Food blogging can be a real challenge for somebody who cooks for one. A full recipe of almost everything is too much and even cutting some of my favorites in half produces more food that I can possibly consume. It was easy when my kids were young and had healthy appetites. Leftovers made great school lunches and after school snacks and cooking and baking were a part of everyday life. I wish I had blogged back then when there was always something going on in my kitchen. But we still have our holidays and special occasions when I bring out the big guns and cook all of our favorites. In the meantime…I found this wonderful recipe for BUTTERY BUNS at La Table de Nana, and Monique’s description of them as “soft and pillowy” got my attention. Her recipes are always so good and I know if she is enthusiastic about sometime I will most probably like it too. I was a little skeptical that the small amount of dough the recipe produced would actually make six good sized dinner/sandwich rolls but, as you can see, it did. I served them with soup the first night, made sandwiches the next day, and served the last two with butter and jam for breakfast. If you don’t need to make enough rolls to feed an army this is THE recipe to try.
Monique made her dough in a bread machine and you can find her directions HERE.
I don’t have one so adapted it to my electric mixer and it went together in minutes.
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups (6-3/4 ounces) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Egg wash – 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (optional)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- Combine yeast, sugar and warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir until combined. Add butter, flour and salt and mix with a dough hook until combined. Knead for 7-8 minutes.
- Place dough in a buttered bowl, cover lightly and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
- Divide dough into 6 equal portions, approximately 2.5 ounces each, form into balls and place in a cast iron skillet or buttered cake pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees until nicely browned, about 25 minutes.
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{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Those look and sound wonderful!!! They would have been perfect for my peppered beef today. Darn!!
Hope you are well!
xo Kris
This looks like the perfect size for me too!
Oh these sound very good.
MMM! These rolls look so delectable, tasty & fab!
I can’t wait to make these tasty beauties!
They are gorgeous Cathy:) We had them also 2 days later w/ Pulled pork..we nuked them for a few seconds..back to like fresh baked..Oh our buns look like twins in their cast iron pans:) Thank you for liking them like we do:)
Glad to know they work as well w/out the breadmaker as many many don’t have one..or the need:).
I am making more..because we made way too much pulled pork:)
Monique recently posted..You’ve Got Mail~
I have three recipes, on my blog, with skillet rolls. Why have I never thought to make big ones, like these? Your buns are beautiful– and I’m not talking about your backside.
Foodiewife recently posted..Frito Chili Pie
Oh, my these look yummy! I, too, cannot seem to cook for one. A lot of things I make I share with my kids so they appreciate it. These would be perfect one or even two. Thanks so much for sharing!
xo
Pat
Pat recently posted..~ Lemon Pound Cake ~
The perfect amount for a luncheon with a few girlfriends!
Marigene recently posted..Simple, Simple, Simple
I have this recipe bookmarked and look forward to making it. I also cook for one.
bellini recently posted..Mexican Cemita Sliders for Any Day
I enjoyed Monique’s post on these buns. I don’t have a bread machine so I’m happy to see that you adapted the recipe easily to your electric mixer.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted..Jamaican Jerk Fish With Mango Sauce And Green Rice
Yours look as beautiful as Moniques. I saw that and thought it was wonderful too. We are struggling just to cook for 2. Most of my blogging takes place on Sunday dinner when I am cooking for more. Of course, on a regular basis we eat so much simpler than we used to – age and weight and everything!! I am going to have to try this.
Jacqueline recently posted..Caramel Toffee Dip Using Heath Toffee Bits
They look beautiful Cathy! I’ve bookmarked them for Sunday Dinner:@)
Oh Boy…I’m putting these on this week’s menu, for sure! They look & sound delicious & the fact that it makes a small batch is very appealing.
Thanks for sharing how you made them, Cathy! I have a bread machine & will head on over to Monique’s blog shortly, but I shall send a link to your site to my sisters, who don’t own bread machines.
Warm hugs,
Rett
Rettabug recently posted..♥♥ Valentine Cozy ♥♥
They look so soft!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Red Lentil Stew with Tofu
They look very good Cathy and I can imagine them as a pork BBQ sandwich.
Larry recently posted..Bison Sausage & Cheese Steak Sandwiches
oh my goodness, these look incredible!
teresa recently posted..Mushroom, Corn and Poblano Tacos
I could eat all of that whole small batch!
Since most of the time it is only my husband and myself at the table, this will be the perfect recipe size fro me, cathy! They look like beautiful buns and good in so many different ways!
Pat recently posted..Coyote Song Trail
I don’t know why I’m afraid of yeast! This just may be the recipe I try to tackle, they look fantastic, soft and pillowy!
Marie recently posted..Roasted Veggie Overload!
These rolls look so perfect and delicious. This amount of rolls would be perfect for a family dinner for me, but they definitely would be gone in an instant:)
Raina recently posted..Chili
What a beautiful looking pan of rolls. There is nothing more rewarding than pulling something like this out of the oven. I’ll have to bake these for my husband’s birthday dinner in a few days. He’ll love them.
Karen Harris recently posted..Something From Nothing #9: French Vinaigrette and That Bright Orange Stuff You Ate as a Kid
These look so tempting! This yields the perfect amount for our dinner….I, too, was intrigued by the “soft and pillowy” description. Bet your house smells wonderful!
Kate recently posted..Mexican Pork Tenderloin with Smoky, Spicy Peach Salsa
I must try these! They look perfect and I’ll bet baking them in a cast iron skillet makes them just that much better.
These looks so good and I love that its a small batch. It’s so helpful for people that don’t need a large quantity and don’t have a big freezer for extras.
Kitty recently posted..Palmiers
I love this small batch of rolls! It has been really hard for me to cut back the amount I cook of anything, because I am so used to cooking for a bunch of hungry kids. Now that the house is emptier, I still end up making way too much food that I really don’t need to eat by myself. These pillowy rolls sound perfect.
Betty @ scrambled henfruit recently posted..Lego Cookies for a Special Birthday!
They look perfect, Cathy! I tried them also right after Monique posted the recipe but mine didn’t turn out
I used a partial envelope of yeast that I had stored in the pantry and I think it was too old. Lesson learned!
Susan recently posted..Gingerbread Hearts
I hope you will try again, Susan. I think this is a wonderful recipe and know I will make it often. I store my yeast in the fridge and haven’t had a bad experience in a long time.
Cathy recently posted..Nana’s Small Batch Buttery Buns
Your pictures are so good I swear I can smell the buns. I know all about the trials of dining solo
Rhonda recently posted..Lentil Sloppy Joes
These rolls look absolutely delightful! I wonder too, as my last child is a teenager what it is going to be like cooking in an empty nest…Certainly, my weeknight cooking will be less crazy and my weekend cooking, well let’s hope the family wants to come eat it-
Take care.
Velva
Velva recently posted..Sunday Supper: Chicken Cacciatore
I have such a weakness for fresh bakes bread and rolls, my mouth is watering. They are gorgeous!
Marilyn recently posted..Magical Signs of Spring
These look just like they came from a bakery, a fine bakery! I have 5 siblings so I grew up learning to cook BIG! I’m not sure I would know what to do with a small batch recipe!
The Café Sucré Farine recently posted..Roasted Carrot & Coriander Soup w/ Toasted Pine Nut & Fresh Herb Gremolata
Thanks for giving the weight. My baking improved so much once I bought a scale.
Love that these are done in cast iron! I wonder how whole wheat would fare? With a little vital gluten?
I was given a bread making machine recently and this looks like a perfect bread to test it out. Looks delicious!
Jeannie recently posted..Guilin, China ~ company trip