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Tender Dinner Rolls

Source of Recipe

From "Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food"


Recipe Introduction

"The scent of freshly baked rolls wafting from the oven is only matched by their old-fashioned flavor. Enriched with egg, milk, and butter, these are so light that they will threaten to float off your plate. A roll is just as good plain, with just a pat of butter, or used to sop up gravy from a roast off the plate."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
â—¦ ¼ cup warm water (105° to 115° F)
â—¦ ½ cup cold water
â—¦ ¼ cup whole milk, heated to steaming
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
â—¦ 1 tablespoon sugar
â—¦ 1 large egg yolk
â—¦ 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
â—¦ 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ Softened butter, for the bowl and baking pan
â—¦ 1 tablespoon whole milk, for brushing
â—¦ 1 teaspoon sesame seeds or poppy seeds, for garnish


Recipe

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Let it stand for 5 minutes, then stir to dissolve the yeast. Mix the cold water and hot milk together in the bowl of a heavy stand mixer (or a large bowl) to cool the milk to tepid. Add the dissolved yeast, melted butter, sugar, egg yolk, and salt.

On low speed, with the paddle attachment, mix in enough of the flour to make a soft dough that cleans the sides of the bowl. (Or, using a wooden spoon, stir in enough flour to make a dough that cannot be stirred.) Change to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and tacky, about 6 minutes. (Or turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand, adding more flour as needed, about 8 minutes. The dough should be soft; so do not add too much flour.)

Lightly butter a medium bowl. Shape the dough into a ball. Put the dough in the bowl, turn the ball to coat it, and leave smooth side up. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until it is doubled in volume, about 1 hour. (This dough rises more quickly than ones with less sugar.)

Lightly butter an 11½-by-8-inch baking dish. Turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and knead briefly. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each into a taut ball. Place the balls, smooth sides up, equally spaced, in the baking dish. Cover loosely the dish with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until almost doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly brush the tops of the balls with some of the milk and sprinkle with the seeds. Bake until the rolls are fully risen and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Serve warm or cooled to room temperature.


Makes 9 rolls