DOUGH
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) milk
1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour
1/4 cup (1 1/8 ounces) Lora Brody Dough Relaxer™ (optional, but helpful)
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter
2 teaspoons salt (use 1 3/4 teaspoons if you're using salted butter)
1/4 cup (1 7/8 ounces) sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour OR 4 1/4 cups (18 ounces) Mellow Pastry Blend
TOPPING
6 tablespoons butter, melted

MANUAL/MIXER METHOD: Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to form a cohesive mass. Knead the dough, by hand (on a lightly oiled work surface) or machine, for 5 to 8 minutes, until it's smooth and supple. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, or until it's puffy. Don't worry about it doubling in bulk, because it probably won't.

BREAD MACHINE METHOD: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer, program the machine for manual or dough, and press Start. About 7 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, check the dough's consistency; it should have formed a smooth ball. Adjust its consistency with additional flour or water, as necessary. Allow the machine to complete its cycle.

SHAPING: Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. Divide it in half, and roll each half into a 14-inch circle. Brush each circle with about 1 tablespoon melted butter. Cut each circle into 12 pie-shaped wedges. Starting with an outer edge, roll each piece up towards its point; pinch the point to the bottom of the roll to seal it. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, with the points tucked underneath. Cover them with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow them to rise for about 90 minutes, or until they're puffy (though they won't be doubled in bulk).

BAKING: Brush the rolls with about 2 tablespoons melted butter. Bake them in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're a light, golden brown. Don't let them get deep brown, as they'll dry out and become tough; these rolls are designed to be soft and a bit squishy. Remove the rolls from the oven, and brush them with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

Note: For cheese rolls, brush the rolled-out dough with butter, then sprinkle it with the cheese (or cheese powder) of your choice. Cut, roll and bake as directed above.
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A NOTE FROM PJ: "I hesitate to call these crescent rolls, since I seldom take the final step of curving them into crescents, preferring to leave them just plain log-shaped; seems whenever I make them into crescents, they just bend themselves back again, anyway. But if you want to make real crescent rolls, follow the directions below, bending them into crescents after they've been rolled up. A word of advice: If you make a total of 16 rolls rather than 24, each will be larger and more likely to hold its crescent shape."

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Copyright © 2004 Carol Stevens, Shaboom's Kitchen, All Rights Reserved