The Best Rolls You Will Ever Eat

by Elizabeth on November 9, 2011 · 11 comments

in breakfast and breads, recipes, watch me bake

When I started baking bread, I was living with my parents who are major carbaholics.  Some sort of bread appeared with every meal.  In order for me to continue my goal of not eating store bought bread, I went on a search to find the best dinner rolls I could.  It took me almost a year to find the perfect dinner roll, but I have found it.  I promise these are the best rolls you have ever eaten or will ever eat.  They are light and fluffy, with a big buttery taste.  They bake up very nicely and don’t require much prep work.  These are just…yum.  There are no words and I’m delighted to be able to share them with you.

Golden Pull-Apart Rolls
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1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon potato flour OR 2 tablespoons instant potato flakes (I use cheap, instant mashed potatoes)
1 1/2 tablespoons non-fat dry milk (available near the canned and boxed milks)
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/3 cup lukewarm water (between 105 -115°)
1/4 cup lukewarm milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour through the salt, mixing on low speed.  Add in the softened butter (I cut mine into chunks so it gets into the dough better, but you don’t have to do that), and then slowly stream in the liquids.  Mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until your dough starts to come together.  Replace your paddle attachment with your dough hook, and knead for another 4-6 minutes.

Alternately, you can combine the ingredients together with a mixer or by hand, and then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it’s smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes total.  I prefer to mix in the stand mixer and then knead by hand, but it’s a personal preference.

Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl or container, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 60-90 minutes.  The dough should just about double.  Gently deflate it and transfer it to a cutting board.

Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and place in a greased 8-inch cake pan.  Make sure to space the rolls evenly.  Cover the rolls and let rise for another 60-90 minutes.  They will spread out to crowd against one another and will be quite puffy.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 350° for 22 to 24 minute.  If you prefer to measure doneness in degrees, the center roll should be at 190°.  Brush the rolls with 1 tablespoon melted butter, making sure to coat all the tops and sides you can reach.  Turn out onto a rack and let cool for as long as you can stand to wait.

-Adapted from King Arthur Flour

This recipe is linked to Tasty Tuesday and These Chicks Cooked

 

{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Allison L. November 10, 2011 at 3:29 pm

I was really disappointed that I didn’t get the bread machine I wanted from our wedding gift registry, but then I couldn’t shell out the dough (haha) to buy it myself.
I’m going to start experimenting with baking my own breads in the oven. I’m definitely going to try this recipe too!
Have you made bread with a bread machine before? Do you prefer to bake it in the oven? I’ve been meaning to ask you this on twitter & I always forget. Luckily, you read my mind & posted this nice blog! 🙂

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2 Elizabeth November 10, 2011 at 3:37 pm

I have only used a bread machine a few times, with mixed results. Most recipes that are made specifically for the bread machine don’t bake up well when you mix and knead by hand. It also sometimes calls for “bread machine yeast”, which I don’t have nor am I going to buy.

I enjoy the process of baking from scratch. It’s really best to have a stand mixer, but I *can* be done by hand. You just need some arm muscle, a lot of time for kneading in flour, and some patience. If you want to know more about it, just email me!

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3 Lauren {Adventures in Flip Flops} December 5, 2011 at 8:39 am

I just found this recipe, and I’m so glad it works! I’ve seen it so many times on the King Arthur Flour website and for some reason the instant mashed potatoes seemed weird to me.

As a side note, I usually prefer to do everything by hand. I can’t judge the dough if I don’t hand-knead.

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4 Cate November 11, 2011 at 6:59 am

Mmm…these look so good! I’ve been looking for a basic, fluffy dinner roll recipe. I’ve tried a few and none have been just right. This is going on the menu very soon!

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5 Elizabeth November 11, 2011 at 9:10 am

These are terrific. Let me know what you think!

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6 Cate November 11, 2011 at 3:35 pm

Okay, so I just actually READ the recipe and realized that it calls for dry milk and instant potato. Would it be ruined if I made some kind of substitutions there?

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7 Elizabeth November 12, 2011 at 10:31 am

I’m hesitant about this. Since it’s a KAF recipe, it’s pretty scientific. The only substitution I’ve ever made here was to use the dry milk to make milk (I was out) and then added the required amount of dry milk too. It turned out fine. I buy the small packet of instant mashed potatoes; it’s like 99 cents and since you only use a little, you can put it in a baggie, and it keeps forever. I think I’ve used two packets total and I’ve made at least 100 rolls from the recipe.

The dry milk is also cheap, and I just use what I need, bag it up, and save it for the next time. I’ve never had a problem with it going bad or anything, and I’ve only ever bought one box (3 quarts of milk) of it.

I would say no, on the substitutions, because the extra ingredients aren’t that hard to come by, but if you do try it, let me know how it turns out!

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8 Cate November 12, 2011 at 10:54 am

I think I’ll just suck it up and buy the extra ingredients, especially since they’re so cheap! These look SO good. I already went grocery shopping this week but I’ve already jotted these down for next week’s menu. Mmm…..

9 Kristia {Family Balance Sheet} November 17, 2011 at 6:53 am

this dish looked so yummy that I included it in a T-day round up: http://www.familybalancesheet.org/2011/11/30-thanksgiving-meal-ideas-to-feast-on.html

I hope you’ll help me spread the word!

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