Florence Fabricant's Wheat and Cornmeal Cheese Rolls

I know you're probably all still quite busy baking more of that No-Knead business and, frankly, I need to make time for more of that myself. But in case there's anyone out there who noted Florence Fabricant's recipe for whole-wheat and cheddar rolls a few weeks ago and wondered how it really is, I'm here to tell you that it's good! Yes, it is! It's super-easy and super-quick, which I realize has become a too-oft repeated phrase around here, but what can I say? I work a lot and tend to hypo-glycemia, hence my preference for quick and easy fixes.

Florence wants you to serve these beautiful little rolls at Thanksgiving, though I personally think that serving bread at Thanksgiving is overkill, and, readers, I could eat bread every day (I often do). My point is, isn't there enough to eat on that day? I'd stipulate that you serve these rolls with homemade tomato soup for a simple weekend meal, perhaps, or a microwaved work-day lunch. That way, they become sort of a glamorous version of the grilled-cheese sandwich, to be dunked in a creamy red pool of soup.

The dough starts off with a milky pot of polenta that's cooled off before getting mixed together with some proofed yeast and syrup (I actually used Lyle's golden instead of maple - thanks, Gemma). Then in went a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, but I didn't have enough, so I added some rye flour. The recipe says that the dough will be soft and sticky. And boy, was it. Make sure you keep your flour handy, because kneading that dough might actually require more than the recipe called for. I think I ended up using one cup of whole-wheat flour, one cup of all-purpose and one and a half cups of rye. The dough rises beautifully, all plumped up and happy with the warm water and sweet syrup and vigorous kneading.

To facilitate rolling and clean-up, I rolled out the risen-and-punched-down bread on my Silpat, sprinkled in with grated cheese (but only about 4 ounces of Cabot's Seriously Sharp) and chopped sage, then used the Silpat to roll the dough in on itself. I sliced the roll carefully, let the rolls rise longer in their buttered pan, then baked them to a warm, toasty brown (my pan was dark metal, which I think made my rolls brown faster, but I think the rye flour darkened these considerably, too). The apartment filled with a sweet and savory smell and even though it was close to bedtime, I found myself standing impatiently next to the oven when the timer went off.

Between me, my roommates, and Ben, we ate six of these rolls within 10 minutes of pulling them out of the oven. They're faintly sweet, but that inner ribbon of pungent cheese and herbal sage gives them a delicious complexity. They were crunchy on the outside, and soft and yielding on the inside. I think they're perfect soup rolls (I need plain, ascetic bread for salads and fork-pushing and plate clean-up), but they need to be eaten right away, or else frozen and reheated. That short shelf-life, in fact, reminds me a bit of these rolls.

Which, incidentally, I never made a second time. With these, however, things will be different, I just know it.

P.S. Only one day left!

Wheat and Cornmeal Cheese Rolls
Makes 12 rolls

1½ cups milk
1/3 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1½ teaspoons salt
1 packet active dry yeast
¼ cup maple syrup
1½ cups whole wheat flour
1½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
6 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, shredded, or 8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
2 teaspoons minced sage leaves

1. Scald milk in a 1-quart saucepan. Stir in cornmeal, mixing constantly, and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, until thickened. Add salt and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

2. Place yeast in a bowl and add ½ cup warm water. When cornmeal is no longer hot, stir in yeast and syrup. Mix in whole wheat flour, then 1 cup all-purpose flour a half cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.

3. Place on a floured surface and knead about 8 minutes, adding most of remaining flour. Dough should be elastic and a bit sticky. Wipe a large bowl with some melted butter, place dough in bowl, turn so buttered side is up, cover loosely and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

4. Punch dough down and roll or stretch on a board to a rectangle 12 by 16 inches. Sprinkle Cheddar on top or spread with goat cheese. Scatter with sage. With long side facing you, roll dough up tightly. Brush edge with water to seal it. Cut roll in four equal sections, and cut each in thirds.

5. Use half the remaining melted butter to grease a baking pan 9 by 13 by 2 inches. Place rolls in pan with a cut side up and brush tops with remaining butter. Let rise 30 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake rolls 10 minutes, lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake about 30 minutes more, until browned. Remove pan from oven and cool 10 minutes. Cut rolls apart and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Comments

[Molly]

Ooooh, those sound wonderful - cheesy and cormeal-y and with a good chew! I'm eating a cup of soup right now that could really use a roll. Wish I could pop by and steal one from your kitchen...

[Julie]

I'm actually thinking these would be great with the ribollita you posted previously, especially since the soup's not thickened with the traditional bread and therefore is probably crying for some to go alongside. Guess I'll just have to try both of these recipes and see -- that is if I can ever tear myself away from my most recent loaf of no-knead bread...

[Leah]

The wind is blowing at approximately 8 bazillion miles per hour today and it's really quite chilly outside (for here, at least) - a bowl of cream of tomato soup and one of these would be perfect for dinner tonight! Wish I could steal one too. Oh and Luisa, if I haven't said it yet, you are a total rock star. You should win ALL the prizes! I know it's killing you to post every day, but I'm enjoying the heck out of it - so much good food, so much good writing, so much good everything! Also, I'm dying because instant yeast is difficult to find in my vicinity (I have one more place to try, and if that's a no go I have to wait until I run errands in LA next week), so I still haven't been able to try No-Knead bread. Please shed a tear for me...

[Lia]

Just when I thought I was done with the bread baking for a little while, I have another recipe to add to my list. I've never attempted any sort of roll before and have always been curious about sweet ones, but maybe I'll go the savory route first?

[Julie]

You're coming down the home stretch! Cue the theme from Rocky. Be sure to get that picture where you press save on the final post and then throw your hands above your head in victory. Better yet, a video of you doing your end zone dance.

Are you glad this is almost over? I'll bet you are. Just wanted you to know though, as a reader it's been a great ride.

Leah is right: you're a total rock star!

Oh, yeah, these cheese rolls look good.

[janelle]

Bring on the carbs! I agree, the bread is much too filling for an already filling THX dinner. Wow, a post a day? Consider your hand shaken (not stirred).

I can almost taste the sage wrapped in fluffy rye and cheese...

[Tanna]

Do I hear the Rocky theme coming up? Yes, I do believe! How ever will you celebrate such and incredible month! These rolls look fabulous with the sage, wouldn't they be great with roast chicken.
Bring it on now!!

[Luisa]

Molly - I'd have one all warm and ready for you!

Julie - actually, with the ribollita, I'd eat a slice of the no-knead bread over these. Something about the peasant soup just screams for peasant bread, you know? These are a little too New World.

Leah - I'd gladly share them with you! Thank you sooo much for the encouragement. You have no idea how much it means to hear it! I almost can't believe the torture is over ;)

Lia - you could make these first (and freeze whatever you and Daniel don't eat right away) and then you can make the Whole Wheat and Honey rolls from Bernard Clayton that I tried a while ago and are absolutely FANTASTIC little sweet rolls. Not too sweet. Just right.

Julie - You're the best. Thank you! And now that you've said it, yes, I've got that Rocky music in my head. What a feeling! I'm glad it's over, but to be honest, I'm almost feeling a little nostalgic about it all. I mean, it couldn't be THAT hard to do this all the time... right? ACK! What am I thinking?!

Janelle - Well, it's true. You can never have toooooo much bread ;)

Tanna - I don't know how I'll celebrate.... I need to come up with something, right?

[ann]

mmmm... warm cheesey sage rolls.... god those sound good! you can do it luisa! just one more day! it's like that last squat thrust that makes you feel oh-so-glad the president's fitness challenge is really, really OVER!