Edna Lewis Cloverleaf Potato Rolls Recipes

Steps:

• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and sauté until golden and tender, about 12 minutes. Add caraway seeds and stir 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
• Pierce potato in several places with fork. Place in microwave oven; cook on high 5 minutes. Turn potato over; cook on high until very tender, about 4 minutes longer. Cool slightly. Peel potato. Place potato in small bowl and mash until very smooth. Transfer 1/2 cup mashed potato to large bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment (reserve remainder for another use).
• Place 1/2 cup warm water in glass measuring cup. Sprinkle yeast and 1/4 teaspoon sugar over and stir to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves and mixture is slightly foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Add salt and remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1/3 sugar to mashed potato in mixer bowl. Beat until smooth. Add remaining 1/4 cup warm water and 2 eggs and beat until well blended. Pour in yeast mixture and mix until blended. Stir in onion mixture. Mix in 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time. Beat until dough is smooth but slightly sticky, about 4 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is sticky, about 5 minutes. Butter large bowl. Form dough into ball and add to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. Punch down dough. Turn dough out onto floured work surface and knead 2 minutes. Divide dough into 16 equal portions. Divide dough into 16 equal portions. Divide each portion into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece firmly into smooth ball. For each roll, place 3 balls close together on baking sheet (balls should touch at center), forming 8 cloverleaf rolls on each baking sheet and spacing evenly. Cover rolls with clean kitchen towels. Let rolls rise in warm draft-free area until puffy and almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Brush rolls with egg glaze. Bake until rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, switching top and bottom baking sheets halfway through baking, about 20 minutes. Transfer rolls to racks and cool. Serve rolls warm or at room temperature. (Rolls can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead. Wrap rolls tightly in aluminum foil and freeze. If desired, re-warm thawed wrapped rolls in 350°F oven about 10 minutes.)

Steps:

• 1. In a medium saucepan, cover the potato with the water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potato is just beginning to fall apart, about 15 minutes. Drain the potato, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Pass the potato through a ricer into a large bowl. Add the reserved potato water and let cool slightly. Stir in 6 T of the flour, the sugar and the yeast. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let stand overnight in a draft-free place. 2. Uncover the starter; it should be foamy and have a slightly fermented aroma. Add the milk, eggs and 2 1/2 cups of the flour and stir until incorporated. Stir in 1 T of the butter, 2 T of the lard and the salt. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir vigorously to form a silky, slightly soft dough that pulls away from the bowl as you stir, about 8 minutes. 3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. 4. Gently deflate the dough by turning it in the bowl several times. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise again until doubled, about 40 minutes. 5. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 6 T of melted butter and 2 T of melted lard. Punch down the dough and divide it into 5 equal pieces. Cut 1 piece of dough into 18 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball; dip the balls in the melted butter and lard and place 3 balls in each cup of a muffin pan. Continue to form the rolls, working with 1 large piece of dough at a time. Brush the tops of the rolls with the butter and lard and set aside in a draft-free spot until risen just beyond the rims of the muffin cups, about 1 1/2 hours. 6. Preheat the oven to 425°. Bake the rolls in the lower and middle thirds of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the rolls from the oven and brush liberally with the butter and lard. Return the rolls to the oven and bake for 5 to 6 min longer, or until golden all over.