i'd rather be baking

On Friday I woke up with the strong urge to make bread. I also woke up utterly exhausted. I can’t reconcile the two either; it happens. It was Friday! Whatever.

Somewhere between multiple cups of coffee I found this recipe from the Joy of Cooking and like most of their recipes, its text was very simple, really only a few lines. The Joy of Cooking does not mess around and generally expects you to either (a) know what you’re doing, or (b) read their extensive notes on every food-related subject known to man. Being half-awake on a Friday, I was not particularly inclined to read anything, so I put on my yoga pants and hoped for the best.

These cute little guys turned out to be as simple as the recipe suggested! When does that happen? I could not have been much more thankful. Friday morning miracle.

No-Knead Dinner Rolls
Joy of Cooking

Makes 15 small rolls

1/4 cup warm (105°F to 115°F) water
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup hot water
1 large egg
About 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

Combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about five minutes.

Add butter, sugar, and salt to a large bowl. Pour hot water over them and stir until the mixture is melted/dissolved. Let cool to lukewarm, then stir in the yeast.

Beat in the egg, followed by the flour, until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too wet to work with, add a little more flour, but try to add as little as possible (this will keep the rolls tender).

Put the dough in a large greased bowl and turn to coat with oil. Either cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 to 12 hours (anywhere in between), or cover with a clean cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough. Divide the dough into 15 pieces and shape (roughly) into round rolls. Place in greased muffin cups. Let rise until about doubled in volume, about 45 minutes if the dough was chilled, or 30 if not.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.