Since I have been on a bread kick lately, I figured I would share one of my favorites and also one of my secrets. They are a definite necessity for your next meal and they won’t kill the budget but they might kill your patience! Dedication to an awesome product and, if this is not your first time making these, the memory of the last batch SHOULD be enough to give you strength to put up with the proofing times.
Yield : 12 Yeast Rolls
Prep Time: 1 hr 45 min
Cook Time: 9 min
Ingredients:
¼ cup + 2 tbsp milk (fattier the better)
¼ cup + 2 tbsp water
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
1 egg
2 ½ tsps active dry yeast
2 ½ cup all-purpose flour (King Arthur)
¼ cup butter (+ a little extra for on top after)
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In a saucepan, mix together the milk, water, sugar, and salt. Get to 140 F, stirring constantly to keep from scalding. At the same time, crack open your egg and beat it lightly in a small bowl.
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Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly, slowly, slowly pour into the bowl with the egg. This method is called tempering and is very useful in many recipes! Whisk frantically as you pour the liquid mixture into the bowl to keep the egg from scrambling.
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Once the egg is tempered in, sprinkle the yeast on top of the mixture.
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Here comes the fun part; make a well in the flour in your stand mixer bowl (if you don’t have a stand mixer, this will be more difficult but still achievable). You should be able to see the bottom of the bowl and the bare area should be surrounded by floury walls. Pour your liquid mixture into that hole, cover the bowl with either a lid or plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for 20-30 minutes. What you are looking for is the liquid mixture to have increased in size, approaching the walls, and appears foamy.
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Once the yeast has cultured, melt the butter and drizzle into the bowl. Now its time to mix the dough. Of course you can go old school and use your hands, but if you are rocking the stand mixer, attach the dough hook and let it do the heavy kneading for you. Work the dough until it is well combined and, of course, add more flour if the dough is sticking to the bowl.
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Once you have the consistency you are after, lightly knead by hand if not doing so already, cover once again, and let rise for another 20-30 minutes. This time you are looking for the dough to double if not triple in size. The larger the dough, the lighter the yeast roll.
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Once the dough is large and in charge of most of the bowl, pound it down, knead once or twice to eliminate air bubbles, and place on a cutting board. We are almost there!
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Preheat your oven to 400 F. Shape the dough into a rectangle and cut it into 12 equal parts. Place within ½ an inch from each other, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to proof one final time, 20-30 minutes. The trick this time is once the rolls are touching, they are ready to go into the oven.
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Once your rolls are touching, pop them into the oven and let them bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. After they are gorgeous, take them out, brush that reserved butter on top, and move to a plate.
Half of the fun is to keep them together until putting them on the table so that everyone can tear them apart. Alright, enjoy. Its too early for a drink but have one for me.