rich yeast bread: soft butter rolls

the following recipe was part of my midterm practicum. i dreaded the exam and must have sent sean panicky text messages five or six times that day to remind him of how nervous i was. when i pulled this recipe out of the bowl as one of the three i was to prepare for Chef, i found myself getting so excited to taste the final product that my nerves melted. this recipe is now one of the favorites i’ve learned since i started school last winter. the matte, barely resistant crust and the soft yet chewy interior make each 2-ounce roll delightful to rip in half and dunk in soup or enjoy plain with dinner. they freeze beautifully and reheat quite well in the microwave.

soft butter rolls

yield: 14 to 17 rolls

1/2 oz. fresh yeast (use half the amount if using dried)
1 c. water, warm—about 100 degrees F
1 lb. 2 oz. bread flour (you might not use all of it–hence the variance in number of rolls)
2 T. sugar
2 t. salt
3 T. dry milk
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 oz. butter, soft
2 oz. butter, melted

dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl. add a little flour, the sugar, salt, dry milk, egg and butter. mix with a wooden spoon while gradually adding more flour until the dough is stable enough to handle. flop the dough onto a generously floured counter, and start kneading. knead until the dough springs back resiliently when you press on it with your finger.

place the dough in a warm, damp place in a container large enough to allow for it to proof considerably.

cover it with a cloth to prevent a crust from forming on the outside, and leave it until it is twice its original size. if you aren’t sure what “twice the size” exactly looks like, the other way to test that your dough has fermented sufficiently is to press gently on it with your finger “and leave a belly button,” as Chef says. this time, the dough should not spring back because the gluten is relaxed.

next, flop the dough out onto the counter that has been dusted with flour. pull up on one side of the dough and fold it over the center. press down on the folded portion to expel carbon dioxide that has formed form fermentation. repeat this on the other side, and turn the dough over so the seams are on the bottom.

weigh the dough, and then divide it into as many two-ounce portions as you can. now shape each portion into a smooth, round ball, stretching the top surface tight and smooth over the top of the dough. you are essentially stretching the gluten on the outside of the dough into a smooth layer or “skin,” gathering the extra pieces at the bottom until it looks like a round balloon. the best way to do this with such small pieces of dough is to hold your forefinger and thumb together as though you were making an “OK” sign, curling the rest of your fingers in the same way as your forefinger.

then, shove the dough between your thumb and palm, and push from the bottom of the dough out through the round hole in between your thumb and forefinger. this will stretch your dough into a rounded ball with a seam at the bottom. repeat this step until you’ve rounded each portion.

place your rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and set them in a warm place to proof. they should double in size again. take them out, and brush each one with melted butter. bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden and puffed.

store them up to a few weeks in ziplock bags in the freezer.