Baking for Thanksgiving

 In an effort to get as much done ahead as possible for this years Thanksgiving, I've started baking.  I'll freeze all of the bread and rolls and cookies.

 I've baked 6 loaves of white bread to use in the stuffing.

 And I am making lots of my mother's potato rolls.

I've made these for years and years.  You can find the recipe by typing potato rolls into my search engine above.

 They are everyone's favorites.

I wanted to duplicate my all time favorite rolls from the Oak Room at The Plaza hotel in NYC.

Ingredients:

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (toasted)

3½ cups (or more) bread flour

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1½ teaspoons quick-rising dry yeast

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ cups whole milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating bowl

1 large egg

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and knead until you have a smooth dough and then add the cranberries, raisins and nuts.  Place it in an oiled bowl, turn it and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until doubled....1-1/2 hours.  Form into balls and place on a parchment covered baking sheet.  Cover and let rise 1 hour. Just before baking, brush with a mixture of 1 egg and 1 tsp. water beaten together.  Bake the rolls at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes to an internal temperature of 190 degrees.  Cool on racks.

I also made several of these rosemary shortbreads.