Experimental Foods, #45456

No, we never can eat anything normal.

A week ago, everyone was creating variations on Cross Buns, the ubiquitous one-a-penny English rolls from the little piano lesson song. (We can only assume people were eating them hot.) T., having read the BBC explanation of why cross buns were a symbolic Easter thing decided she wanted to go a different direction with her rolls. After all, Jen was making Sweet Potato Rolls that looked pretty good. We were inspired.

You might think that carrot rolls are… odd, but really, a yeast-raised bread can support just about anything, and carrots are sweet. If you can manage to eat zucchini bread and carrot cake, you can certainly manage these rolls, which have only a teaspoon of added sugar, and a touch of natural sweetness.

Carrot Cranberry Rolls

• 8 large carrots
• 1 1/2C warm water, between 100°-110°
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. yeast
• /1/2 tsp. salt, freshly ground cinnamon and allspice, and powdered ginger
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 6 c. Whole Wheat flour plus 2 C WW White flour
• 1/4 C dried cranberries (next time I’ll add more)

1. First cook and mash your carrots. You can steam them in an inch or two of water to do this. We left the peels on.
2. Next, combine the yeast and warm water in a large bowl. Add the sugar to give the yeast a little something to eat. When the yeast is bubbly, gradually add 6 cups of flour, to form a sticky dough
3. Add salt and seasonings — all other ingredients EXCEPT for the cranberries.
4. Lightly oil the bowl where your doughball is resting, cover with plastic wrap, and let your dough rise in a draft-free place until it doubles in size. Depending on the warmth of the kitchen, this should take an hour or a bit less.



5. Now oil your pan!
6. Punch down your dough, and add your cranberries. You’ve waited this long so that they don’t suck up too much moisture. Turn your doughball out on a floured surface, and knead it thoroughly, adding flour until it will take no more. This is a very soft dough, but the kneading should take no more than about twenty minutes.
7. Let the dough rest for ten minutes to allow the gluten to relax. Then divide the dough in half, then each half into six equal portions. Form your portions into rolls, and lay into your lightly oiled pan.
8. Allow your rolls to rise until more than doubled in size.
9. Bake the rolls until they reach an internal temperature of 190°F/87°C and are golden brown, or about thirty-five minutes.

The rolls aren’t actually sweet, but they are reminiscent of a good raisin bread in that they can be used with savory spreads and fillings, but also equally lend themselves to a bit of margarine and a tart plum preserve. If you were looking for something a bit sweeter, 1/4 C of sugar might make them more of a breakfast/dessert bread, and you could always roll the dough with the brown sugar, spices and cranberries inside.

We plan on using more cinnamon and allspice next time we make these, as the spices really compliment the very mild carroty flavor.

Hope you’re experimenting with foods in your neck of the woods, and that you had a good Pesach or Easter, if you celebrated.