Herb And Lavender Rolls Recipe

Nothing is better than homemade rolls for Sunday (or any day!) dinner. Lavender and herbs make these rolls extra special.

• Meal Type: Bread
• Ethnicity: American
• Holiday Category: N/A
• Preparation Time: Over 1 hour, less than 1 day

Ingredients

• 6 cups bread flour
• 2 packages (1 1/2 tablespoons) active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
• 1 teaspoon chopped lavender flowers (optional)

Directions

1. Make the dough: In a large bowl or food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine flour, yeast, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, stir buttermilk and baking soda together. Use a wooden spoon to stir the liquid into the flour mixture or, with the processor running, gradually add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients. Process until a soft, supple dough forms or, on a lightly floured surface, knead dough by hand until smooth - about 15 minutes.
3. Form dough into a ball. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in it, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled - about an hour.
4. Form the rolls: Lightly spray two 12-cup muffin tins with vegetable-oil cooking spray and set aside. Punch the dough down and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and pat the dough into two 6-inch squares, cover with a clean towel, and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. In a small bowl, mix the herbes de Provence and the lavender flowers, if using. With a lightly floured rolling pin, shape 1 square of dough into a 12 x 24-inch rectangle. Using a pastry brush, coat the dough with half of the melted butter and sprinkle with 1/2 of the herb mixture. Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the dough along the 24-inch length into six 12-inch-long, 2-inch-wide strips. Stack the 6 strips, butter side up, and cut each into twelve 2-inch square stacks. Pinch one side each of the 12 dough stacks together and place, pinched end first, into a muffin tin. Repeat, using remaining square of dough. Lightly cover with towel and let rise until doubled in bulk -- about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
6. Bake the rolls: Place rolls on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown - 15 to 20 minutes. Remove immediately from the muffin tin and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.
7. Nutrition information per serving: protein 4.7 g; fat 4.4 g; carbohydrate 21.7 g; fiber .84 g; sodium 258 mg; cholesterol 11.2 mg; calories 145