I feel like a Keebler Elf

This weekend was a weekend for baking.  It was cold outside and I felt like making some fresh baked rolls.  I have not made home-made bread in at least 20 years.  So, this was an experiment.

When I was growing up, my mother would make a loaf of bread and a pie every day.  Granted, she was a stay at home mom.  But, I still have no idea how she found the time to do that every day.  That is one of my fondest memories from my childhood.  Our house would be filled with the smell of fresh baked bread and it would give me a warm feeling, inside and out.

Sunday morning, I got up and decided to make knotted dinner rolls.  I mixed up the dough, which was surprisingly simple.  Then, it was time to kneed the dough, which was much more of a work out than I remember it being.  The most challenging part was having the patience to let the dough rise thoroughly.  But, I survived that step and formed the dough into little knots, let them rise again and threw them in the oven.  After 10 minutes, my house smelled like fresh baked bread.

I was super excited to pull the rolls out of the oven, slather them with butter, and take a bite.  Sadly, they did not live up to my expectations.  They were okay.  But, not fabulous.  I think my water may have been a bit too warm because the bread didn't double up as much as it should have.  Or, I may have kneaded the dough too long, as the rolls were fibrous, not smooth.  It was disappointing.

But, that just means that I will need to give it another go.  I think I will try another group of rolls, this weekend.  We'll have to see how it goes.