Two weeks ago, my Chief Recipe Taster and I adopted a puppy. Rory is a three-month old Australian cattle dog mix who loves belly rubs and playing fetch. She adores pouncing on toys and getting peanut butter out of Kongs. Oh, and did I mention? She also excels at trying my patience.

I thought I knew what getting a puppy would entail. I was prepared for sleepless nights and extensive “sit” training. I was less prepared for a being who vacillates between puppy-like sweetness and adolescent-like disobedience and sucks up every minute of my time. Overnight, we went from largely deciding for ourselves how to spend our off-work hours to orienting our schedules around Rory. It’s largely been a fun and worthwhile adjustment, but an adjustment nonetheless.

With less time to spend in the kitchen, I find myself turning to that can be patient, like bread. Bread is perfect for this period; after a bit of activity I can let the dough rest, play with our  pup, and return to it later. Unless you flagrantly abuse the dough by not letting it proof long enough or far too much, it is forgiving—a few minutes under or over shouldn’t hurt. This recipe uses both sourdough starter and yeast as leavening agents, so you pretty much can’t fail, while milk, butter, and eggs lend a pillowy texture. The rolls are the perfect accompaniment to fall soups and stews, and would be a welcome addition to your Thanksgiving table, too. They’re a bread that extends you patience while you exercise your own.

Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls with Sage and Browned Butter

Source: I Thought There Would Be Free Food

Makes 16 rolls

Active time: ~60 minutes; total time: ~4 hours

Ingredients:

• 115 grams milk, any percent
• 3 grams active dry yeast
• 40 grams brown sugar
• 60 grams butter
• 15 grams finely minced sage
• 100 grams ripe sourdough starter
• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 145 grams pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 300 grams all-purpose flour
• 150 grams whole-wheat flour
• 10 grams table salt
• 1 egg yolk mixed with a little water, for egg wash (optional)

Directions:

• Warm the milk in the microwave or on the stove until it’s just above room temperature—it should feel warm to the touch, not hot.
• Add the yeast and brown sugar to a large bowl. Add the milk when it is warm, and stir to combine. Let the yeast proof for ~10 minutes.
• While the yeast is proofing, brown the butter. Place the butter in a small skillet and heat over medium-low. Once the butter has melted, increase the heat to medium. Swirl the pan regularly or stir it with a spatula to ensure that the butter browns evenly. Once the butter is studded with little brown bits and smells toasty and delicious, take the skillet off the heat and stir in the sage. Set aside and let cool slightly.
• Once the yeast has proofed, add the sourdough starter, egg yolks, pumpkin puree, and brown butter-sage mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.
• Add the flours and salt to the bowl and mix with your hand or a spatula. Using your hands, work the dough into a mass and then knead until the dough is smooth, ~10 minutes. If needed, add splashes of milk or flour to achieve the right consistency.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until puffy and almost doubled in size. This will likely take at least 90 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
• When the dough has doubled, knock it down gently and turn out onto a lightly floured workspace.
• Divide the dough into 16 pieces. From here, you can roll each piece into a rope at least 18 inches long and form them into knots using these instructions, or simply shape them into balls. Either way, set the formed rolls on a parchment-covered baking sheet, cover loosely with a light towel or plastic wrap, and let rise until puffy, at least 60 minutes.
• Towards the end of the proofing period, position a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat it to 350°F.
• Once the rolls have proofed, gently brush each roll with the egg wash mixture. Bake the rolls for 17-20 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Serve warm.

For someone who has spent the past two months bemoaning the swirling heat vortex that is DC in the summer, you would think I’d have been thrilled to see the food blogosphere explode into a panoply of apple-studded, pumpkin-spiced foods on September 1. But no: now that it’s cool enough you can go outside without instantly breaking into a sweat, I’m ready for summer 2.0.

Thankfully, the produce stands around here agree with me. Sure, apples are starting to take up some real estate, but there are still plenty of peaches and our CSA bag arrives stuffed with zucchini each week. I appreciate zucchini for what it is: the tofu of the vegetable world. It plays well with others ingredients and takes on whatever flavors and characteristics you might want it to. This recipe plays with zucchini on two levels, first liberating it from the cloyingly sweet quick breads you tend to see and then pairing it with an old favorite, feta, as often seen in dishes from around the Mediterranean. The result is a savory muffin that goes well with other late-summer produce like eggplant, red peppers, and tomatoes. They’re good enough to make you want to pause your fall fare and hold onto the last of summer for a bit longer.

Zucchini-Feta Muffins

Source: I Thought There Would Be Free Food

Makes 12 muffins

Active time: ~25 minutes; total time ~55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini, ~10 ounces or 292 grams
• ~4.5 ounces feta
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 scant cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
• Trim the ends off of your zucchini and then grate it using a box grater, large-holed microplane, or food processor. Working with a handful of zucchini at a time and standing over your kitchen sink, squeeze the zucchini in your fists until most of the liquid has run out. Repeat with the remaining handfuls, then set all of the zucchini aside.
• Crumble the feta into small chunks no larger than a pencil eraser. You should have about one cup. Set aside.
• Mix together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
• Whisk together the eggs, milk, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold to combine them. When the ingredients are mostly combined, add the zucchini and feta. Fold them into the batter until they are well distributed.
• Divide the muffin batter evenly amongst the cups. Bake for ~30 minutes, until lightly browned. Enjoy warm or toasted with a pat of butter.