Amaranth Sour Dough Dinner Rolls

Winter time is bread baking time.  It warms the home and the heart.  Nothing like the smell of fresh baked rolls and nothing, absolutely nothing like the taste of a warm roll out of the oven with butter and honey.  I love baking.  I love everything about it.   From the mixing the dough to letting it rise and the anticipation of fresh rolls right out of the oven.  The roll that just melts in your mouth.   

Amaranth is a wonderful grain from South America.  It is amazing.  It pops and has the best flavor, especially when added to doughs.   It is packed with perfect protein and fiber.  And wow, it makes the rolls so pretty.   

Adding Potatoes to any bread dough ups the game.  Potatoes make a bread tender and oh so flavorful.  Baking should be fun and enjoyable.  I always say that if your stressing making bread or rolls you are doing something wrong.  Enjoy the experience.  

Amaranth  Potato Sourdough Dinner Rolls

To start: 

In the early morning or the day before, remove the sourdough starter from the refrigerator and place one cup in a large bowl.  Add 2 cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 cups water, place in a warm spot and let set for 8 to 12 hours.

Next:

In your Wondermix bowl and place starter in bowl and add following ingredients adding half the flour and placing the yeast on top of the flour.  Add the feta cheese during the last minute of kneading.

4 cups hot water

2 pressured potatoes, riced 
1.5 cups feta cheese 

4 eggs, whole 

½ cup sugar

½ cup melted butter or oil

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups popped amaranth

3 tablespoons yeast

3  to 6 cups Flour, high gluten white flour

Turn on the mixer and add more flour until the dough just starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remember, remember, the sticker the dough the lighter the roll.  Keep the dough sticky and mix for 6 minutes.   Remove from bowl after six minutes onto a oiled surface.  Form into rolls and place in jelly roll pan and let rise to double.  Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven at 350 degrees.  Meaning, place the raised rolls in a 400 degree oven and drop the temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.  Enjoy 

Variations:

To make whole grain dinner rolls, replace ¾ flour with fresh ground wheat flour, and add remaining  natural white flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  . 

Sour dough can be purchased at www.chefbrad.com