Dinner Rolls

 

I made these for Thanksgiving this year, and when I posted a photo on FB, someone asked me for the recipe. So here it is. One roll is missing because of course someone needed to taste test and make sure that they were acceptable. 

Dinner Rolls

1/2 cup water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

Combine above and heat to lukewarm. The butter doesn't need to melt, but it should be soft. 

Add

1 Tablespoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 egg

1 1/2 cups (roughly) spelt flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Stir well to combine. Add all-purpose flour to make a soft dough and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary.

Form dough into a ball and let rise in a greased bowl until doubled. 

Form into individual rolls. I used three pie plates and made the buns fairly small, but they could be any size preferred.

Cover and let rise again. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Before baking, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter, then sprinkle with coarse salt, sesame seed, or poppy seed. 

Bake for 20 minutes. 

Note: Any combination of whole wheat, all-purpose, or spelt flour could be used, I think. I just added what I did without measuring. 

Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup

 

The delicious flavour of Thai dishes is due to a great balance of sweet, sour, creamy, and salty. Spicy heat often adds another layer of flavour. This soup is hearty enough for a full meal, and comes together quickly. It's easy to adapt the vegetables and meat to whatever you have, but the sweet (brown sugar), sour (lime juice), creamy (coconut milk), and salty (fish sauce) are critical. Plus the Thai red curry paste for a bit of heat. 

This particular recipe is light on the meat, and serves 2-3 people. It's easy to double, and leftovers heat well. 

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks

salt and black pepper to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, diced

1 Tablespoon red curry paste

1 teaspoon freshly minced or grated ginger

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 of 380 ml can of coconut milk (stir before dividing)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 of 250 g package of rice noodles

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

For serving

2 green onions, thinly sliced

fresh parsley

lime juice (about 1 teaspoon per bowl)

Heat oil in large soup pot. Season chicken and add to pot, stirring until golden and just cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add minced garlic and onion, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes, or until onion is tender. 

Stir in grated ginger and red curry paste. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir in chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes to slightly reduce the soup and concentrate the flavours. 

Add the red pepper and simmer another 5 minutes. Stir in the rice noodles, fish sauce, and brown sugar, and cook 3-5 minutes until the noodles are tender. 

Ladle into bowls and top with sliced green onion, fresh parsley, and lime juice to taste.