Cookin' n Heels

I made it through to the next round! Of course I did because the amount of support I’ve gotten from my family, friends, sorors, and even people I don’t know personally is just breathtaking. Literally- it takes my breath away to see and feel all of this love! I am forever grateful for you all! And I really do love and appreciate each and every one of you for voting, sharing, and even getting your friends and family members to vote! Like, yall really go up for me for real for real 😂

We’re still not done yet! Keep voting daily and sharing with your networks!

As promised, the yeast roll recipe is on the blog. If you decide to make these then please let me know. If you post them, then please tag me @cookin_n_heels on Instagram; @cookin_n_heels on TikTok, and Cookin’ n Heels on Facebook. Serious up tho are yall following me? You better come getchu a piece.

Now that we got that out the way…I know a lot of you have been asking me questions about the competition schedule. “When does it end?’ or “How long is the voting?’ etc. So, I’ve done some research and this is what’s currently going on.

Right now I am in the Top 15 (yay!) for my group. Keep voting so that when the next round of cuts are made this Thursday, July 6 at 10pm EST I will advance to the Top 10!

Voting for the next round will end on July 13th at 10pm EST and afterwards I’ll advance to the Top 5. I can only do this with your help, so please remember to keep voting and sharing!

Then come the group finals… Here is where I will need your help like never before. Only the top competitor from each group will move on the the QUARTERFINALS! This round ends on July 20th at 10pm EST! Here is where it’ll be time to pop it! But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to give plenty of reminders- I told yall to be prepared to be sicka me! 😆

I am so excited for this! I can’t wait to share more of what I’ve been up to with you all! (She’s been cooking!☺️)

PLEASE KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING! VOTE AND SHARE DAILY!

YEAST ROLLS

• 1/2 c warm water
• pinch of sugar
• 2 packages of yeast (get the rapid rise yall)
• 1 c water
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/3 c lard (that’s right, lard) shortening will suffice, or, if you really wanna get fancy use duck fat- you’re welcome!
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 1/2 c all-purpose flour (White Lily!)
• Melted butter to brush the rolls

First: activate the yeast: add the pinch of sugar to the warm water and stir a little to dissolve the sugar. Sprinkle the 2 packages of yeast on top of the water and allow the yeast to activate. It should look foamy after about 5 mins. Then you can whisk the yeast and let it sit an additional 10 mins just to make sure you wake it all up.

Note: If your yeast does not activate, then you will have flat, hard rolls! Try proofing it in the microwave or oven with a glass of boiled water if you find it too drafty in your kitchen.

Meanwhile, in a small pot add the water, lard, sugar and salt over medium heat. You do not want to bring this mixture to a boil, you just want to liquefy the lard. Stir this constantly until the lard is dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the liquid mixture to cool off.

Next you’ll want to combine the egg with the liquid mixture. This can be tricky and if you don’t do this correctly then you’ll end up with scrambled eggs. So, it’s best if you start with an egg that’s room temperature and whisk it in a large bowl. While you are whisking the egg, add a small amount of the warm liquid and whisk some more. Continue to add the liquid in very small increments until it’s all combined and remember to do this slowly so that you don’t cook your egg.

After you have your liquids you can combine your yeast and mix thoroughly. You should be left with a large bowl of liquid that smells like yeasty goodness lol. Here is where you begin to add your flour.

I usually add the sifted flour in 1/2 c increments and combine them with a wire whisk. That’s because I’m old school y’all and I like to do everything by hand. If you’re using a Kitchenaid then still add the flour in parts. If you’re old school like me, and are doing this by hand then you’ll notice that towards the end the mixture becomes harder to whisk; this is where you’ll wanna switch to a rubber spatula and start to fold in the flour.

After all of the flour is combined turn the dough out on a clean, dry floured surface and knead it a little, no more than 10 mins. Spray a large clean bowl with non-stick spray and add the dough ball moving it around to coat the sides. Cover it with a dry kitchen towel an allow it to rise for 2 hours, it should double in size.

Note: if the dough doesn’t rise, you may wanna try the oven or microwave trick that I mentioned earlier to get the yeast to activate.

After 2 hours, punch the dough down and cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least another 2 hours, up to overnight. You can also freeze this dough at this point. It should keep fairly well.

When you’re ready to cook your rolls, roll out your dough on a clean dry floured surface and cut out your rolls. You can do this however you want, but I usually use a glass cuz I’m from the country. A biscuit cutter is fine too.

Then you place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper with space to allow room for them to rise again.

Cover them with a clean kitchen towel and allow them to rise again for 2 more hours- I know, I know but it’ll be worth it, I promise! 😊

Preheat your oven to 450°F and bake these until they start to brown on top, about 10-15 mins. Brush them with butter and you’re done!