Sponge Method Dinner Rolls Recipes

SOFT DINNER ROLLS RECIPE

Steps:

• In the bowl of your mixer, whisk together warm milk (about 110F) and 1 Tbsp sugar. Sprinkle the top with 1 Tbsp yeast and let sit 1 minute. Whisk together and let it sit for about 5 minutes until yeast looks foamy. Add 4 Tbsp melted butter, remaining sugar and salt.
• Add flour half a cup at a time until the dough whisking to incorporate. Once the dough gets too thick, switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on speed 2 (you can also continue mixing by hand with a stiff spatula). Add about 4 cups of flour, adding the last 1 to 3 Tbsp of flour only if needed. The dough should feel sticky and tacky but should not stick to clean/dry finger tips.
• Knead the dough with the dough hook in a stand mixer for 2 minutes or knead by hand (10 min), then place dough in an oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise about 2 hours in a warm place or until doubled in size.
• Once the dough rises, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and cut it into 15-24 even pieces depending on the shape of your baking dish. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place them onto an oiled 9x13 casserole dish or baking sheet.
• Cover the dinner rolls with plastic wrap and let them rise another 30-60 minutes in a warm place or until puffed (do not over-proof). Bake at 375F for about 23-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
• Immediately brush tops of dinner rolls with melted butter and set aside to cool to room temperature before serving.

CLASSIC DINNER ROLLS

Steps:

• Combine 3/4 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees F). Add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1/4 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
• Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; shape into balls. Place in greased 8-inch round pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Bake in preheated 375 degrees F oven for 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; brush with additional melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.

GOLDEN DINNER ROLLS

Steps:

• Bake and mash potato:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Using fork, pierce potato in several places. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake until easily pierced with fork, about 50 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and mash. Reserve 1/2 cup (4.5 ounces) mashed potato and discard remainder or save for another use.
• Make dough starter (sponge):
• In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk together 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 ounces/84 grams) flour, 1/3 cup plus 4 teaspoons (3.5 ounces/98 grams) water, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon yeast until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Sponge should be consistency of thick batter). Scrape down sides of bowl.
• In medium bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup (5 ounces/140 grams) flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon yeast, and milk powder. Sprinkle mixture over flour mixture (sponge) in bowl of mixer to form blanket on top of sponge. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at least 1 hour, preferably up to 4 hours. (Starter can be made ahead and refrigerated, tightly covered with plastic wrap, overnight. There is no reason to bring starter to room temperature before proceeding.)
• Mix dough:
• Attach dough hook to stand mixer. Add mashed sweet potato and 1 tablespoon softened butter to starter and mix on low (#2 on Kitchen Aid) until rough dough forms, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle salt over dough and knead on low (#2 on Kitchen Aid) until smooth, shiny, and slightly sticky to touch, 7 to 10 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. (If dough is too sticky, transfer to lightly floured work surface and knead in small amount of flour. If too stiff, add small amount of cold water and knead briefly.)
• First rise:
• Using vegetable oil or nonstick vegetable-oil spray, lightly oil 3-quart or larger bowl (or dough-rising container). Transfer dough to bowl and lightly oil or spray top of dough. Using tape, mark outside of bowl to approximately double current height of dough. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm place (75°F to 80°F, see Chef's Notes, below) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Second rise:
• Using oiled dough scraper or spatula, transfer dough to lightly oiled work surface.
• Gently stretch bottom of dough and fold up to center, then repeat with left side, right side, and top. Round dough package then transfer to bowl, smooth side up, and lightly oil or spray top of dough. Using tape, mark outside of bowl to approximately double current height of dough. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm place until doubled in size and depression holds when pressed gently with finger, about 1 hour.
• Shaping dough and final rise:
• Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and, using lightly oiled bench scraper, divide into 4 equal pieces, each weighing about 4 ounces (112 grams). Divide each piece into 3 pieces, each weighing about 1.3 ounces (36 grams). Keep remaining dough covered while working with each batch.
• Using lightly floured hands, roll 1 dough piece between palms to form smooth, 1 3/4-inch-wide ball. Pinch indentation on bottom of ball tightly to seal. Repeat to form remaining balls.
• Transfer melted butter to small bowl. Dip each dough ball into melted butter, coating all sides, and transfer, sealed-side-down, to prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Lightly coat sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable oil or nonstick vegetable-oil spray and gently cover pan with oiled wrap. Let rolls rise in warm place until doubled in size and depression very slowly fills in when pressed with fingertip, about 45 minutes.
• Bake rolls:
• While dough is rising, position rack near bottom of oven and top with baking stone or heavy baking sheet. Set aluminum foil-lined cast-iron pan or heavy rimmed baking pan on floor of oven and preheat oven to 400ºF for 1 hour.
• Quickly transfer baking sheet with rolls to hot baking stone (see Chef's Notes) and add 1/2 cup ice cubes to pan beneath.
• Bake rolls, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through, until golden brown and skewer inserted in middles comes out clean (instant read thermometer inserted into center will register about 190ºF), about 12 minutes. Transfer rolls from baking sheet to rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Chef’s Notes:
• •Dough rises best around 75°F to 80°F. If your house is on the cold side, you can set a container of very hot tap water near the rising dough and cover the dough and the hot water with a large plastic container or bowl-you will need to reheat the water every 30 to 40 minutes. Alternatively you can place the dough (and the small container of very hot water) in a microwave oven (not turned on) or a standard oven without a pilot light, but with the oven light turned on to provide gentle heat. •If you want to make this bread over a 2-day period, you can refrigerate it overnight after the first rise. Once it has doubled in size (first rise), gently press the dough down in the bowl, then cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with vegetable oil or nonstick vegetable-oil spray and refrigerate. After one hour and again after two, gently press the dough down. Then refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring the dough to room temperature at least 1 hour before shaping and baking the loaf. Keep in mind that the time in the refrigerator replaces the second rise so there is no need for a second rise. •For proper texture, it's important for the bread to get a blast of heat as soon as it goes into the oven. For this reason, the oven needs to be preheated for a full hour, and it's important not to let too much heat escape when you put the bread in. When transferring the dough to the oven to bake, be sure to shut the door quickly.
• THE DOUGH PERCENTAGE:
• Flour: 100% (includes starch contained in the potato) Water: 64.9% (includes water contained in the butter and yam) Yeast: 0.93% Salt: 1.7% Butterfat: 4.4%

SOFT DINNER ROLLS RECIPE

Steps:

• 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.*
• Add 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 and video above. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.
• 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. (See video tutorial above if you need a visual of kneading dough by hand.)
• 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 aluminum 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. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
• 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.*
• 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 watch in the video tutorial above. Arrange in prepared baking pan.
• Cover shaped rolls with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until puffy, about 1 hour.
• Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat 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.)
• 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 aluminum 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 at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

SAVORY ROLLS

Steps:

• 1. Combine all sponge starter ingredients in a mixing bowl. The resulting goo should look wet and reckless. Wrap the bowl up and let it sit in the corner (preferably a warm one) for four hours or as long as overnight.
• 2. Combine all the dry ingredients for the dough in a large bowl or the mixing bowl for a counter top mixer. Mix them, mechanically or manually, so that all they are distributed evenly. Add water, one cup of the sponge, and butter and mix to combine.
• 3. Add the egg. You want to do this after the butter so the egg doesn't cook. Mix by hand for ten to fifteen minutes (three to five with a Kitchen Aid using the paddle on medium speed) until the dough forms a smooth paste. It should still be sticky and stretchy, but not very wet. If you're using a machine; switch to the dough hook and mix for another five minutes on medium; if you're manual, turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead the hell out of it for seven minutes.
• 4. In yet another bowl, add the olive oil and give a swirl. Form the dough into a ball, and roll it in the oil so that it's greasy everywhere. Cover the bowl with plastic and let it sit for an hour in a warm corner.
• 5. For filling, make Cast-Iron Mushrooms but add 2 pounds of sliced shallots. When the shallots begin to brown, add 1/2 cup cream sherry and reduce by half. Set aside.
• 6. Form the rolls: on a floured surface, gently roll out the dough into a 12 by 18 inch square. Spread the sherry-butter-shallot-mushroom goo all over the giant dough square on your counter. Make sure to spread evenly all the way to the edges. Apply the dill and the cheese in a similar fashion; evenly distribute all the way to the corners of your dough sheet.
• 7. Sprinkle salt and grind pepper all over the thing and preheat your oven to 350.
• 8. As if it were a joint-that's right-carefully roll the rectangle into itself. Start at the bottom and curl inwards until you have a bulging log. Use a sharp knife and slice rolls off of the left side of the log. You can make them as thick as you'd like; we like ours about two inches thick.
• 9. Gingerly place the rolls side by each on a greased (with butter) baking pan and cover them loosely with plastic.
• 10. When thirty minutes-minimum!-has elapsed, slide the rolls into the oven and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes. When they start to smell amazing, check them. You're looking for a nice golden brown hue on the top of each one.