The Quintessential Dinner Roll

Perfect. Softer than cotton. Fluffier than a cloud. You can not beat these dinner rolls. After 3 years of testing and searching; I have truly baked THE PERFECT DINNER ROLL. It is also the ideal venue for leftover sliders of any kind. Might I recommend a brisket slider? 

Thank you to The Stay At Home Chef. I mirrored her amazing recipe and attempted to increase the fluffiness to an unparalleled level. After 7 attempts; SUCCESS. Do not deprive yourself of this one friends. The smell of fresh baked rolls will bring on the homey feel goods in your house.

This one is dedicated to James, Brittany, and Emma! 

Photo Credit: The Recipe Sherpa

Recipe inspired by The Stay At Home Chef

Prep time: 3 hrs (2.5 hrs of rising. 20-30 mins of total prep work)

Bake: 375 F

Cook time: 12-14 minutes. Makes 24 rolls

*I strongly recommend using a baking sheet opposed to a baking pan*

Ingredients: The ingredients are grouped to make the prepping process easier for you. Click the links for quick access to pantry essentials.

Wet Mixture

• Milk - 2 cups, warmed (about 105 degrees F)
• Butter - 6 tbs, melted
• Eggs - 2 lg, whisked 
• Active Dry Yeast - 2 tbs https://amzn.to/2ND4HPA
• Sugar - 1/4 cup

Dry - Mix in a separate bowl and set aside

• AP Flour - 6 cups **aerated** (This is a must to achieve the ultimate fluffiness. See Tips) 
• Salt - 2 tsp

Glaze

• Butter - 2 tbs, melted

Baking Instructions: This is intended to be a VERY sticky dough. A stand mixer is recommended but not required. If you decide to knead manually, use a spatula and not your hand. Keep in mind, the dough will be very sticky and should stay that way. (illustrations below are for 1 dozen rolls)

Step 1: Add your warmed milk, sugar, and yeast to your mixing bowl. Stir and let it sit for the yeast to bloom. This should take 5 minutes. It should end up bubbly on top, indicating your yeast is active. 

Step 2: Add the eggs and 6 tbs of melted butter to the yeast mixture and stir. Then add in the flour mixture. Using a dough hook, set to a low mix (I use level 3-4). Scrape the sides a few times to ensure all the dry flour is all incorporated. The total mix time should be 8-10 minutes.

Step 3: The end dough should look like this. It is supposed to be VERY sticky. This is what will make your end result super soft and fluffy. The consistency is like a super thick brownie mix. 

Step 4: Grease a large bowl and place your dough in it. Also grease the top of the dough after you place it in the bowl. I use Pam Cooking Spray. Because this dough is very wet, you will need to minimize as much friction as possible during the rising process. Friction will cause the dough to collapse. 

Cover the bowl tight and store in a draft-less place. Leave it alone and let it rise for 1.5 hours.

Step 5: Remove the dough. It should look like this and doubled in size.  Liberally dust your kneading surface with flour. Scrape the dough onto the floured surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour.

Step 6: Now it's time to knead the dough. The goal is to create the shape of a ball. Keep your hands dusted with flour to minimize sticking. 

Step 7: Using a bench scraper, cut the dough in half and make 2 balls by kneading them again...the same way you did in step 6. ( For a hybrid bench scraper / dough scraper - https://amzn.to/3e04W1U )

Step 8: Cut the dough into pie shaped pieces. This makes it easier to evenly divide the dough. The dough will keep rising as it sits still so don't be alarmed if you suddenly have some pieces that are bigger than others when you were once certain they were all the same size :)

Step 9: Roll each piece into a ball. Using the same ball shaping technique from step 6 is easier given the dough will still be tacky. Feel free to continue to sprinkle flour on each piece as you handle them. Place each ball onto a greased baking pan or baking sheet. As you can see, the rolls I shaped started to rise as I worked through the rest of the rolls. Reminder, use a baking sheet, not a pan like I did. My explanation is under "Tips".

Cover with a light towel and rise for 1 hour. At 45 mins, start preheating your oven.

 

Step 10: After 1 hour. Remove the towel. The risen dough should look like these.

 

Step 11: Bake on the center oven rack for 12 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Don't over bake or you risk a dry roll. In the meantime, melt the 2 tbs of reserved butter for glazing. Once the baking is complete, glaze while hot in the pan.

I immediately remove the rolls and place them in a bread basket, wrapped in a towel to keep warm.

 

Tips

• Baking Pans: I prefer a baking sheet opposed to a baking pan. A baking sheet produces a much fluffier roll because the sides of the pan are shallow, reducing friction during the rising process. When using a baking pan, the sides of the pan crease some friction when the dough is rising, even when it is greased. Again, because this is a super soft dough, any bit of friction creates less rise. If you're putting in the work, yield the best result. Avoid a pan with walls!! 

• I love using a bakers mat when handling dough. It allows for an easier clean up and is more sanitary than using a porous countertop. These mats are easy to fold or roll for storage. In addition, it is great at gripping bowls when you are using a hand mixer. This is the mat I own and I absolutely adore!!! It is a set of 2.  https://amzn.to/3itKBFC

• Aerating the flour! 1 cup of aerated flour is not an equal measurement to 1 cup of packed flour. Aerating is easy. Here are a few ways....
• Shake your flour container (with lid on). Then scoop your flour. It should be light and fluffy. Or...
• Use a large spoon and mix the flour then scoop it into your cup opposed to dipping your cup into the flour. 
• With any option, do not pack in the flour. Let it lightly fall into your measuring cup. 

• Dough consistency: It should be as thick as a brownie mix or thicker. If it is too wet, like pancake batter, then add more flour a little at a time. If you are inexperienced with bread making and feel this dough is too sticky for you to handle, do not aerate the flour. Pack your flour in the measuring cup. You will get a thicker, more traditional, dough ball. This is absolutely ok! You will still end up with a beautiful soft roll. It will be a little more dense like a traditional dinner roll and nothing's wrong with that :)

Give this one a try! Your family will devour it and welcome it anytime!