EASYsoft and fluffy one hour rolls

Now that I am over my snit, I am making soft and fluffy rolls today.  They are rising as I write so I hope to get a picture for you because they are so pretty and tasty.  I can do without bread, usually.  I loved my mother's rolls but she never wrote down the recipe, and I was too flighty being young to ask for it or even to write it as she baked.  The picture of these rolls looks like her work but she always made things bigger and better yet always tasting the same...delicious.  Here is the recipe from The Little Red Hen's blog

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast (I used active dry yeast.)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour, more or less as needed
3 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing on top
sea salt or Kosher salt for sprinkling on top

In a large mixing bowl of your stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let it stand for five minutes or until foamy.  Add the butter, salt and 3 cups of flour and mix until combined.  Add additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is only slightly sticky to the touch.  Don't add too much flour!  Knead 3-5 minutes, until smooth.  I used the dough hook to my giant mixer. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 and line a 9x13 pan with parchment or spray with Pam.  Gently punch the dough down and divide into 20 equal sized pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and space evenly in the prepared pan.  Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with the sea or Kosher salt, and let rise for an additional 20 minutes.  Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove and brush with butter.
The Little Red Hen    


I am finding all sorts of goodies on the site of Little Red Hen.  I am trying this one next.  Thank you Little Red Hen.

CREAM CHEESE-SWIRLED CHERRY AND MIXED BERRIES CAKE

A mix of cherries and berries are baked into this soft, tender, and very moist cake. Cream cheese is swirled into the batter, adding tanginess and extra creaminess to the springy and lightly sweetened cake. No mixer is needed for this easy cake batter, which is as simple as making muffins. A mix of fresh or frozen fruit can be used, perfect for using up what's seasonal or what you have on hand.

YIELD: one 8x8 pan, 9 generous squares

 

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

 

COOK TIME: about 52 minutes

 

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon for tossing with berries
3/4 cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon for mixing with cream cheese
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sour cream (thick, full-fat Greek yogurt may be substituted)
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups frozen cherries and berries - blueberries, blackberries, raspberries (don't unthaw, add them to the batter frozen; see below in item 6 about using fresh)
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (light is okay)
confectioners' sugar, optional for dusting or see glaze suggestions below

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, optional salt; set aside.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the next 5 wet ingredients (through vanilla).
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Lumps will be present and this is okay. Don't overmix or try to stir them smooth; set aside.
5. In a small bowl, toss the fruit with 1 tablespoon flour. The flour helps to prevent the fruit from sinking while baking.
6. Gently and briefly fold the fruit into batter. I used a frozen fruit blend with cherries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. If using frozen, add the fruit frozen and do not thaw because frozen fruit runs and bleeds less than if  thawed. If using fresh fruit, baking time will be significantly (possibly drastically) less because the fruit is much warmer and won't chill down the batter overall, nor will it release any where near the water into the batter that frozen fruit does.
7. Turn batter out into prepared pan; set aside.
8. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese with 1 tablespoon sugar until smooth.
9. Dollop the cream cheese mixture haphazardly over the cake batter. With a toothpick, gently and lightly swirl the cream cheese. I don't do much swirling because I like to see bigger, noticeable patches of cream cheese rather than thin streaks in my cake; personal preference.
10. Bake until done. I hesitate to give a baking range because you must watch your cake, not the clock. Bake until center is slightly domed and set, golden and rosy in color, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. I estimate 50 to 55 minutes is a good range if using frozen fruit. At any time your cake is beginning to look a bit too golden brown before you suspect the center will set up, tent it with a sheet of foil laid across the top. I baked for 52 minutes total, and at the 45 minute mark, I tented with foil. Baking times will range dramatically based on if baking with fresh or frozen berries; ranging from 30 to 60 minutes depending on the temperature of the berries going into the batter and how much water they release.
11. Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Optionally, dust with confectioners' sugar or a simple glaze. This vanilla cream cheese glaze, this buttery vanilla glaze, this browned butter glaze, or this lemon glaze are all excellent, quick, and easy options.
12. Cake will keep airtight at room temp. for a few days.

I made my favorite cake yesterday.  I've put the recipe on before, I think it is in the POKE cake posts. (Hawaiian pineapple coconut cake.)