NOT Your Ordinary Breakfast Roll

by Amazon al Dente at 11:17 PM PDT, July 1, 2009

Popovers have made the move from the breakfast nook to the dining table, so it's no surprise then that traditional breakfast rolls are eyeing similar opportunities.

A recent lunch at Bourbon Steak, Michael Mina's steakhouse at the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C., began with what looked like a buttery cinnamon bun, but was in fact a glorious breakfast roll made with black truffle butter. Pure decadence.

If you love to bake and entertain, this recipe will no doubt surprise and delight your guests. In true baker's fashion, it is written in grams for accuracy. If you don't already have a kitchen food scale, inexpensive versions are easy to find.

Truffle Butter Rolls

Ingredients:
1628 grams bread flour
1136 grams whole milk
16 grams instant yeast (not active dry yeast)
36 grams fine sea salt
196 grams unsalted butter, softened
36 grams brown rice syrup or honey
Truffle butter

Directions:
1. Combine the flour and the milk in a mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix for about 1 minute, just until the dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

2. Remove the plastic wrap and add the yeast. Mix on medium speed until the yeast s absorbed, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the salt and continue to mix on medium speed for several minutes until gluten is well developed and 'window panes' is achieved.

4. Add the butter and brown rice syrup and mix until all of the butter is incorporated and the dough is homogeneous and smooth.

5. Place the dough in a plastic container lightly sprayed with canola oil spray and cover with a lid. Move to the refrigerator and allow the dough to retard proof overnight.

6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature - about 30 minutes.

7. Uncover the dough and gently remove from the container onto a work surface.

8. Roll dough down to 1/8" thickness and cover with fine layer of truffle butter.

9. Roll up dough like a cinnamon bun and cut into 1-1/4 inch slices.

10. Arrange into truffled butter cast iron pan giving enough room for bread to double in size.

11. Proof in a warm moist place until doubled in size.

12. Bake in a hot oven 400 degrees F until bottom of buns are golden brown. Slather on more truffle butter and serve.

--Tracy Schneider