Il Cucinologo
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Festive Rolls

17/11/2023

The “Festive Rolls” sounds like a special version of rolls that could be customized to be more festive and delicious than everyday rolls. There is no universal recipe for “Festive Rolls”, however, I can give you a basic recipe and suggest some extra ingredients to make them suitable for a festive occasion.

Ingredients

  • 500g flour (preferably strong flour)
  • 10g salt
  • 25g sugar
  • 15g fresh brewer’s yeast or 5g dry yeast
  • 300ml lukewarm milk
  • 50g butter at room temperature (or extra virgin olive oil if you prefer)
  • Eggs (1 for the dough and 1 for brushing)
  • Sesame or poppy seeds (for decoration) - optional
  • Cured meats, cheeses and other flavorful ingredients for the filling (for example, cooked ham and provola)

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the sugar and salt.
  2. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk and add it to the flour.
  3. Add one egg to the mixture and start kneading.
  4. Incorporate the soft butter (or oil) little by little, working the dough until it becomes elastic and homogeneous.
  5. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it doubles in volume.
  6. After rising, knead briefly again and then divide it into equal portions (depending on the size you want for the rolls).
  7. Shape each portion into a roll and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them for rising.
  8. Let rise again for about 30-60 minutes.
  9. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  10. Beat the remaining egg and gently brush the surface of the rolls.
  11. Sprinkle the rolls with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired.
  12. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
  13. Once baked and cooled, open them and fill with the cured meats and cheeses of your choice.

To make the rolls more festive, you can add some special touches, such as a dough enriched with some spices (for example nutmeg or cinnamon) or the addition of dried fruit (raisins, for example) inside the dough. Furthermore, you can play with the fillings, choosing gourmet or seasonal ingredients to surprise your guests.

Trivia

Home-made rolls are a tradition in many cultures during the holidays, especially because they allow sharing food made with love and can be customized in a thousand different ways to delight young and old alike. For example, in many Italian families it is traditional to prepare rolls or small savory panettone during the Christmas period, enriching them with typical ingredients such as cured meats, cheeses and even truffle.