Dinner Roll Baked Until the Tops Set

For Dinner Roll Baked Until the Tops Set, the counter starts with dry active yeast, whole milk 100°F, and water 100°F. Portion it for 12 rolls.

Count on 30 minutes of prep, 22 minutes of cooking, 1 hour of resting, about 2 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

Sponge

• 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast
• 14 tablespoons whole milk 100°F
• ⅓ cup water 100°F
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

Final Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 ½ tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 1 egg

Total Dough

• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 14 tablespoons whole milk 100°F
• ⅓ cup water 100°F
• 5 ½ tablespoons sugar
• 4 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 1 egg

How the cooking goes

Make the Sponge

1. Blend all the ingredients for the sponge in a medium mixing bowl and mix with your hands. You can mix with a spoon, but it will be more difficult because the mixture is so wet.
2. Cover with plastic wrap then set in a warm spot until visibly bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Mix the Dough

1. Put the flour, remaining sugar, salt, butter, egg, and sponge to the bowl of a electric mixer. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the mix looks even.
2. Switch to the dough hook then mix on medium speed until a rough window pane can be pulled. This can take 10- 15 minutes. It is an enriched dough, meaning the gluten will develop slower.

Proofing and Shaping

1. Scrape the dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and allow it to proof for 30 minutes in a warm place.
2. Turn the dough by grabbing one side, pulling it upwards out of the bowl, and then folding it over ⅓ of the dough. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and repeat with the opposite side. Rotate a quarter turn and repeat the same folding technique. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and make the final fold. You should have a nice, tight square packet of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double in a warm place. Mine took about an additional 30 minutes.
3. While the dough is finishing its bulk proofing, oil a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
4. When the dough has doubled and feels light and airy when touched, turn it out onto an unfloured surface. The dough is soft, supple, and not sticky!
5. Divide into 12 equal portions. You can eyeball or weigh them.
6. Take a portion and fold it in half, then then place the seam side down on the counter. Roll in the palm of your hand into a ball and shape each into boules, using your thumb as a guide. Place each roll equidistant apart in the prepared baking pan.
7. Cover and place back in the warm spot to double. This took about 30 minutes for me. Heat the oven to 350°F.

Time to bake

1. When the buns are ready to bake (doubled and light and airy), brush with beaten egg.
2. Oven-bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes until the surface is deep gold or until an instant-read thermometer reads 185°F when inserted into the center of one of the middle buns. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can insert a cake tester or cake tester into the center, and it should come out with clinging crumbs but no streaks of dough!
3. Brush the hot buns with melted butter to emulate the shiny, enticing tops! Technically, they should cool, but who has the patience? You say dig right in.

After it comes off the heat

Wait until the loaf is cool before slicing. Wrap it at room temperature, and freeze slices you will not eat in a couple of days.

If you want another plate from Dinner rolls, open Brioche Bun with a Clear Method and Pumpkin Dinner Rolls Baked Until the Tops Set.