Italian Tomato Rolls... Recipe
I went thrifting yesterday - had a great time and found 3 red wool blazers that, after being washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer, came out so nice and felted that I'm almost beside myself! I now have at least 3 yards of red felted wool...SCORE! (If I had purchased felted wool from a fabric store I would have paid upwards of $18 for just a 12x12-inch piece!...my thrifted blazers were $6 each!) I do have a project in mind for all this wool - but I'm going to keep it under wraps for now...just know that I'm not twiddling my thumbs - or as my Scottish friend might say, I'm beavering away and I'll show you what I'm up to soon. In the meantime, a girl has to eat..and all that red wool had me seeing red...so I made Italian Tomato Rolls...not quite red but a lovely shade just the same.
These are a cinch to make if you have a food processor, if not, you will have to knead the dough a bit but then you can eat an extra roll because of the calories you burned from kneading. After the yeast starts to foam, all of the remaining ingredients are put into the food processor at once and it mixes the dough and does the kneading for you. I love my food processor. Love it.
Oh how I wish we all had a smell button on our keyboards! You just wouldn't believe how wonderfully fragrant these rolls are...made with pizza sauce, they will remind you of a pizza, but they're light and fluffy ...and even better the next day slathered in butter. These are a great accompaniment to any soup or salad...or a pile of red felted wool.
- Italian Tomato Rolls - Adapted from Margaret Peterson, Forest City, IA, Taste of Home Magazine
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water; let stand for 5 minutes. (If using a food processor add the yeast, sugar and water to the food processor bowl.) Let stand for 5 minutes. Add pizza sauce, 1/4 cup butter, egg, salt, basil, 2 cups flour and remaining sugar, beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. (If using a food processor, process until smooth, using the dough blade.) Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. (Add flour to the food processor until the dough forms into a large ball, process for about 20 seconds, until dough is nice and elastic, but not sticky; add a bit more flour if needed.) Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. (Knead only once or twice after removing from the food processor, just enough to form a nice ball.) Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch the dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a 2-inch ball. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until dough doubles, about 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until top is golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Brush with remaining butter. Makes 16 rolls.
"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different." ~ Coco Chanel
One year ago: Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Two years ago: Baked Babyback Ribs With Mario's Kick-ass BBQ Sauce