Dinner Rolls Recipe

Breadmaking is a fun and healthy activity.

When you bake your bread at home you're avoiding a lot of additives and preservatives that are dangerous to your health.

I love using organic stoneground flour as it is a nutritious flour that provides dietary fibre and has good levels of protein. You can also replace cow milk with organic nut milk such as almonds and oats.

Using organic butter is also recommended, especially if you live in countries where a high amount of antibiotics is given to the animals.

This recipe contains gluten, so do not make it if you are celiac or are going through a stage of high intolerance to gluten.

Now, check out this versatile dinner roll recipe and give it a go!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240ml) organic almond milk, warmed to about 110°F

• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast (1 sachet standard packet)

• 2 Tablespoons granulated organic sugar, divided

• 1 large free-range egg

• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 pieces

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 cups (375g) organic stone ground wheat flour

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/rubber spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula is a better choice.*

2. the remaining sugar, egg, butter, salt, and 1 cup flour. With a dough hook or paddle attachment, mix/beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough, similar to the photos above. The dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.

3. Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 full minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3 full minutes.

4. 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminium foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours.

5. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or two 9-inch square or round baking pans. You can also bake the rolls in a cast-iron skillet or on a lined baking sheet.

6. Shape the rolls: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 14-16 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a smooth ball. I do this entirely in my hands and you can look up video tutorials on youtube to learn how to shape the rolls. You can also add some cheese and ham if you like something different. Arrange in prepared baking pan.

7. 2nd Rise: Cover shaped rolls with aluminium foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow rising until puffy, about 1 hour.

8. Adjust the oven rack to a lower position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). (It’s best to bake the rolls towards the bottom of the oven so the tops don’t burn.)

9. Bake the rolls: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminium foil. Remove from the oven, brush with optional honey butter topping, and allow rolls to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Cover leftover rolls tightly and store them at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes:

1. Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 6. Place shaped rolls in a greased baking pan, cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Once frozen, the dough balls won’t stick together anymore and you can place them in a freezer bag if needed. On the day you serve them, arrange the dough balls in a greased baking pan, cover tightly, then let them thaw and rise for about 4-5 hours. Bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked dinner rolls. Allow them to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired. If reheating the whole pan, lightly cover and reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for about 10 minutes or until warm.

2. Overnight Instructions: Prepare the recipe through step 6. Cover the shaped rolls tightly and refrigerate for up to about 15 hours. At least 3 hours before you need them the next day, remove the rolls from the refrigerator, keep them covered, and allow them to rise on the counter for about 1-2 hours before baking. Alternatively, you can let the dough have its 1st rise in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the dough tightly and place it in the refrigerator for up to about 15 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to fully rise for 2 more hours. Continue with step 5.

3. Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces chewier dinner rolls. The rolls are still soft and fluffy no matter which you use. Either flour is fine and there are no other changes to the recipe if you use one or the other. I prefer organic high-quality flour as it is free of additives and preservatives.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Recipes © 2011-2022. Eat with moderation and enjoy these delicious rolls :)