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Dinner Rolls
This is a sticky, soft dough so expect your hands to get messy as you knead. Resist adding too much flour while kneading—it’ll make the rolls tough. Space the rolled dough on the baking sheets close enough so they “rub shoulders” with their neighbors as they rise. This will help keep the sides of the rolls soft.
Makes: 35-45 Rolls (2 ½-3”)
Total Time: About 3 ½ hours
PROOF:
2 packages active dry yeast (4 ½ tsp)
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
Pinch of sugar
WHISK TOGETHER; ADD YEAST MIXTURE TO:
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup sugar
½ cup canola or corn oil
2 T. table salt
STIR IN; ADD, KNEAD, AND LET RISE:
6-7 cups all-purpose flour
Proof yeast with sugar in water for 5-10 minutes, or until it “blooms” or swells.
Whisk eggs, sugar, oil and salt together in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture; whisk to combine.
Stir 3 cups of flour into the egg mixture using a wooden spoon. Add more flour, ½ cup at a time; you may not need it all. When dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead by hand.
Knead until dough is smooth but still soft, adding flour a little at a time if it is too sticky. Place dough in a bowl coated with nonstick spray. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1-1/2 hours.
Punch down dough and gather into a ball. With floured hands, shape pieces of dough into balls. (For dinner rolls, make them a bit larger than a golf ball. For cocktail buns, shape them into ping-pong ball size. Hamburger buns should be slightly smaller than a baseball.) Arrange on greased baking sheets about 1/2” apart. Cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake rolls 25-30 minutes, or until golden, then top as desired. Cool slightly before serving—if you can wait that long!
Topping it off:
Immediately after baking, brush the rolls with melted butter, then sprinkle with a topping. Choose one or several for variety.
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Toasted Fennel, Sesame, or Caraway Seeds
Poppy Seeds
Equal Parts Dried Dill, Sugar, and Kosher Salt
Cinnamon-Sugar
Tammy