Rosie Makes Buttery Fan Rolls.

  WOW.

I made fan rolls for dinner the other night.

They are buttery.

They are yeasty.

They are rich.
They are crisp.
They are chewy.

Bottom line - these are incredible rolls.

  

Fan Rolls

3 ounces warm skim milk (110°)

3 ounces warm heavy cream (110°)

1 egg and 1 yolk, at room temperature

1 packet yeast

3 1/2 - 4 cups of King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour

 2 tsp kosher salt

8 TB unsalted butter, softened, cut into 8 pieces

4 TB unsalted butter, melted

In the bowl of a stand mixer,

combine, milk, cream, egg, yolk, and yeast.

Let sit until foamy.

Add 3 1/2 cups flour and the salt.

Using the dough hook,

knead on medium-low until dough is shaggy.

Add softened butter, one tablespoon at a time.

Continue to knead until dough is smooth - about 7 minutes,

adding more flour if needed.

Place dough in greased bowl, cover, and let rise

until doubled, about 2 hours.

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface

and separate into two balls.

Roll one dough ball into a 15 x 12 inch rectangle,

with 15-inch side parallel to counter's edge.

Cut dough vertically into 6 (2 1/2 x 12 inch) strips.

Brush tops of strips with 1 TB melted butter,

then stack strips evenly on top of each other,

buttered to unbuttered side.

Cut stacked dough strips into six equal stacks.

Place stacks, cut side up, in each of six cups.

Repeat with remaining dough and 1 TB butter.

Cover loosely in plastic

and let dough rise until double in size - about 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350°.

Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes,

rotating the pan halfway through.

Brush rolls with remaining 2 TB butter.

Let cool in tins for 5 minutes,

then remove from tins and transfer to wire rack

   

 Sunday was the first nice, warm, sunny day we've had.

Come on, SPRING!

  

 After two hours, my dough has doubled.

Divide in half.

 While you're working with one dough,

cover the other with plastic wrap.

 Roll into 15 x 12 inch rectangle.

 Cut strips with a pizza wheel.

 Butter the strips and layer.

  Cut into 6 stacks.

 

 Place stacks in buttered tins.

 Let rise...

 ... until doubled.

 

 Bake.

 Brush with remaining butter.

 

The layers flake right apart.

Aren't these pretty?

 These were most excellent rolls.

  

 For a side dish to the fan rolls,

I marinated, seared, and baked a pork tenderloin.

Pork Marinade

3 cloves garlic, minced

juice and minced pulp of 1-inch frozen ginger cube

I always have ginger in the freezer.

Whenever a recipe calls for ginger juice,

I take a cube, nuke it for about 25 seconds,

then squeeze it by hand to juice.

Or you can put it in a garlic press.

3 TB rice vinegar

1 TB sugar

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix all together and pour into plastic bag.

Insert pork, seal, and marinate at least 1 hour,

massaging occasionally.

Heat oven to 350°.
Heat 2 TB unsalted butter and 2 TB peanut oil
in an iron skillet over medium heat.
Sear pork on one side for three minutes,
then turn 90° and sear the same side for three minutes
so you can get that pretty criss-cross.
Repeat for the other side.

Place skillet in oven and cook
until the internal temperature of the pork is 145°.
Let rest 5-7 minutes before slicing
to allow the juices to redistribute.
If you slice immediately out of the oven,
you'll lose all those flavorful juices;
plus, the pork needs a bit of "carry-over" cooking.

Pork should not be the pork of Mama Hawthorne's
which was cooked to a Saharan gray inside
 and was always eaten with a bit of hesitation and angst
because of Mama H's dire warnings about trichinosis.

Pork should be juicy and pink.

Serve with mashed potatoes and peas (frozen not canned)
and use the fan rolls to sop up every last drop of juice.