipes, like this, that whisper of yummy, sepia-toned memories, of the cherished comfort of family gatherings long past, fill our tummies and our hearts. An irresistable combination. Probably why I have accumulated such a fine little arsenal of old-fashioned yeasty roll recipes that always get pulled out at Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. 

This time I tried a little different version of my usual Mom-style rolls that I found on For the Love of Cooking food blog.  Thanks Pam.  You're right, your Mom's dinner rolls are amazing.  Thanks Moms!

Even though these rolls are definitively retro, they're so easy, because you just toss everything into the bread maker, on the dough cycle. Yippee!

Then a bit of play-with-dough-fun when you cut the silky dough into little pieces and pull down and around to make perfect little balls.  Cute.  Next plop your dough balls onto a heavily buttered cookie sheet, so you get that seductively crunchy bottom crust.  Bet you didn't know it was that easy to make a seductively crunchy, buttery, bottom crust, did you? 

But wait, more fun....... if you're going to use the rolls for sandwiches of any kind, you need to slap those dough balls firmly on their little round heads to flatten a bit. Go ahead do it one more time. Slap!  Yeah, take that!  Now, brush those babies with butter, let rise, and bake.

Each time I make yeasty buns I kind of think that this time I won't have one, hot from the oven, with a gouge of hard butter and a drizzle of golden syrup.  Yup, I do think that every time.  Before I bake them. 

But really, you know, they do need to be tasted to make sure they're okay, before you serve them. Right?  I mean, really.  And if there's hard butter and golden syrup within reach, well, there's no other option.  Forest Grump, on the other hand, doesn't hesitate to do a warm-from-the oven sampling and defiantly exclaims there is NO CHOICE but butter and peanut butter for the taste test.  Comfort sweet comfort!

Which brings me to one of the all-time comfort zone foods, turkey.  Mmmm. 

So, I took a little more inspiration from For the Love of Cooking blog. Hot Turkey Sandwiches.  But instead of waiting for turkey leftovers to make sandwiches, I did it up good, from the get go. 

We didn't have the usual turkey dinner this time around, we had tender, delicious slices of fresh roast turkey heaped on an old-fashioned dinner roll with black pepper riddled, sausage bread stuffing and tangy cranberry sauce, swathed in the golden brown richness of hot, port laced, gravy.  Yum-O!

My advice, make some of these retro dinner rolls soon.  Whether you serve then on the side or make them the star of the meal, they're scrumptious.  They look good too.  People will see them, smile and say, "you have gorgeous buns".  And they'll mean it.  And you'll think so yourself. 

When the buns are good, life is good.  You can quote me if you want.

"Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying off all foods;
and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts."
~ James Beard (1903 - 1985)

OLD-FASHIONED YEASTY DINNER ROLLS - Makes 12-15 rolls

1 cup of warm water
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons traditional dry active yeast
3 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon sea or Kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Extra butter for baking pan and brushing on rolls.

Pour warm water and 1 teaspoon of the sugar into small bowl.  Add yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast starts to bloom.  Place flour, salt, the rest of the sugar, yeast mixture, beaten egg and butter in bread machine, in this order.  Select dough cycle and press start.

Once the cycle is complete, heavily butter a large cookie sheet.  Depending on how big you want your rolls, divide dough into 12 or 15 pieces.  Pull and shape into balls.  Place evenly spaced, on buttered cookie sheet.  If using for sandwiches, press top of rolls down firmly, to form more of a flattened roll.  Brush with melted butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.  Bake rolls 10-15 minutes, until beautifully golden brown.  Enjoy!