Down East Light Rolls

5/13/17 Light Rolls
Down East Carteret County cooks have been making daily yeast rolls for generations. These rolls are called light rolls or lightning rolls. Usually, in the Southern US, biscuits have been the kitchen staple daily bread. Not so Down East.

Older recipes used lard as the fat ingredient, but this has now been replaced with Crisco. Lard, like cholesterol, became a bad boy in the nutrition world and disappeared from grocery store shelves. Lard is once again available in Beaufort at the Piggly Wiggly.  It has long been off the market, but seems to be making a come back. A disadvantage can be a minor pork flavor if too much lard is in a recipe.

Water for the liquid ingredient and 1/4 cup of sugar per 6 cups flour, join salt and active dry yeast in these rolls. Gold Medal plain flour is actually mentioned by name in many recipes.

These cooks used longer rising times by setting out the dough overnight in the oven or most of the day in the oven.

Particularly noted as a quality outcome is a blistered top.

Variations in Down East Rolls:

• Rolls may be placed as to brown all over or touching each other depending on cook's preference.
• An interesting addition is sweet potato for additional color and flavor.
• Down East cooks refer to sizes of the recipe as either a 6 cup recipe or 5# recipe referring to flour amount.

This is the recipe I used today. A double yolked egg was added as part of the liquid. My friend Sam Brake brought these to me from a research station near Asheville, NC. It is a good use for an egg to be included in bread. The egg adds binding quality for structure, color, nutrition, and richness.

Down East Light Rolls

2 1/2# Golf Medal Flour

2 T Kosher Salt

1/2 c Sugar

1/2 c Crisco

2 c Water

1/2 c Eggs

1 T Active Dry Yeast

Mix yeast and warm water (105 to 110 degrees). Set aside for 5 minutes

Mix flour, salt, and sugar in mixer. Blend. Add shortening and process until shortening is taken in. Add water, yeast, and eggs. Mix on 1st speed for 2 minutes. Knead in mixer on #2 for five to seven minutes until smooth and elastic in texture. 

Round dough and place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place, free of drafts, until doubled in size. Punch down. Scale rolls at 2 oz of dough. Pan and let rise again until doubled in size. Bake in a 400 degree oven until golden brown. Yield: 24 rolls.

Adapted from Light Roll recipes from the Harkers Island Cookbook

In this attempt, the rolls would be a more golden brown rather than dark brown with a shorter baking time. However, the flavor was excellent with tender centers. The eggs added color and a depth of flavor.