Caraway Puffs Cottage Cheese Rolls

Caraway Puffs were a favorite of the father of my partner Debra and she has strong memories of both her parents in the kitchen making them. The recipe stayed in a box for many years after they passed away. The first time we made them again she said:

“As soon as the caraway hit the warm cottage cheese, the aroma took me back to being five years old again – being with my parents in the kitchen.“

The aromas of food can trigger profoundly vivid memories. Scents bypass a lot of the brain’s hardware and go straight to the olfactory center, which is directly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus, which deal with emotion and memory. It’s why, all of a sudden, a slight scent can make the distance to a long-ago time and place disappear for a moment – a moment during which the forward motion of time seems to stop and hang in the air. In fact, it’s as though the past exists parallel to the present and can be touched just by reaching out. These moments of time travel themselves can become special memories.

These pillowy-soft muffins feature cottage cheese as a key ingredient. They’re light as a feather and puffy as a cloud. They’re a bit of a cross between a roll and a muffin; they feature both yeast and baking soda for rising. They’re baked in a muffin tin because the mix is more of a batter than a firm dough. They stay moist for days but chances are they won’t last that long.

Yield : 12 Caraway Puffs

Ingredients:

• 114 grams (½ cup) Water, lukewarm
• 4 tsp. (2 pkgs.) Instant Dry Yeast
• 16 oz. (2 cups) Cottage Cheese, small curd
• 50 grams (¼ cup) Sugar
• 2 tsp. Sea Salt
• ½ tsp. Baking Soda
• 2 tbsp. Caraway Seeds
• 2 tbsp. Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 480 grams (4 cups) All-Purpose or Bread Flour
• 2 tbsp. Butter, melted

Directions:

Step 1: Dissolve yeast in ½ cup lukewarm water.

Step 2: In a saucepan, combine 16 oz. cottage cheese, 50 grams sugar, 2 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. baking soda, 2 tbsp. caraway seeds and 2 tbsp. milk. Heat until lukewarm and the sugar is dissolved. Make sure the cottage cheese mixture is not too warm.

Step 3: Transfer the cottage cheese mixture to a bowl. Whisk the eggs. Add the eggs and the yeast to the cottage cheese mixture and stir. Mix in the flour one cup at a time. This should be more of a batter and not a stiff dough. Cover and let rise for about an hour until doubled in size.

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Use non-stick cooking spray or oil to prepare the muffin tins. Spoon dough into the muffin tins, filling each one about ¾ full. Let rise 10-15 minutes.

Step 5: Bake for 15-18 minutes until the muffins are browned. Rotate the tins halfway through the bake to ensure even baking. Brush with melted butter.