Quarantine Day #97 Seafood chowder and Fluffy Dinner Rolls

I made some New England seafood chowder for my kids yesterday. They were very happy that I did.

I tried a new recipe for fluffy dinner rolls to go with it. These are very simple and very good.

Soft and Fluffy One Hour Rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon 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, for sprinkling on top

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let 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 (be careful not to add too much flour!). Knead 3-5 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 and line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Gently punch the dough down and divide into 20 equal-sized pieces (I used a kitchen scale because I'm neurotic, but I'm sure they would work out fine if you just eyeballed it). Roll each piece into a ball and space evenly in the prepared pan. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sea salt, and let rise for an additional 15-20 minutes. Bake 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and brush with butter.

I also made some blackberry jam. I used 2 pints of blackberries, 1 cup of sugar and the juice and zest from 1 lemon.

That's all it takes. Bring it to a boil and then simmer until it thickens.

It will keep in the fridge for a week or so.

I served it with these biscuits.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
¼ cups Warm Water
4 teaspoons Sugar, Divided
2 cups Plus 3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour, And Extra For Dusting Your Work Surface
⅓ cups Cornstarch
2-½ teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
¼ teaspoons Cream Of Tartar
1 teaspoon Salt
⅓ cups Vegetable Oil
¾ cups Whole Milk
2 Tablespoons Butter

Preparation

1. Mix yeast, warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar; rest in small bowl while you compile the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and soda, tartar, salt and remaining sugar.
3. Add oil and milk, then the yeast mixture.
4. Stir to combine. Dough will be shaggy; that’s okay. Cover and let rest 30-40 minutes to rise. (If your house isn’t real warm, put your bowl in a warm water bath with the water halfway up the bowl. Set it in your kitchen sink and cover the top of the bowl with a plate. It’s like your own little proofing area.)
5. Next, dump the risen dough out onto a floured surface (dusted with about 1/4 cup flour). Roll dough around gently; it will pick up some of the flour and get less shaggy. Knead (again, gently) to form a smooth surface and pat out to about 3/4″ thick.
6. Cut out your biscuits and set on a greased sheet or use parchment paper. Melt a couple tablespoons of butter and brush the tops of the biscuits.
7. Now, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and set to rest in a warm area. Turn your oven on 400ºF to preheat for 20 minutes while your biscuits rest. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the tops start to get golden edges. Remove from the oven and brush with butter.