Picture this: a magical garden backyard potluck orchestrated by my girl Chantal. She’s the type to send out spreadsheets detailing each guest’s culinary contribution- leaving no room for mediocrity. Naturally, I couldn’t just show up; I had to bring my A-game. And so, these plantain dinner rolls were born, accompanied by a fiery carrot top chili oil that had been fermenting in my fridge for a couple of days. The result? A resounding success! So here’s to the joy of potlucks, the magic of unexpected culinary creations, and the simple pleasure of sharing good food with even better company.
These rolls are the perfect balance—soft and fluffy inside with a hint of crunchiness outside. The plantain flavor is subtle, so feel free to add more if you want it to shine. But trust me, it’s the chili oil that steals the show.
Serving Size: 6-8 people
Baking Time: 30 min (until golden brown)
Oven Temp: 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Baking Tray: bread tray or whatever you got
Ingredients:
Rolls
1/2 plantain
2 cups Unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Packet of yeast / 2 ¼ teaspoons
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of water
2 tablespoon of Safflower Oil
Carrottop chili oil
1/2 cup Safflower oil
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1/2 cup of chopped carrottops
4 cloves of garlic
1 stem of yellow onion leaf or green onion
1 tablespoon of red chili flakes
1 tablespoon of Kashmiri pepper
1 teaspoon of smoked salt or sea salt
2 dashes of black pepper powder
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Rolls
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Wash, peel, and cut the plantain in half
Add water to a medium pot and boil at medium heat
Warm up 1/4 cup of water (lukewarm)
Pour water in mixing bowl and add yeast
Add a pinch of sugar to mixing bowl with yeast. Stir then cover mixing bowl for 5 minutes
Add all the dry ingredients
Add water and half the oil
Knead mixture together
Take plantain out of pot once fully cooked (fork smoothly goes into it)
Mash plantain up in a bowl and then knead into the dough
Coat bowl with the rest of the oil and let dough sit in it
Cover mixing bowl with kitchen towel for 15 min to let dough rise
Preheat over to 350 degrees
Remove towel off of bowl, add flour to hands and then roll the dough into 8-12 balls. Note: I rolled them regularly but I think the fold and tuck technique gets the rolls to look a little smoother up top.
Let rolls sit in bread pan, covered for another 15 min
Sprinkle cornmeal or flour on base of bread pan (to prevent sticking)
Let bake for 20 min
Take loaf out and brush with oil
Place loaf back in for 10 min or until golden brown
Chili oil
Finely chop up garlic, onion, and carrottop and add into Masson jar
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir/ shake
Let sit in fridge
Serve
Let rolls cool for 15 min
Add oil to a dipping bowl/ cup
Pull rolls apart and dip into oil
Enjoyyyy
