AuthorSarah RacineCategoryBreadDifficultyIntermediateYield- 15 two ounce rolls
These rolls are quick and great for feeding a crowd! I make these at camp, at home, for guests, and when I need a simple side on the fly at events. The high ratio of instant yeast makes it a very quick bread project. Have fun with the flavors!
If you're wondering about specific instructions in this bread recipe, please feel free to reference my 9 Steps of Yeast Bread for more information.
350F, or 325F convection, upper middle and lower middle racks
Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease trays.
5-6 quart bowl, optional stand mixer with dough hook attachment
-Yeast, warm water, and sugar, stir with a spoon for 15 seconds
(Stir just to combine; you want the yeast submerged in the water but it can still be clumpy. In five minutes or so, it should look foamy and bubbly).
-Combine yeast mixture with all remaining ingredients in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, or into a bowl and begin kneading, 5 minutes .
(If dough seems too dry, add a TBSP of water at a time until the dough comes together into one mass that is tacky, but not sticky. If dough seems too wet, add a TBSP of flour at a time until the dough comes together into one mass that is tacky, but not sticky.)
Once dough looks smooth and pliable, conduct the “gluten window test.” Grab about a tablespoon sized amount of dough out of the bowl and pinch it with at least four fingers and your thumbs. Spread the dough slowly and hold it toward the light. If your dough tears, the gluten is not fully developed; keep mixing. If you can see light through it and it’s stretchy enough, that means your gluten is fully developed and your dough is ready to rest!
Let dough proof covered for at least 15 minutes . The warmer it is (up to 105 degrees), the faster it will rise. You want dough to grow at least 50% in size before dividing and shaping it.
This is called the bulk fermentation. This is the 1st proof, where the yeast is given time to break down the starch as food and emit has, resulting in air bubbles in the bread as well as flavor. This also gives time for gluten to develop and the bread’s texture to improve. Even when you are not mixing, gluten is developing. The longer dough sits, the weaker the bread structure becomes and the easier it is to develop gluten.
Once the first proof is over, remove dough from the bowl and punch down to remove excess gas.
Cut the dough (do not tear, this will ruin the texture) into 2 ounce portions. I like using kitchen shears or a bench scraper for this, but a knife works fine in a pinch. Once portioned, you can roll into smooth balls, stretch into 8 inch snakes and tie into knots, or leave them in rustic blobs.
If you would like to bake your rolls at a later date, place your shaped rolls in the pan you plan to bake them with and refridgerate, covered, for up to 48 hours. Remove them from the fridge about an hour before you want to bake them, and let come to room temperature before the bench rest step.
Place onto a prepared tray. The closer they are to each other, the softer the edges will be. Let them bench rest for at least 5 minutes but up to 30 before baking. The more they bench rest, the fluffier they will be (but don’t overproof, or they will collapse).
Bench resting is the second proof. It is a shorter length of time to prevent over-proofing, always done after shaping and right before baking to improve dough shapes, let gluten recover from the work you just did, and to add air bubbles and additional volume to your product.
Bake for 10 minutes rotate your trays (vertically and horizontally), and bake for another 10 minutes . After the rotation, if the top starts to look golden brown, cover the pan with a sheet of foil.
A golden brown color is a good indicator that it is done baking, but I like to temp my bread with an instant read thermometer. You’re looking for at least 180 degrees F, but up to 210F is fine.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from pan.
Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Build Your Own-
As long as the weight of the flour remains the same, you can sub in up to 75% whole wheat flour, up to 50% rye, or a combination of the two. Keep in mind you do need some white flour for the yeast to eat and for gluten to develop in order to create a bread-like texture. You can also add up to 2 TBSP dried seasonings of any kind, such as ground cardamom, cinnamon, or allspice for a sophisticated spice, or any dried green savory herb. Fresh herbs such as thyme, chives, or rosemary would also be excellent, up to ¼ cup total of any combination. There is no shame in keeping the rolls plain, though, and instead focusing your efforts on a flavored butter (also called compound butter). The sky is the limit!
Need Inspiration? These are a great way to start!
Honey Butter-
Increase sugar in dough to ⅓ cup. Mix ¼ cup honey with ½ softened or melted unsalted butter. Add a pinch of salt to taste, as well as some ground cinnamon if desired. If the mixture is melted, brush on top of rolls with a silicone brush after fully baked. If butter is softened, serve on the side with a butter knife for spreading or dipping.
Italian Herb & Parm-
Add 1 TBSP onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, and ½ cup grated parmesan to yeast mixture. Before baking, eggwash rolls with 1 egg + 2TBSP water and top with a sprinkle of grated parm. Once baked, you can top there with a melting cheese such as mozzarella or simply serve with salted butter or olive oil and pepper.
Ingredients
Directions
350F, or 325F convection, upper middle and lower middle racks
Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease trays.
5-6 quart bowl, optional stand mixer with dough hook attachment
-Yeast, warm water, and sugar, stir with a spoon for 15 seconds
(Stir just to combine; you want the yeast submerged in the water but it can still be clumpy. In five minutes or so, it should look foamy and bubbly).
-Combine yeast mixture with all remaining ingredients in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, or into a bowl and begin kneading, 5 minutes .
(If dough seems too dry, add a TBSP of water at a time until the dough comes together into one mass that is tacky, but not sticky. If dough seems too wet, add a TBSP of flour at a time until the dough comes together into one mass that is tacky, but not sticky.)
Once dough looks smooth and pliable, conduct the “gluten window test.” Grab about a tablespoon sized amount of dough out of the bowl and pinch it with at least four fingers and your thumbs. Spread the dough slowly and hold it toward the light. If your dough tears, the gluten is not fully developed; keep mixing. If you can see light through it and it’s stretchy enough, that means your gluten is fully developed and your dough is ready to rest!
Let dough proof covered for at least 15 minutes . The warmer it is (up to 105 degrees), the faster it will rise. You want dough to grow at least 50% in size before dividing and shaping it.
This is called the bulk fermentation. This is the 1st proof, where the yeast is given time to break down the starch as food and emit has, resulting in air bubbles in the bread as well as flavor. This also gives time for gluten to develop and the bread’s texture to improve. Even when you are not mixing, gluten is developing. The longer dough sits, the weaker the bread structure becomes and the easier it is to develop gluten.
Once the first proof is over, remove dough from the bowl and punch down to remove excess gas.
Cut the dough (do not tear, this will ruin the texture) into 2 ounce portions. I like using kitchen shears or a bench scraper for this, but a knife works fine in a pinch. Once portioned, you can roll into smooth balls, stretch into 8 inch snakes and tie into knots, or leave them in rustic blobs.
If you would like to bake your rolls at a later date, place your shaped rolls in the pan you plan to bake them with and refridgerate, covered, for up to 48 hours. Remove them from the fridge about an hour before you want to bake them, and let come to room temperature before the bench rest step.
Place onto a prepared tray. The closer they are to each other, the softer the edges will be. Let them bench rest for at least 5 minutes but up to 30 before baking. The more they bench rest, the fluffier they will be (but don’t overproof, or they will collapse).
Bench resting is the second proof. It is a shorter length of time to prevent over-proofing, always done after shaping and right before baking to improve dough shapes, let gluten recover from the work you just did, and to add air bubbles and additional volume to your product.
Bake for 10 minutes rotate your trays (vertically and horizontally), and bake for another 10 minutes . After the rotation, if the top starts to look golden brown, cover the pan with a sheet of foil.
A golden brown color is a good indicator that it is done baking, but I like to temp my bread with an instant read thermometer. You’re looking for at least 180 degrees F, but up to 210F is fine.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from pan.
Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Build Your Own-
As long as the weight of the flour remains the same, you can sub in up to 75% whole wheat flour, up to 50% rye, or a combination of the two. Keep in mind you do need some white flour for the yeast to eat and for gluten to develop in order to create a bread-like texture. You can also add up to 2 TBSP dried seasonings of any kind, such as ground cardamom, cinnamon, or allspice for a sophisticated spice, or any dried green savory herb. Fresh herbs such as thyme, chives, or rosemary would also be excellent, up to ¼ cup total of any combination. There is no shame in keeping the rolls plain, though, and instead focusing your efforts on a flavored butter (also called compound butter). The sky is the limit!
Need Inspiration? These are a great way to start!
Honey Butter-
Increase sugar in dough to ⅓ cup. Mix ¼ cup honey with ½ softened or melted unsalted butter. Add a pinch of salt to taste, as well as some ground cinnamon if desired. If the mixture is melted, brush on top of rolls with a silicone brush after fully baked. If butter is softened, serve on the side with a butter knife for spreading or dipping.
Italian Herb & Parm-
Add 1 TBSP onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, and ½ cup grated parmesan to yeast mixture. Before baking, eggwash rolls with 1 egg + 2TBSP water and top with a sprinkle of grated parm. Once baked, you can top there with a melting cheese such as mozzarella or simply serve with salted butter or olive oil and pepper.
