posted by Becky 03-05-101 3:05 PM
copycat recipe for Logan's Roadhouse Dinner Rolls
Eatery offers superb dinner rolls. By Diane Howard, Hunt House Syndicate
A 12-hour proof assures the light texture of the dough, which goes into the convection oven for an 8-minute bake as guests are being seated. Timing is crucial, because restaurant chefs are getting as competitive about what's in the breadbasket as they are about what's on the center of the plate. The gist of the rolls is buttery flavor. Logan's dinner rolls, prepared in huge quantities using commercial products, are difficult to duplicate, so taste and texture may vary slightly in this scaled down recipe adapted for home cooks. Still, this recipe is speed-scratch fabulous.
Buttery Dinner Rolls
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4-ounce packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 large egg, slightly beaten
8 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons butter-flavored vegetable shortening
Place 2 cups flour in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast, salt, sugar, and dry milk. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine water and egg and stir to blend. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour water mixture into well. Mix by hand, beating 150 strokes and frequently scraping bottom and sides of bowl.
Add half of the melted butter and beat to incorporate. Add remaining flour, about 1/3 cup at a time, beating to incorporate each addition. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Set dough in a warm, draft-free place such as oven with pan of hottest tap water on rack below. Allow
batter to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Coat cups, bottoms and sides, of a 12-cup muffin pan (or two small round pans) with butter-flavored vegetable shortening. Punch down batter (batter will be extremely soft and sticky). Drop by hand or spoonful into prepared muffin pan cups to make 12 rolls (if in pan, each roll touching the next). Brush dough with half of the remaining melted butter. Let rise, uncovered, in warm, draft-free place until almost doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.
In preheated 400-degree oven, bake rolls on middle rack 16-18 minutes. Brush tops of cooked rolls with remaining melted butter.
Serve immediately. Yields 12 large rolls.
Diane Howard is a columnist for Hunt House Syndicate. America a la Carte welcomes recipe requests. Send the complete address of the restaurant along with your name, address and phone number to: America a la Carte, P.O. Box 5994, Austin, TX 78763-5994, or fax 512-453-2145. Email: amercarte@aol.com.