Let's get roll-in.

I love having friends and family that share my passion for good food. When you are around foodies, you often are also around people that have wonderful recipes to share. Cooking and eating are not solitary sports. Even if you happen to be cooking or eating alone on a particular occasion, the effort to get that recipe or food into your hands required a collaboration by multiple people and a preceding history. Maybe Farmer Joe grew those delicious strawberries and you were lucky enough to buy them from him, or maybe you bought them at a local supermarket. And that recipe you're using for strawberry shortcake? Where did you get it? Your mom? A friend? A magazine? And where did it come from before that? Maybe the recipe is even your own creation, but who taught you to cook? I guess what I'm trying to say is, that it is very difficult to eat or cook without the involvement of someone else in some way at some point in the process. That's one of the things that I love so much about food--the collaborative and creative process of creating and sharing. This is why it is so fun to know fellow foodies. One of my favorite fellow foodies (although she is a BRILLIANT craft blogger), LollyChops, recently shared a recipe with me for rolls that her dad developed that she said I had to try. In the spirit of the collaborative and creative process that is food, I have to share the recipe with you because it is yummy and easy.

You start out by throwing all of your ingredients into a bread maker. I have one, but have hardly ever used it, so I had to dig mine out and dust it off a bit.
When your dough has gone through the dough cycle you pull it out and form it into little knots,
and then let them rise for about an hour.
Then you just put them in the oven to cook for a bit.
These rolls are light and soft with a hint of sweetness. I immediately ate one slathered in butter.
For dinner we used them to make simple sandwiches, using thinly sliced turkey and roast beef, slices of tomato and cheese, and lettuce.
The sandwiches were so good that I know I'll definitely be making these rolls again specifically to be used for sandwiches.

DadChops Rolls
Makes 12 rolls

1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp. butter (chilled and cut into pieces)
1 tsp. salt (just a tiny bit less than 1 full teaspoon)
1 egg
3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp. bread machine yeast (or active dry yeast)

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order listed. When adding the yeast, make a well in the center of the sugar and flour mixture and put yeast in the well.

2. Select dough cycle; press Start.

3. After the dough has finished the dough cycle, take the dough out and put into a bowl lightly oiled with olive oil. Turn the dough to coat and then divide into about 12 balls. Form balls into dough knots (roll ball into snake and then tie in knot and tuck ends under) and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

4. Let knots rise for about 45 minutes to an hour. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 - 15 minutes. Remove rolls from oven and brush lightly with melted butter.


Coming Friday: Rainbow Potato Gratin