I was about 13 when I started hanging out at my friend Daniel's house. Some of my favorite memories about being there have to do with food. They range from my first taste of inari-sushi, curry-rice, and yokan, to sweet rolls and chocolate cake. Here's my attempt to recreate Maria's recipe, which I used to have and ended up misplacing after moving three times, over two state borders. It's delicious and not too elaborate or time-consuming.
Yield: 18 to 20 rolls.Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 pint of lukewarm, whole milk
- 1 envelope of Fleischmann's yeast (not RapidRise)
- 3 eggs beaten
- 3 tablespoons melted, salted butter
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- "plenty" of King Arthur's all-purpose flour
For rolling:
- 3 tablespoons melted, salted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
For the glaze:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 to 3 tablespoons melted, salted butter
Preparing the dough
In a small bowl, mix together milk, yeast, and sugar. Allow it to get get frothy before proceeding. Move liquid to a large bowl and mix in the eggs and salt. Start adding in the flour a cup at a time, stirring vigorously until the dough starts to take up a ball shape. Move dough to a floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes adding more flour slowly if too sticky. When you have a smooth, elastic dough, transfer it to a well-oiled bowl and turn the dough around to coat all its surfaces with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and place it in a draft-free, warm spot; allow dough to rise for about one hour or until it doubles in volume. (I use a lukewarm oven for that.)
Making the rolls
Punch down the dough and divide it up into two pieces. While you work with the first piece, keep the other in the bowl covered with a kitchen towel. Toss flour over you work surface, take your piece of dough and knead it about 4 times. Using a rolling pin, stretch the dough into a square until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Using a pastry brush, spread a good amount of melted butter on the up side of the dough and then sprinkle a thin, even layer of sugar. Working from one of the sides of the square, start rolling the dough (as if you were making a jelly-roll) into a tight cylinder. Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into 3/4 inch pieces and place them on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Leave rolls to rise for 20 minutes. Bake at 400 F until the top of the rolls becomes golden brown.
Glazing
Make the glaze by mixing up the hot milk, the butter, and the sugar. As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, place them on a wire rack and brush each one with a generous amount of the glaze. Allow to rest for five minutes and serve warm.
