from our kitchen

Rising to the Occasion

One warm-from-the-oven bite will tell you why these little rolls are some of our favorites. Best of all, each recipe offers a clever shortcut, so if you've never worked with yeast before, this is a great way to get started.

Tiny spirals of Lemon-Orange Roll dough begin with a box of hot roll mix, which comes with a packet of yeast. Rather than combining the yeast with warm water, just add it directly to the dry ingredients. All-purpose baking mix is the secret to buttery little Cheddar Crescents, and they rise in only 20 minutes.

The quickest shortcut of all comes straight from the frozen bread section in the supermarket. Several different brands of roll dough are available, including a new one from White Lily. Irresistibly light and tender with a hint of sweetness, these melt-in-your-mouth rolls received top ratings in the Test Kitchens. Once thawed, they can be shaped in dozens of different ways. To make miniature Cloverleaf Rolls, use scissors to cut thawed balls of dough into thirds; then quarter each small piece, and place the four pieces in a lightly greased miniature muffin cup. Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.

All of these rolls can be baked up to 1 month ahead and frozen in zip-top plastic freezer bags. Thaw at room temperature, and reheat, uncovered, at 350° for 3 to 5 minutes.

CHEDDAR CRESCENTS

MAKES 32 ROLLS

PREP: 20 MIN., RISE: 20 MIN., BAKE: 12 MIN.

1 (¼-ounce) envelope active dry yeast

½ cup warm water (100° to 110°)

2 ½ cups all-purpose baking mix

1 ¼ cups (5 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

1 large egg, beaten

STIR together yeast and ½ cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in baking mix, cheese, and egg, stirring until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a well-floured surface, and knead 20 times. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise 20 minutes.

DIVIDE dough into 4 equal portions. Roll 1 portion of dough at a time into an 8-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Cut circle into 8 wedges; roll up wedges, starting at wide end, to form a crescent shape. Place point side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining dough.

BAKE at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

NOTE: For testing purposes only, we used Bisquick for all-purpose baking mix.

LEMON-ORANGE ROLLS

MAKES 4 DOZEN MINIATURE ROLLS

PREP: 20 MIN., RISE: 20 MIN., BAKE: 10 MIN.

If you don't have four miniature muffin pans, you can rise and bake these little rolls in batches; just be sure to keep the extra portions of dough in the refrigerator until you're ready to fill the pans again.

1 (16-ounce) package hot roll mix

¼ cup butter, softened and divided

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons grated orange rind

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

2 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup orange juice

PREPARE hot roll dough according to package directions.

DIVIDE dough into 2 equal portions. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 12- × 8-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread with 2 tablespoons butter.

STIR together granulated sugar and grated rinds; sprinkle half of sugar mixture evenly over butter on rectangle. Roll up rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at a long edge. Repeat procedure with remaining half of dough, 2 tablespoons butter, and remaining half of sugar mixture.

CUT each roll into ½-inch-thick slices, and place in lightly greased miniature muffin pans.

COVER and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 minutes.

BAKE at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans, and place on wire racks.

STIR together powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth; spoon evenly over tops of rolls.

NOTE: For testing purposes only, we used Pillsbury hot Roll Mix. Look for it in the cake mix section of your grocery store.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Mar 2005
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