Guyanese Tennis Rolls

When I think of tennis rolls I think of Allan's Bakery on nostrand ave in Brooklyn. After all that's where I had my first taste of those sweet buttery rolls. As a little girl my grandparents went every Saturday to buy beef patties, tennis and currants rolls, butter loves, and cake if it was a birthday. From my knowledge tennis rolls are a Guyanese thing and Allan's is a vincentian bakery but recipes get exchanged through inter island migration..I guess that's how Allan's made it their own. Tennis rolls is a very dense bread with a buttery flavor and sweetness from the lemon or orange zest and vanilla that is used. Prior to making this I did not have tennis rolls for a significant amount of years and was really craving some. I decided that making it would be cheaper and more rewarding because being able to make something you previously had to spend money on is a great feeling in my opinion. I did some research around the web and started comparing recipes. I decided to merge and doctor a few recipes I found online, the main recipe is from Guyana Outpost. Here it is:

Tennis Rolls

1 pkg. active dry yeast (I used 1tbsp instant yeast)

¼ cup warm water, 110°F

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk, scalded

2 eggs and 1 egg yolk beaten

1 egg white

1 tsp grated lemon rind or orange rind

2 tsp lemon extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

4½ to 5 cups flour (I used 6 cups)

Preparation

• Soften the yeast in warm water.
• Add butter/shortening, sugar, salt, lemon rind, lemon extract and vanilla extract to the scalded milk. Let cool to lukewarm.
• When cool add yeast, eggs and enough flour to make a batter. Beat well.
• Add more flour, a little at a time, to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until satiny.
• Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double in size.
• Punch down, shape into rolls and let rise again.
• Brush with egg white mixed with water and bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 min. Makes about 10 large rolls.