If I'm Not Bringing in the Dough...

Then I might as well make it. I'm talking about bread dough.

Dough calls for yeast. Eeeek! Yeast is one of those ingredients that turns a normal thing into something highly complicated. It is supposed to bubble and do something very important, so the temperature has to be perfect. Right?

Nope.

At least not yet.

I was researching pizza dough the other day and discovered this one. It was delicious, and one of the best tips was to use very hot water, and then measure out the rest of the ingredients and go to town. The water cools off a good bit by the time you get everything together. It worked! We had very yummy pizza. Now, if I could only get it to brown around the edges properly...

Now for today's adventure of the yeast rolls. I love yeast rolls. If you've ever been to O'Charley's and had the basket o' bread they bring you. Slightly sweet, slightly buttery...and the honey spread. Oh yum. I can eat a basket of them, which is the problem with going. I usually am too full to eat my meal.

But I've always wanted to make them. So today I am trying this recipe: the word "quick" is what caught my eye. The excellent reviews didn't hurt. And one reviewer said she uses her KitchenAid mixer. Awesome. I have one of those. Vintage, baby. My grandmother's, or at least it was my mom's since I can remember being alive. It's a lovely shade of pale yellow. The paddle is starting to corrode. But it works like a champ on everything I've ever put it through. How about first timer yeast rolls?

Verdict? Very easy. Pretty tasty, though I am missing the smooth, fluffy texture I crave from a yeast roll. It's probably the result of my error--not enough kneading or too much. Who knows. What I do know is that they are tasty enough for me, and my bread-loving hubby and son will gobble them up.