For years I have been trying to make bread rise. In college I spent a whole Easter Break trying recipes with my mom and failing a lot. I’m not sure what sparked the desire to try again today: was it the jet lag kicking in? Or was it the large, quality toaster oven I have? I’m not sure, but it was a success anyhow!
I promise this isn’t going to become a recipe blog, but instead I see it as a way to 1) introduce you to my kitchen here, including my toaster oven; 2) paint a picture of just how stinking-moist-warm it is here; and 3) be creative.
So, first things first, meet Mr. Toaster Oven:
We have house church tonight, and I wanted to make something special, not just pick up a bunch of bananas on the way, so I googled this recipe from Whole Foods {a favorite place to shop, oh how I miss you!}.
Easy Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
1 ¼ cup ww flour
1/8 cup buckwheat (optional)
2 Tbsp sugar (I used palm sugar)
½ tsp salt
1 package yeast (I used an estimated 7 grams of an 11 gram packet)
1 cup warm water (or milk)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 large chicken egg, lightly beaten
1 cup AP flour
Step 1: Mix the ww flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together well. Add water, butter, and egg and blend until smooth. Then add AP flour and mix all together well – no need to knead.
Step 2: I kept the dough in the biggest bowl I have, which is actually a pan, and wrapped a damp cloth over it for one hour. My success I believe came from doing laundry at the same time… I put the covered-dough-in-a-pan under my hanging clothes, plus the naturally humid-moist-Cambodian-air = a combination for a quick rise!
Step 3: Grease or prepare 12 muffin tins – I used individual cupcake liners because I have an itty-bitty toaster oven that no tin or pan can fit in! 
Step 4: Stir the risen dough gently to deflate, and spoon the dough into tins. Let rise again. I repeated the under-the-clothes-rack-&-in-the-moist-air routine again and only had to wait about 10 minutes, but the recipe said an hour. Either way, it should double in size again.
Step 5: Bake at about 200 C (400 F) for 10-20 minutes, taking into consideration the size and quality of your oven/ toaster oven.
Then enjoy of course.
I tried one with the last remains of my gifted-apple-butter, and it was gooood. I’m bringing them over for house church tonight, and I think as an addition to the soup-salad combo planned, they will be delicious.
Great job! It rose and looks fab!