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Soft and Chewy Dinner Rolls Cook's Country April/May 2011 Yield: 12 rolls 1¼ cups water, heated to 110o 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. sugar 1 envelope (2¼ tsp.) instant or rapid-rise yeast 3 cups all-purpose flour 1½ cup instant potato flakes 1½ tsp. salt plus another ½ tsp. 1 egg, lightly beaten Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200o. When oven reaches 200o, turn it off. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease large bowl. Whisk water, oil, sugar, and yeast in liquid measuring cup until yeast dissolves. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, potato flakes, and 1½ teaspoons salt until combined. With mixer on low, add water mixture in steady stream and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, about 6 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, cohesive ball. Transfer dough to prepared bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Punch down dough on lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into quarters and cut each quarter into 3 equal pieces. On clean surface, form each piece into rough ball by pinching and pulling the edges under so that the top is smooth. Then cup each round with your palm and move it in a circular motion on an unfloured suface to shape a smooth ball. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and return to turned-off oven until doubled in size, about 20 minutes. (Or refrigerate rolls for up to 24 hours.) Remove rolls from oven and discard plastic wrap. Heat oven to 400o. Brush rolls with egg and sprinkle evenly with ½ teaspoon salt. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through cooking. Cool rolls on sheet 10 minutes. Serve. To make ahead: bake as directed until rolls are just beginning to brown and outside is set, about 5 minutes. Cool completely and freeze in zipper-lock bag. When ready to reheat, defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour and bake 10 minutes in 400o oven. Par-baking is a technique borrowed from commercial bakeries. Rolls may be frozen for up to a month. Note: Cutting back on fat from butter and milk yields the perfect amount of chew. A small infusion of olive oil perfects the texture. Instant potato flakes and instant potato buds are interchangeable. Brushing the rolls with beaten egg before baking gives them extra crunch. |
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