Help me "modernize" this Feather Roll recipe from Fannie Farmer
I'd like some advice on "modernizing" the following recipe. It's for "Feather Rolls" from the 10th edition of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1959). It's good, but not yet very good. I really think it could be, but only after a few changes.
Good: easy of prep; light, lacy crumb.
Bad: Overly yeasty flavor; not enough real flour flavor.
Here's how it appears in the book.
FEATHER ROLLS
These light and delicate rolls are very easy and quick to make and require no kneading or shaping. Try them for a Sunday brunch or supper.
Put in a mixing bowl
1 cup warm milk (not hot)
1 package yeast
Let stand 5 minutes. Stir well. Add
4 T soft butter or oil
2 T sugar
.5 t salt
1 egg
Beat with a rotary egg beater or electric beater until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Add
2 c all-purpose flour
Continue to beat as long as possible, then finish mixing with a spoon. Cover the bowl, set in a warm place, and let rise for about 45 minutes.
Stir down the batter and fill buttered muffin pans a little more than half full. Let rise in a warm place until the pans are full (about 30-45 minutes). Bake 15-20 minutes at 400. Makes 8-12 rolls.
Ideas:
Ingredients: substitute .25 c whole wheat or other more-flavorful flour. Maybe rye. I've occasionally added a third of cup of mashed potatoes, and that worked pretty well. I think mashed sweet potatoes could be very, very good.
Method: Reduce yeast to about half and create a longer rise. Maybe a sponge of half the new amount of yeast, about half the flour, and all the milk, blanketed with remaining flour, with remaining yeast, butter, sugar, salt, and egg added after an overnight fridge rise (a la Rose Levy Beranbaum).
I'm not really concerned about losing the ease of preparation, but I do want to keep the texture and develop a more complex flavor.
Am I on the right track?