Soft Buttery Bread Rolls
Well well well. What have we here? SOFT BUTTERY BREAD ROLLS. That’s what we got. YEAHHHHH BUDDY. Good stuff going downnnn.
Passover is over. And I’m bringing bread back. I felt it only right that I should provide a recipe for the most gluten-full of all the baked-goods as the first recipe post-Passover.
Bread is pretty much my favorite food. Bread, and pizza. And pasta. So wheat, basically. And a soft, buttery, fluffy, tender, rich dinner roll? DEFINITELY up there on the favorites list. BREADDDDDD. GIMMMMMME.
Here’s the thing. I actually don’t make new bread recipes that often. Like, not often enough that I am able to share new bread recipes regularly on the blog. So. When I do eventually get around to posting a bread recipe up here. I make sure it’s an AMAZING one. So yeah. Just saying. These are some of the BEST bread rolls I’ve ever had.
First of all. These buttery bread rolls are literally not scary to make at all. Even if you’re wary of yeast/bread making.
Because. These dinner rolls come together in one bowl. And can be made either in a machine or by hand. I prefer making these rolls by hand, because kneading dough is kinda therapeutic and also makes me feel like a more legit baker, knowwhatimsayin?
And! These buttery rolls require only one rising! As in — no need to let the dough rise in a bowl for an hour, and then shape the dough into rolls, and allow the rolls to rise for another hour in the pan. NAH.
As soon as you finish kneading the dough, the rolls are ready to be shaped into little mounds of doughy heaven, after which they’re spaced out into your baking pan and allowed to rise (once!) until doubled in size and puffy and filling up all the spaces and edges.
There’s a full stick of butter in these fluffy bread rolls. Which is what makes them so rich and buttery and delicious and addictive. Aside from the fact that bread is always addictive, regardless.
There’s also an egg in the dough, i.e. more richness and flavor. And a little sugar, for a little sweetness.
And, for liquid, these bread rolls use a mixture of milk and orange juice. That’s right — there is no water in these dinner rolls. We’re going for all the rich flavor and tenderness here.
I love a little orange juice in my bread doughs (and cake batters, for that matter). FLAVOR FLAVE. But not too much orange juice, that the rolls take on an orange taste. We want just enough for extra flavor, without knowing where all that extra flavor is coming from. Which is why we’ve got the milk too, to make up the remaining portion of liquid these soft dinner rolls require. And milk provides more richness and flavor in its own right, obvs.
If you have any interest in sinking your teeth into a hot, steaming bread roll that’s sweet and buttery and rich and fluffy, I’d suggest considering making these soft buttery bread rolls sometime soon. Slathered with some more butter, but of course. And dunked into soup, perhaps.
Soft buttery bread rolls — 20 rolls are one serving, right?
Soft Buttery Bread Rolls
Yield: 20 bread rolls
2/3 cup warm milk
1/3 cup warm orange juice
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 large egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3-3 1/2 cups packed flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
-Egg, for brushing
-Sesame seeds, for topping (optional)
1. Grease a 9x13” baking pan.
2. Pour milk, orange juice, sugar, and yeast into a large bowl and stir together. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, until yeast is fully activated/foamed.
3. Mix in the egg and melted butter. Add in 3 cups of flour and the salt and mix until all flour is incorporated.
4. Drop dough onto floured surface and knead for a few minutes, until dough is soft and smooth. If dough is too sticky, add up to 1/2 cup more flour. (Alternatively, knead in machine for a few minutes until dough releases from the sides of your mixing bowl.)
5. Divide dough into 20 equal pieces. Cup your hand and roll pieces between your palm and work surface to form balls. Space balls into greased baking pan (I do five rows of four rolls).
6. Cover pan with plastic wrap or towel and allow rolls to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size and filling the whole pan, 1+ hours.
7. Preheat oven to 350 F. Gently brush the tops of the rolls with a beaten egg and sprinkle over sesame seeds. Bake rolls for 17-24 minutes, until golden brown on top.
