I’m not a fan of Daylight Savings Time arriving in March. For several years now, it has screwed up my internal clock. I mean, for years I’ve been conditioned to expect the change of clocks in April. When it happens in March, I get crazy. I start getting religious occasions and holidays all mixed up.For example, these flaky, golden Cloverleaf Rolls were supposed to be Hot Cross Buns, a traditional Lenten recipe. To make it just a little more confusing, the yeast dough recipe listed in my cookbook is for Parker House Rolls.
Huh?
Perhaps I should start from the beginning. I’ve recently discovered that the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Joy of Cooking is rather a good reference book for classic breads and yeast dough. The recipe for Hot Cross Buns caught my eye. Joy of Cooking has a narrative format. Instead of the ingredients at the top, they’re interspersed throughout the directions. The Hot Cross Buns recipe starts with the directions, “Prepare Dough for Parker House Rolls, Above.” Immediately, I switched to the previous recipe (apparently Parker House Rolls are a good foundation recipe for lots of different breads). I’m cruising along, ready for the first rise, when I realize – as Bugs Bunny used to say – I should have taken a right at Albuquerque. I missed the point when I should have jumped back to the Hot Cross Buns recipe. The citron, the raisins, and the cinnamon and extra sugar are sitting on the counter untouched. Too late to retrace my steps and correct the mistake. As we often say, particularly in Lent, the Devil is in the details.
Fortunately, I was at just the right point to complete the recipe for Cloverleaf Rolls. (Are you dizzy yet?) All I needed to do was roll the dough into these little balls and pop them into muffin tins and bake.
With that quick save, I follow the Cloverleaf Rolls recipe to its conclusion, the house smells like warm yeast rolls, and the rolls break into lovely segments that catch the melting butter. It’s the perfect treat for St. Patrick’s Day, and would actually be a nice accompaniment for Corned Beef and Cabbage.
My Lenten penance for my carelessness will be to commit the recipe for Hot Cross Buns to memory and try again next weekend. ©2011 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved
