Low Sodium Refrigerator Rolls (Crescent Rolls or Clover Leaf Rolls)

This has become a staple at my family's get togethers. My cousin's even won a few ribbons at the fair with it. Very simple, and very adaptable.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of warm water (just hot enough so it feels warm against your wrist)

2 packages of yeast

1/2 cup sugar

2 t of salt (essential to aid in the yeast process)

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg (if you halve the recipe, still use 1 egg)

6-7 cups flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together water and yeast

2. Add sugar, salt, egg, shortening, and 3 cups flour, mix well

3. Add another 3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour and mix until no longer sticky

4. If not making rolls right away (or if you only want to bake part of the batch and store the rest), you can grease the top of the dough, cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for a few days

5. About 2 hrs before baking, shape dough into rolls (see below)

Crescent Rolls:

1. Using about 1/2 of the recipe, roll out the dough into a circle about 1/4" thick.

2. Spread dough with melted butter and sprinkle with flavor of your choice (celery or poppy seeds, garlic powder, or use your imagination)

3. Cut the circle into slices (like a pizza; easiest if you use a pizza cutter); roll into a crescent shape

4. Place on greased baking sheet in a warm place, cover, and allow to raise until double (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours).

5. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown

Cloverleaf Rolls:

1. Roll dough into 1" balls

2. Grease a muffin tin(s), and place 3 balls of dough side by side in each cup

3. Place in a warm place, cover, and allow to raise until double (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours)

4. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown

NUTRIENTS

Serving Size: 1 roll


Calories: 57
Protein: 1.36g
Fat: 0.9g
Carbohydrates: 10.6g
Fiber: .37g
Potassium: 15.6mg
Sodium: 74mg
Cholesterol: 0mg

Low-sodium Baking

Both baking soda and baking powder are made using sodium carbonate, which adds sodium to your diet. For those of use who love baked goods, I have some good news. ENER-G produces a no sodium, no potassium, alternative to both the traditional baking soda and powder which uses calcium carbonate instead. You can get Ener-G baking powder/soda at Healthy Heart Market.

When you use Ener-G baking soda, you need to use about double of the regular baking soda in all of your recipes.

When using Ener-G baking powder, you need to use a little less than double what your recipe calls for and get into the oven a little quicker.

One thing to note, it does change the taste of food a bit. Personally, since Ed's blood pressure is under control, I've decided to just use regular baking soda/powder, and just omit the salt from most recipes.

For instructions on making low-sodium breads, I recommend purchasing a bread machine, and a low-sodium cookbook. The salt in normal bread recipes slows the fermentation of yeast, and so if you remove the salt the yeast also needs to be reduced. Therefore, unless you are feeling very adventurous, I recommend buying a low-sodium cookbook that includes bread recipes since they have already adjusted for the lack of salt