Shaped Dinner Rolls

17.6.13 (Mon)

I bought a recipe book on baking bread early this year..and only got a chance to start baking recently..Initially, my concern was since I didn't have a mixer for kneading the dough, the bread might not be elastic and tasty..but according to the recipe book, you can bake delicious bread even with kneading the dough by hand..so I give it a try. (Hubby jokingly said that since I drive a manual car without power steering, so I would have the energy and strength to knead the dough by hand!)

 

 

 

I started with an easy recipe - shaped dinner rolls..and it turned out perfectly..both hubby and kids loved them.

 

Ingredients

450g unbleached white bread flour (high protein flour)

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp caster sugar

6g/1.2tsp easy blend (rapid rise) dried yeast (instant dried yeast)

50g butter

250ml lukewarm milk

1 egg

 

For the topping

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp water

Poppy seeds or sesame seeds

 

Make 12 rolls

 

Method

1. LIghtly greased two baking sheets. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and stir in sugar and yeast. Add the butter and rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

 

2. Make a well in the centre. Add the milk and egg to the well and mix to a dough. Knead on a floured surface for 10mins until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled clear film (plastic wrap) and leave to rise, in a warm place, for 1 hr, or until doubled in bulk. (I just placed the dough into the large bowl that I used to knead the dough, without adding any oil, and covered it with a plastic wrap)

 

3. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface, knock back (punch down) and knead for 2-3mins. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into rolls as desired.

 

To make braids: divide each piece of dough into 3 equal pieces. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll each piece to a sausage, keeping the lengths and widths even. Pinch 3 strips together at one end, then braid them neatly but not too tightly. Pinch the ends together and tuck under the braid.

 

To make trefoils: divide each piece of dough into 3 and roll into balls. Place the 3 balls together in a triangular shape.

 

To make batons: shape each piece of dough into an oblong and slash the surface of each diagonal cuts just before baking.

 

To make knots: shape each piece of dough into a long roll and tie a single knot, pulling the ends through.

 

4. Place the dinenr rolls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them well apart, cover the rolls with oiled clear film or plastic wrap and leave to rise, in a warm place for about 30mins, or until doubled in bulk. (hmm..I think I skipped this step)

 

5. Preheat the oven to 220 degree celcius. Mix the egg yolk and water together for the glaze and brush over rolls. Sprinkle some with poppy seeds and some with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-18mins or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.