Victorian Luncheon Rolls
I have a recipe from this month's ebook to share with you! This month, we finished out our theme of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series and Victorian picnics. Now we will move onto something new in July! But as one last hurrah, I thought you might enjoy getting one recipe free from our Anne inspired recipes.
Today, I am so excited to share with you my personal favorite recipe from the entire collection... Luncheon Rolls! They are an adapted recipe from, you guessed it, the Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1896). I did make some changes to the formula, so they are not exactly the same, but I thought the name was just too cute to change it. The original recipe also contained lemon, which I did end up making and absolutely hated the flavor, at least for how I intended to use these rolls.
the method:
The rolls themselves are supple, soft, and sweet. They are a traditional yeasted bread, enriched with milk and butter. This gives them an even more defined texture that is super soft.
My favorite part? They are rolled out to about 1/2-inch thick like biscuits and cut out with a biscuit cutter. I have never made a yeasted bread that is cut out like this! Then, they are placed into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and baked close together. I love the shape that this gives the rolls!
The thing that I absolutely love about them is that they are a yeasted bread but are cut out with a biscuit cutter. They bake up kind of like a modern day hamburger bun, and they are incredibly easy to build into a little sandwich! We ate these rolls one night for supper, and my dad made us all chicken sandwiches. They were so good!
There is not a lot of specifically written history about rolls. They have been around for so long and there are so many variations! I do think that these specific rolls are perfect for an Anne themed picnic, as they really do such a fantastic job as a base for a compound butter spread or jam or a tea sandwich. They also pair well with the roast chicken recipe.
I hope that you enjoy this recipe! This is a little freebie from our June ebook, Anne’s Summer Picnic Savories. This book and the dessert book from May pair with the rolls. If you would like to give them a try, you can order them through our online shop or join us on Patreon for $3 per month.
xoxo Kayla
Victorian Luncheon Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 tbsp salted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast and warm water. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes so the yeast can activate. Meanwhile, warm the milk over the stove until it begins to just simmer around the edges. Stir in the sugar and salt to dissolve and let it cool for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture and milk mixture. Whisk in the melted butter and egg. Then, slowly begin to incorporate the flour, mixing with a fork or bread whisk. Continue to add the flour about 1/2 cup at a time until a shaggy dough forms, then knead in the remaining flour with your hands. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough into a lightly greased medium bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Gently deflate the dough and place it onto the countertop. Roll it out to about 1/2-inch thick. With a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out as many rolls as possible, without twisting the biscuit cutter. Then, knead the dough back together and roll it out a second or third time to cut out more rolls.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Place the cut rolls into the pan and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise until nearly doubled, about 40 to 45 minutes.
- Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve the rolls warm or at room temperature!
