I realize it’s been a few weeks since we’ve last talked. I know, I know. Let me make it up to you with these rolls.
A couple of weeks back, we returned from a long trip to Hawaii, relaxed at home for approximately 4 days (just enough time to get the laundry done and settle back in), and then packed back up for a trip to visit family in the UP (that’s Michigan’s Upper Peninsula). We spent our time there watching the annual Continental Cup ski jumping tournament, participating in a pasty taste test, and drinking too much beer. You know, as one does.
After that, we returned home for another 4 days, all got sick with colds, and then packed up once again and headed off to Park City, Utah for a long weekend of skiing. This time, we left Leo at home with his grandparents, as he has yet to master downhill skiing, and instead traveled with friends. I hadn’t skied in years, but any fears of wipeouts and ghastly injuries proved to be unfounded, as my long unused ski skills came back to me miraculously quickly. Between crushing some pow (to use a technical term), spending some quality time in the hot tub, and watching plenty of Warren Miller's Ski Country, it proved to be a great trip.
Now we’re back. Really really. At least for a few weeks now. We also all have colds again, but as it’s March, I really expect nothing less. The little free time I’ve been able to spend at home these days has consisted of doing a lot of laundry and being laid up with colds, both of which pair nicely with binge watching the Great British Baking Show on Netflix. So understandably, when I finally got around to cooking, all I wanted to do was bake.
These scallion milk bread rolls are something I’ve made several times before, and always with excellent results. They’re easy to make; requiring time to rise, but nothing much more difficult than that. And they always come out of the oven looking gorgeous and smelling absolutely fantastic. With the weather turning cold and wintry again, you can do no better than to bake up a batch to eat by the fire.
Scallion Milk Bread Rolls
Makes 16 large or 32 small rolls
Yep, that’s a lot of rolls. In our household of avid bread eaters and frequent dinner guests, making short work of this many rolls is usually not a problem. However, if you have more self restraint than we do, feel free to cut the recipe in half. Or better yet, make the full batch, but freeze half for more fresh rolls later.
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 ⅓ cup milk
- 1 egg, beaten + 1 more for egg wash
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 4 cups flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 bunches scallions, green parts chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1. Melt the butter, and combine with the milk and 1 beaten egg. Stir in the yeast. Let sit until the yeast begins to form bubbles, about 5-10 minutes
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Once combined, add the milk mixture and mix until liquid is fully incorporated into the dough. Using your hands or a dough hook, knead the dough until it’s soft and springy - about 8 minutes (it should pass the windowpane test). If dough is too wet to knead, add more flour in small increments until it’s workable.
3. Knead in the scallions until they are well mixed with the dough. It will initially look like WAY too many scallions, but just trust me on this. Place dough in a large bowl coated in oil, cover with plastic wrap or a cloth, and let sit in a warm place until approximately doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Grease two 9” round cake pans or one 9x13” baking pan.
5. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface and divide in half. Divide each half into either 8 equal pieces (for large rolls) or 16 equal pieces (for small rolls). For each piece of dough, grab dough at each end, pulling out and twisting to form a twisted rope, then coil rope around on itself to form a knotlike shape. There’s no exact science to this - as long as you end up with something relatively round in shape, you’re good (you can even just shape dough into round rolls if that’s easier.). Arrange shaped dough in greased pan(s).
6. Once all dough has been shaped and placed in pan(s), spray the tops of the rolls with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap or a cloth, and let sit in a warm place to rise for another hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the tops of the risen rolls evenly with beaten egg, and sprinke evenly with sesame seeds.
8. Bake rolls until golden brown on top, about 25-35 minutes. Turn out of pans onto a wire cooling rack to cool, then serve.
