Cornmeal Dinner Rolls | A Bread Machine Recipe

The shape of these rolls takes me back to the brown-and-serve rolls my mother-in-law used to serve on holidays. She liked to split them straight out of the oven, just enough to cradle a big hunk of butter (probably margarine now that I think about it). The melty and messy butter made those cheap grocery store rolls memorable…and sinful beyond redemption.

These may look like brown-and-serve rolls, but they aren’t the same. Yes, they are light and fluffy, but they are a bit sturdier than their commercially-made cousins. They also are not like yeasty cornbread. Check out these Cornbread Twists if that’s what you want. The half cup of cornmeal gives these rolls a barely perceptible personality boost with the slightest crunch, most noticeable in the crust. After baking, split these and add butter mother-in-law style if you like. Personally, I think it’s unnecessary when they are fresh out of the oven–it also ruins the rolls as leftovers. As usual, this recipe is designed to make in a bread machine on the dough cycle. You could also mix and knead the dough by hand or use your Kitchen Aid if that’s what you have.

Recipe adapted from One Hundred Years of Bread by Sidney Brockman Carlisle.

• ½ cup boiling water
• ½ cup white cornmeal
• ½ cup milk
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2-1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon bread machine or instant yeast

1. Add cornmeal to boiling water and pour into bread machine pan.
2. Add lukewarm milk, salt, egg, sugar, butter, salt, flour, and yeast to pan in that order.
3. Select dough cycle and press start.
4. After 5-10 minutes, check dough to be sure it is not too wet or too dry–just sticking to the side, then pulling away. If too wet, add 1 tablespoon flour at a time. If too dry, add 1 tablespoon water until dough looks right.
5. When dough cycle has completed and dough has doubled in size, remove dough to floured surfaced.
6. Divide dough into 24 equally-sized portions and roll each one into a ball. Place two balls into each cup of a muffin pan.
7. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place until almost doubled (30-45 minutes). Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
8. Bake rolls for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Related Posts:

• Cornmeal Twists (similar to Pillsbury’s Cornmeal Twists)
• Really Crusty Rolls–A Bread Machine Recipe
• Southern Cornbread