Squash Dinner Rolls

There is something about baking bread that is so relaxing and centering for the soul. In this time of a global pandemic, we need to find those activities that help us to relax and center. The activities will be different for each one of us. For me, baking bread is one of my happy places.

It requires time and space and push and pull and rest and rise. The "push and pull" involved in kneading warm dough is just what the doctor ordered, to let go of all else, and focus on this dough that is shaped and warmed and coaxed to rise.

The squash is a great flavor addition to the dough and lends a beautiful, rich golden color to the rolls. I like to make quite sure my yeast is going to activate well, so I grab my candy thermometer to check the heat of the milk/butter/squash mixture, before pouring it into the dry ingredients which holds the yeast. About 125 degrees does the trick. After a concentrated five minute kneading session, plop, and the dough is in the greased bowl. I cover it with a dish towel and tuck it in the oven on the lowest heat, to help it rise. Gone are the days when my kids were little, in a log cabin where I can tuck the rising dough next to the woodstove...no woodstove in this parsonage.

Time passes and I punch down the dough, pull it apart (wonderful elastic dough!), and fold the dough into balls to place into the greased cake pan. Cover with a dish towel and back in the warm oven to rise again. So fascinating, to see the dough rise and fill the space in the pan. Yeast is that magic element that never ceases to amaze me. After the second rising, the rolls bake for a mere fifteen minutes, then I bathe the tops of the rolls with butter and set them to cool. So, so good! Why on earth did I make such a small batch? These will disappear before we know it! Ah, bread. So relaxing and centering to make. So enjoyable to eat and to share. I will surely enjoy making this recipe many times over.



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