Canadian Buttermilk Honey Rolls

I know... another roll recipe, but how do I know I haven't missed out on a really fabulous one because I'm stuck on my old standbys? :) This one is slightly different from the other buttermilk rolls I posted - equally delicious, but this one doesn't call for eggs and I liked the honey as the sweetener. I've had this recipe kicking around for about 5 years now - it was time to try it! The recipe calls for rolling the dough and cutting it with a biscuit cutter, but I went ahead and shaped them as I normally do. Soft and yummy in less than an hour and a half!


-Book of Bread

2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp coarse salt or 1 tsp table salt
2 Tbsp butter or lard
1/4 tsp baking soda
4-4 1/2 cups white flour, preferably unbleached
Melted butter

Makes 20 large rolls

Heat the buttermilk to lukewarm. Pour 1/3 cup of it into a medium size bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand until the yeast is dissolved and starts to swell.

Meanwhile melt the honey, salt, and butter or lard in the rest of the buttermilk. Add the baking soda and let cool to lukewarm, then mix in with the yeast. Add the flour 1 cup at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until smooth and resilient; the dough should not be sticky, so add a little more flour if necessary. Roll the dough out to 3/4" thickness and with a floured cutter or glass 2 1/2 inches in diameter, cut out circles and place on a greased baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Cover with a porous towel and let rise until double in bulk- about 1 hour.

Brush tops generously with melted butter and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven 20 minutes; the rolls will be golden-topped puffy cushions and should be eaten warm.