Homemade Dinner Rolls

This week's main course was made by our friend Walt - bbq crockpot chicken. I decided to make dinner rolls and peach cobbler.

This dinner roll recipe is an alteration of a recipe my mother found with her bread machine. We use a bit of wheat flour to make the roll softer. She still uses her bread machine (and you can as well), but since mine is too small for this recipe, I just use my stand mixer.

Soft Dinner Rolls

13 oz. water (warm - between 100 and 110 degrees)

1 1/4 tsp (or 1 pkg.) of instant dry  yeast

3 cups of white bread flour

1 cup of whole wheat flour

3 tbsp butter

2 1/2 tbsp dry milk

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

olive oil or nonstick spray

1. Mix the flours, sugar, salt, and dry milk together in a bowl.

2. Pour about three ounces of the water into a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Add a small pinch of sugar and let the yeast sit for 10 minutes. It should start to foam. 

3. While waiting on the yeast, cube the butter and melt it in a bowl in the microwave (30-45 sec). Let the butter cool down to 105-115 degrees.

4. Pour the remaining water into the stand mixer bowl and add the flour mixture on top. Add the butter and yeast. If you're using a bread machine, use the dough setting, and skip down to Step 8 when the machine beeps at you :)

5. Using the mixer attachment, mix until the dough forms, then switch to the dough hook attachment. The dough hook should knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and when pressing a finger into the dough, the dough springs back.

(before kneading)

If your dough is too sticky - add flour, a tablespoon at a time during kneading.

6. Grab a container (preferably one with straight sides) and lightly coat it with olive oil (or your nonstick spray). Place the dough in the container and cover the container with plastic wrap.

7. Let the dough rise for at least an hour (or until it has doubled in size).

8. [Welcome back, bread machine users!] Grease (with nonstick spray) two cupcake pans. Roll little balls of the dough (about an 1in in size) and place them, three to a cup, in the pan.

9. Cover the pans with a towel, let them rise for another 30-40 minutes.

10. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

11. Bake them for 12-16 minutes, or until golden brown. Use your favorite butter, margarine, or butter spray on the tops once they come out of the oven to give them a nice golden sheen.

Makes 16 rolls.

Edit: I'd hoped to have a photo of the final product, but the rolls were devoured. Maybe next time!