By Paul Suplee, MBA, CEC, PC-3

It is that time of year again, a time when it is important, if not imperative, to bake breads.

With the chilly weather and rain-sleet-snow mix abound, there is nothing like the smell of bread rising in the kitchen to warm the hearts and minds of people around you.

As Francis Bacon once so famously stated, “Acorns were good, until bread was found.”

Whether it is a simple dinner roll, a 24-hour counter-made bread or a sourdough boule from fresh poolish and starter, there is something wonderfully esoteric about homemade bread.

Unlike meat (which I adore as well) it doesn’t leave the house saturated with that lingering residue of heavy meaty overtones, which are seldom desirable the longer they stick around.

Instead, it is a temporary and delightful aroma that fills the air until the bread is gone; until the last morsel has been used to sop the broth of some mussels or cioppino, or the remaining heel slathered with soft garlic butter and washed down with a crisp pinot noir.

I could wax poetic on the fireplace and its role in this setting, but I think that would be overkill. Suffice it to say, bread has a special place in my heart.

Truth be told, is there anything more disappointing than a menu that reads ‘fresh baguette’ and out comes a from-the-freezer ciabatta? It is heart-breaking; shattering almost.

Perhaps that is a little dramatic, but you catch my drift. If you are like me and going to ‘cheat’ with a piece of bread, it better be well worth the trouble.

As this is the first week in the new semester at school, I start my baking class out by having them make the soft roll you see below. This is from “On Baking,” an amazing book on the subject by Sarah Labensky et al.

It is about the best and most thorough tome you will find on baking, at least at the introductory level.

I throw this at the students for one reason, and one reason alone.

I insist on having them jump right into the one thing that many of them believe that they cannot do: bake. And what they learn is that they can do just that.

In fact, what they learn is that they are much handier in the kitchen than they previously believed. And that is exactly why I have them do it.

It is one of the most satisfying things of being a teacher; watching your students grasp what they can become and what they can do.

Last semester, in a basic cooking class, I had my students make a hot Italian sausage from scratch.

I went through the process of grinding, and then double grinding through an ice-cold set up. Then we added our seasoning, made testers to ensure that the sausage was right where we wanted it to be. And, then we made our sausage. Was it simple?

Yes, it was. Is it easy to mess up? Absolutely, but they didn’t need to know that. They just needed to understand how simple it can be to create a forcemeat, a skill that will last them their entire career and beyond.

The same applies to baking. I can’t say that any of my students aspire to be pastry chefs or bakers. But having that basic knowledge is a tenet that we as chefs and teachers can never take for granted.

It is wonderful to see an underling gain a little confidence in the bakeshop and then watch them blossom from there.

To me, that has been the most satisfying part of my fourteen-year career in education.

These dinner rolls are simple and delicious. Remember, nothing in the kitchen or bakeshop needs to be difficult to taste great.

Just roll with it, pun intended, and expand your skillset in the kitchen. After all, I can’t think of a better time of year to do it.

Soft Dinner Rolls

adapted from On Baking, Lebansky
makes 64 rolls

2 oz. Cake yeast or dry yeast

24 oz. Water between 95-100 degrees F

2.75# Hi-gluten flour

1 oz. Salt, fine ground

4 oz. Granulated sugar

2 oz. Milk powder

2 oz. Shortening

2 oz. Unsalted butter

2 large eggs

Egg wash, as needed

Dissolve the yeast in the water in a bowl.

Combine flour, salt, sugar, milk powder, shortening, butter and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the water/yeast mixture and knead with a hook for ten minutes.

Transfer to an oiled bowl and proof at 100F for about an hour or until it has doubled. You may place a damp towel on top or cover the bowl with plastic wrap. This will keep the dough from forming a skin and drying out.

When the dough has risen, punch the dough down and allow to rest.

Cut into 2 oz. dough balls and roll into whatever shape you like.

Proof again until doubled.

Use an egg or dairy wash of your liking (many recipes online).

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.

—Paul Suplee is a Professor of Culinary Arts at
Wor-Wic Community College and owner of
boxcar40 and boxcar on main.
Visit him at www.boxcar40.com;
www.boxcaronmain.com