One Christmas I was asked to bring rolls to a church dinner. I had made bread before so I figured rolls would be no big deal and waited until the last minute to make them. Oh, My, Gosh! To say “what a disappointment” would be an understatement. My yeast was old, it was a cold day and my dough wouldn’t rise! I finally baked them anyway and I can attest to the fact that they were the saddest rolls at the dinner. So, I decided to learn how to make rolls. After bread making classes, watching videos and advice from Chef Brad on Cooking with Grains, I have learned a few things.
First, it’s important to have good, active yeast. This is what is responsible for making your dough rise and gives it it’s light, airiness. In order to activate your yeast you need a sugar and warm water. For my rolls I combine 1/4 cup of white granulated sugar with 2 level tablespoons of yeast and 2 cups of warm water. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast, so be careful. Let this stand until it becomes all foamy. Then you know your yeast is good.
To this mixture I add 1/4 cup of honey, 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons of lecithin (a dough softener and enhancer), and 5 level cups of flour. Sometimes I use bread flour, but regular flour works well.
Combine all ingredients and knead in the mixer for about 5 minutes. Your know that when the dough mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl that you have enough flour.
Don’t add too much flour. The last cup or so I add slowly to make sure that I achieve the texture that I want. The second thing I learned was from watching Chef Brad on TV. He said, “the stickier the dough, the lighter the roll”. Words to bake by! When it is done kneading, my dough is a bit tacky, will stick to my fingers, is soft and looks like this:
I throw a dish towel over the bowl and let the dough rise for 15-20 minutes depending on how warm my kitchen is. In the summer 15 minutes is long enough, in the winter 20 minutes works. I then knock it down and let it knead for another 5 minutes. The dough is now ready to form rolls. The third thing I learned is a method to form rolls that are fairly uniform, have smooth tops, and look pretty. I apologize that I can not remember the website where I learned this technique, but I have used it successfully over the years. Watch my quick video to learn the technique.
Once my pan is full of rolls, I again cover and allow to them rise once more usually for about 20 – 30 minutes. When they look like this, they are ready for the oven. They will rise a little more during the baking process. If you want your rolls larger, just make your dough balls larger.
I bake them at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Brush the tops with melted butter and enjoy!
RollsCombine:
2 level tablespoons yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups warm water
Activate yeast. Then add:
1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons lecithin
5 cups flour
Combine all ingredients and knead 5 minutes.Cover and let dough rise 20 minutes. Knock down and knead another 5 minutes. Form dough into balls a little bigger than a golf ball and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise another 20 – 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes. Baste tops with melted butter. Enjoy!
Makes approximately 20 – 24 rolls