American Recipe:Dinner Butter Rolls

Make Ahead Butter-Rich Rolls Recipe:

Recipe Type: Bread, Rolls
Yields: makes 13 to 16 rolls
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min

Ingredients:
1 cup milk (110 degrees F.)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour*
3 teaspoons instant yeast (I use SAF Instant Active Dry Yeast)
Egg Glaze (see recipe below), optional
* You can also substitute whole wheat flour or rye flour for some of the bread flour.

Preparation:
Lightly grease baking pans, baking sheet, or muffin pans; set aside.

Bread Machines

Bread Machine: Place all ingredient (in order given), except Egg Glaze, in bread pan of your bread machine. Select dough setting and press start. When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly-oiled surface (I use a non-stick cooking spray). Form dough into an oval, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes. NOTE: Check the dough (don't be afraid to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time). If you can't judge your dough by looking, stick your finger in and feel the dough. It should be slightly tacky to the touch.

Stand Mixers

Standup Mixer: In a large bowl or in the bowl of a 5 quart stand mixer, combine all the ingredients in the order given except the Egg Glaze. Using a dough hook, mix everything together until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-oiled surface (I use a nonstick cooking spray), and knead until elastic, approximately 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

Shaping Rolls: After dough has rested, shape the dough as desired (see Types of Rolls below). Shape pieces of dough into balls and place in two greased 8-inch cake pans or large baking pan. The easiest way to get rolls the same size, is to weight the dough:

• For 16 small rolls - weigh dough into 2-ounce pieces.
• For 13 large rolls - weigh dough into 3-ounce pieces.

As you roll the dough balls, keep the rest of the dough balls covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out. After shaping, place the dough balls, evenly spaced, onto the prepared greased pan; let rise using

Makes approximately 13 to 16 rolls (depending on size).

Egg Glaze:
1 egg white, beaten
1 tablespoon water
In a small bowl, combine (whisk together) egg white and water. Just before baking, brush the top of the rolls with the Egg Glaze.

 

---

Options:
Refrigerating Dough:

Place dough into a large well-greased bowl, turning dough to grease top. Cover bowl (with the dough in it) with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 5 days.
When ready to bake, remove dough from the refrigerator and shape into desired type of rolls. (see Shaping Rolls and Types of Rolls below) and place onto prepared baking pan.
Cover the baking pan with the prepared rolls with plastic wrap and let rise in a warn place (85 degrees F.), free from drafts, until double in bulk, approximately 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush rolls with Egg Glaze (see below recipe). Bake 15 to 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown.

Refrigerating or Freezing Unbaked Butter Rolls:

After dough has rested, shape the dough as desired. (see Shaping Rolls and Types of Rolls below).
At this point, the rolls can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight (I've actually made them two days in advance) or frozen for 1 month. Before baking, allow rolls to thaw completely and rise in a warm place if frozen. I have found that I have to take the unbaked frozen rolls out of the freezer 3 to 4 hours before planning to bake. I just put the frozen rolls (container and rolls) on my counter (not in the refrigerator) and let thaw and rise.
You can also freeze shaped dinner rolls on a cookie sheet, and once frozen transfer to a plastic bag. this way you can bake up just the quantity you desire for dinner and not the entire batch.
If refrigerated, they can be either baked upon removing from the refrigerator or let come to a room temperature (I've done both ways). They do a slow rise overnight and it is not necessary to let them come to room temperature before baking.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush rolls with Egg Glaze (see below recipe). Bake 15 to 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown.

Bake Immediately After Making:
After dough has rested, shape the dough as desired (see Shaping Rolls and Types of Rolls below).
Cover rolls and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size (after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan). After rising and before baking, brush rolls with Egg Glaze (see below recipe).

Convection Oven - Preheat convection oven to 350 degrees F. Bake in a convection oven approximately 15 to 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Regular Oven - Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake in a regular oven approximately 20 to 25 minutes in a regular oven or until they are a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes approximately 13 to 16 rolls (depending on size).

NOTE: This recipe is also excellent to use for sandwich or hamburger buns. If using a 1-pound bread machine, cut the recipe in half.