Rosemary Rolls

Let’s recap this Oscar feast so far, shall we? First up was our red carpet snack, the Goat Cheese Spread with Garlic & Fresh Herbs. Then, the star dish, Beef Bourguignon, accompanied by My Favourite Mashed Potatoes and my house salad (kale, apple, parm, pecans and a honey dijon vinaigrette). Since I had fresh rosemary leftover from the goat cheese spread, I also made these Rosemary Olive Oil Rolls, just to gild the lily.

I like to bake something with yeast a few times a year, just so I don’t lose all the dough skills that I’ve worked so hard on. As far as bread projects go, this one had minimum effort and maximum payoff; these rolls were crusty on the outside, soft on the inside and just to die for. I made half of Annie’s recipe which gave me eight pretty large rolls. I would actually make them a touch smaller next time, so the total yield would be 10 or 12.  This was also actually my first time using rapid rise/instant yeast, and it worked like a charm!

Rosemary Olive Oil Rolls

Source: Everyday Annie

Yield: this is half her recipe, and I would shoot for 10 rolls next time

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water (110°)
  • 12 oz bread flour, plus more for kneading
  • 1/2 tbsp rapid rise/instant yeast
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients until a sticky dough forms.
  2. Turn out dough onto a floured counter, and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic. If it gets to sticky, add a little bit more flour just as you need it. Form it into a smooth ball.
  3. Lightly grease a large clean bowl with olive oil, then add the ball of dough and turn to coat lightly in the oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 60-90 minutes.
  4. Punch down the dough and turn out to a floured counter. Divide the dough into 10 (or 12) pieces and form each piece into a little ball (as smooth and round as you can get them).
  5. Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced at least 2″ apart and let rise again for 30 minutes (no need to cover).
  6. As the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 425° (in Annie’s recipe, she says 450° but I found my rolls got super brown super fast, so next time I’ll reduce the temp). When the rolls are done rising, sprinkle with sea salt if you wish, and bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.