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Sometimes the best parts of gathering family and friends together for a time of celebration are the sweet memories that are created. That's what we're reveling in right now as we recall the fun party we had this past Saturday, commemorating our youngest granddaughter, Emery Kate's first birthday. Loved ones came from near and far on a bright, warm Spring morning to help celebrate. We had fun decorating our house for the gala occasion, as you'll see in the pictures below, but it was nothing compared to the glorious, festive attire of the Bradford Pear in our front yard. It burst into bloom (as if on command) the morning of the party, echoing our joy and thankfulness for this darling little girl who entered our lives one year ago.
A festive, fun wreath we made from 200 bright colored balloons greeted party-attendees at the front door.
I wanted something fresh and Spring-inspired for the table centerpiece so I sprouted some wheat grass. Little did I know that I was sprouting enough to feed a whole herd of cattle so we had lovely wheat grass decorating the house, here, there and everywhere! Don't be surprised if you see a wheat grass recipe coming up on The Café!
We kept the lunch fairly simple; a fresh salad with ruby grapefruit, avocado, blackberries, red onion and toasted pistachios served with Strawberry-Grapefruit & Sweet Basil Vinaigrette (from last Wednesday's post), two types of quiches and a basket of warm Brioche Rolls w/ Lemon, Thyme & Sea Salt (click on link below for recipe). Everyone seemed to have happy tummies!
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Lemon Thyme Brioche Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water, 105-115˚ F.; if you're not used to working with yeast, use a thermometer
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- zest of 1 medium size lemon, finely zested or chopped
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoon water
- flaky salt, I use Maldon
Instructions
- Warm the mixing bowl of an electric stand mixer by filling it with hot water and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Once the bowl is nice and warm, pour out the water and add the ½ cup hot water and the yeast to the bowl. Stir to combine. Let yeast mixture sit until bubbly and foaming, about 5 minutes, then add ½ cup flour. Stir well to combine and set in a warm place until batter rises up and then begins to fall. This will take anywhere from 40-60 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
- Transfer the bowl to your mixer with dough hook attached. (If you don't have an electric mixer this can be done by hand. Use a strong wooden spoon for mixing.) Add eggs, sugar, salt, fresh thyme and lemon zest and remaining flour. Mix, with the dough hook, starting on low speed until most of the flour is incorporated, then increase speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes.
- Add the soft butter and mix on a medium speed until it's fully incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice during this mixing. Dough will look smooth and shiny. It will still be a bit sticky.
- Cover dough with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (May take a bit longer if you don't have a nice warm area for dough to rise.)
- Spray 18 muffin cups with cooking spray.
- Place the dough on a well-floured work surface. Turn the dough to coat with flour. Cut into 18 equal pieces, (about 2 ounces, or 60g each). Coat each piece with flour and form into smooth round balls. Place dough balls into the prepared muffin tins. Cover pans with clean kitchen towels, place in a warm area, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes.
- During the last 15 minutes of rising time, preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Combine egg and water and whisk vigorously to combine. Brush top of each roll with egg wash. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
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I would love directions for how to make the balloon wreath. It's adorable.
these the most perfect dinner rolls i have ever seen!
Wow - what a wonderful party!
That balloon wreath is GORGEOUS - the decor is delightful - the eats are incredibly mouthwatering! Such sweet memories indeed!
What beautiful photos Chris! I love the one of Emery Kate on her bike. One very happy little lady. Beautiful party for a gorgeous girl!
Thanks Claire, she's a little honey!
Happy birthday to Emery Kate! What a lucky little lady to be surrounded by so much love, adoration and good food, of course! Looks like it was a party to remember. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Chris!
Wow!! Everything is so beautiful!! The place settings are just so adorable! And that cake?! Gorgeous!!! I love the little cup cakes as well! What a beautiful party for a beautiful little girl! 🙂 Such a fun age!
Thanks Cailee, we had fun putting this together 🙂
What a wonderful party! You did beyond good -- what a terrific time you gave everyone! Love the wheat grass -- our kitty would be chomping on that! And the Brioche Rolls look totally delish. Fun, fun post -- thanks.
Thanks John, I had no idea cats loved wheat grass!
Everything looks so gorgeous, and everyone is so happy... This post made me smile, Chris! Your little granddaughter is beautiful!!!! Brioche is one of my all-time fave breads/rolls. These herby and lemony are perfect for Spring for sure!
'thanks Denise, I'm quite the brioche aficionado too!
This is the sweetest post ever! Scott's photography and your style is over the top amazing and gorgeous. Emery is such a beautiful blessing to your family and I am so happy you shared this with us.
I love the decorations, the wheat grass, the desserts, everything. She is such a cutie!
Congratulations and Happy Birthday to Emery! Everything looks so lovely and festive! Love the wreath! All the food looks totally delicious…glad the party was a success!
I can’t believe you all got snow this week and it missed us here in NJ! I’m so ready for spring!
I think we got your snow Kathy! It's not supposed to snow in March in NC! 🙂
Oh, Chris, what a celebration! Everything looks SO lovely! I really need to make those rolls - maybe for Easter. I had to laugh at your wheatgrass everwhere - our Tom Sawyer is obssessed with it - sometimes, I think he's part sheep/part cat! I buy him some every Sunday at the Farmers' Market. If I had it set out around the house, he'd be into all of it!
I got to spend the weekend with Mary Hirsch & we talked about how beautiful your blog is and how we think you'll be the one to make it big! It was so much fun. I hope you & I will meet one day, too!
Susan, that is so funny about your Tom Sawyer, what a personality!! Thank you for your sweet words too, you and Mary are very kind 🙂
I think Anna said it best, 'not a detail overlooked' and I'm sure I know that to be true. You are all perfectionists. 🙂 What a glorious party for a very special little girl. Happy times.
Those rolls look like something I need to make pronto.
Thank you Maureen, I'm not so sure about being a perfectionist, my husband could burst your bubble about that one, at least when it comes to me 🙂
How perfectly bright, cheery and gorgeous!!! Love every detail, but mostly because these details are a reflection of your love and celebration over Emery. What a picture of how our Heavenly Father celebrates over us! Much love and cheers to all, especially miss Emery Kate!!
I love these rolls Chris, I can only imagine how they smelled coming right out of the oven! Your party looks like so much fun!
how fun! and i love your beautiful table settings , that 'green' is really nice and great idea with the whetagrass on ramekins!
Oh my Chris! What a wonderful party - your table decorations, the cake, and the birthday girl! She is so gorgeous and happy. I was thinking about you on Saturday and knew it would all go well. If you ever want to start a third career, party organizer would be a simple step away!
What a fun birthday party! I love your springy table set up...that birthday cake looks fantastic!
Damn Chris you a quite a party planner, this looks AMAZING! I mean the rolls are amazing on their own and somehow you still had time to do all this! WOW!
Chris,
Everything was amazing! The meal was beautiful and delicious. You and Scott are a wonderful team. Emery Kate was fun to watch. What a precious girl! Thanks for hosting this special celebration.
Much love!
Rhonda, it's always wonderful to see your beautiful, smiling face. Please stop and see us any time you're in Raleigh. Thanks for your kind, encouraging words!
The belle of the ball, indeed! Thanks for sharing your lovely photos from this special celebration. Chris. Emery Kate is a doll! She looks like she had loads of fun. Her smile is so sweet! Gorgeous brioche rolls, too. Pinning! P.S. The balloon door wreath is festive and perfect with the "E" initial!
Oh! This little one is quite quite cute:) She looks lovely! And this birthday party looks like a complete success!
Looks like everyone had a a great time Chris! Love the B-Day balloon wreath:@)
It is all so precious. What a beautiful family you have. And the food, just yum.
Thanks Madonna, it was a really fun day! A lot of work but a great way to get the house in ship-shape for spring. I had neglected things for a while and this was good motivation 🙂
Happy Birthday Emery Kate! What an adorable, smiley sweetie! How wonderful that Emery Kate had both sets of grandparents celebrating together. The food looks scrumptious (love the vanilla bean frosting roses) and the decorations are amazing. It never would have occurred to me to sprout wheat grass! And I love that balloon and ribbon wreath!
she is absolutely adorable!! Happy and fun party!! xx
Love this post!
I have sprouted grass too for Easter..and too early..once it starts..wow! had to mow it:) in their vases..
She is so so cute and everything is beautiful..everyone too.
And that photographer of yours,,keep him..he's the best:)
Her expressions are priceless.. a little doll.
Thanks Monique, I love that wheat grass, it just makes everything look so cheerful. Yes, I think I will hold on to my photographer, he's worth his weight in gold - in a zillion ways!!!
Love this so much. The pictures are priceless! Thank you all for everything and for loving our girl so well!
We were thrilled to do this Lindsay, what a joy that funny little girl is! It was so much fun doing it together too!
It was a lovely party with not a detail overlooked! Our tummies were certainly happy 😉 I can't wait to make that salad!!! Yum! Thanks again for having us...that was the best eating we've had since....the last time we ate at your house!! Much love.
Thank you Anna! It was so fun to see you and get a chance to catch up. You have an adorable little family. Thanks so much for helping us celebrate!
I knew I should have driven over for this party! Thanks for including all the sweet pictures of Emery Kate!
She looks like she loved every minute of her party. Can't wait to come visit.
Oh and I could have had those rolls while i was there.
Thanks, Chris, I miss you.
love, geenie
Oh, so sad that you weren't here Geenie. It would have been even more fun with you! Miss you!