I could tell you how quick and simple these dinner rolls are. You might believe me, but I think in lieu of you being right here with me while I bake them, it would be more convincing if I walk you through what it took to make them today.
I woke up early to get to the pool and swim. It’s nearly impossible to time it just right and miss the early morning pre-work rush: I’ve yet to figure out any discernible pattern to the pool schedule between 7 and 9 AM. So I cross my fingers and hope for the best. Today, I get lucky. I split a lane with one other swimmer for the duration of my 20 laps.
It takes about 4 minutes to warm up after the initial shock of cold when I jump in. I repeat “3 laps” over and over again in my head, as a reminder that I will be warm and comfortable once I hit that number. Despite knowing it to be true, I doubt it every time I start, always assuming I’ll stay chilly. Faith, people! It’s a good thing to have.
I do the last three laps as fast as I can, finishing in a flurry of splashing (graceful, I know) and grab the edge of the pool, breathing hard. I climb out and walk quickly to the locker room, the cold air hitting my skin. I barely allowing myself to think about the hot shower waiting until I'm right there, hanging a fluffy white towel and turning the water on full blast.
Thirty minutes later, I’m clean and dressed and warm. I descent the stairs to the subway, catch the local train and take it two stops home.
As soon as I walk through the door, I drop my keys and wallet but don’t even bother removing my jacket and hat. I go straight to the kitchen and pull down my digital scale (I have this one), the flour canister, instant yeast, butter, and milk. In typical fashion, the butter is ice cold since I forgot to remove it from the fridge before my swim.
I heat the milk and butter quickly in the microwave (for this recipe, the butter should be room temperature and the milk should be lukewarm) while I measure out the flour—using only a portion for the first mix—and yeast and salt.
Everything goes in my stand mixer and I turn it on (using the dough hook) while I hang up my jacket and toss my swimsuit and goggles back in their place.
Three minutes later, the dough has come together in a sticky mass. I add the rest of the flour and turn the mixer back on for about 5 more minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly tacky. I transfer it to a large oiled mixing bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap, and run upstairs to make the bed and get dressed.
Total time so far: 10 minutes.
I change out of the sweatpants I wore to the pool and into a cozy sweater and leggings. I tidy the bedroom for a few minutes, then come back downstairs to answer two emails.
Twenty minutes have elapsed, so I turn the dough out onto the countertop and press it into a large rectangle, then score the top into even squares (20 in total) and pull off chunks, one square at a time, rolling them into balls and placing them in a huge shallow greased serving bowl. (Usually I make these rolls in four 9” round pans but today I’m testing out making one big batch to take home.) Once shaped, I cover them in plastic wrap again and let them sit on the countertop for their second rise.
Total time so far: 35 minutes.
I preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and sit down to work, making myself a frothy cappuccino and starting to chip away at my inbox.
After another twenty minute rise, I pop the rolls in the oven. They bake for 20 to 25 minutes, filling the kitchen with a yeasty, savory smell.
I pull them out and brush the tops of the still-warm rolls with melted butter.
Total time so far: 1 hour and 15 minutes. And that’s it!
Not only do these rolls take so little time, but the active hands-on time is incredibly minimal compared to so many roll or bun recipes. You let the stand mixer do the initial kneading work, and all you really have to do is the shaping. And you don’t even need to do that! You could absolutely bake it as a loaf.
(But I highly recommend shaping them as I did, because their pillowy, fluffy texture make them ideal for pulling apart and sharing. I also like that the round shape is perfect for tiny slider sandwiches.)
Why does it work? Why is it so much faster than other yeasted roll recipes? Excellent question!
Rather than a typical two teaspoons or so of yeast, this recipe calls for…wait for it…two and a half tablespoons of yeast! (Okay if you aren’t a bread baker you’re probably rolling your eyes and wondering what all the drama is for. But that is a lot of yeast!)
The large amount of yeast encourages the dough to rise rapidly, yielding a gorgeously light and airy crumb to the rolls without the normal initial rising time of an hour or two.
You’ll notice that this recipe makes a lot of rolls. It’s King Arthur Flour’s big-batch recipe, and designed for a crowd (ideal for something like Thanksgiving). I wouldn’t recommend cutting it in half, even if you think you don’t need this many rolls. (Spoiler alert: We all need this many rolls.)
But seriously, just make the entire recipe as written, and if you only need a regular amount, save half of them. Bake them in four 9” round pans, and freeze two or three of the pans. Just let them cool fully and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and foil. They’ll easily keep for two months. Just pop them in a low heat to heat up before serving them.
Note: I like these plain, but you could jazz them up easily by adding grated cheese over the top just before baking. Or you could add poppy seeds, toasted sesame seeds, or everything bagel seasoning—just brush the unbaked rolls with melted butter and sprinkle on the topping, then bake. You could also add dried herbs or spices to the dough itself, or grated Parmesan, or even some of these very addictive Vermont cheddar cheese powder.
Quick Dinner Rolls
From King Arthur Flour
1/2 cup (113g) lukewarm water
2 cups (454g) warm milk (100°F to 110°F)
3 tablespoons (43g) butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons (21g) sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons (28g) instant yeast
6 to 7 cups (723g to 843g) all-purpose flour
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the water, milk, butter, sugar, salt, and yeast. Let stand for five minutes.
Add 5 cups of flour and mix until it comes together a sticky mass—it shouldn’t be smooth and will look very wet. (I just use the dough hook here, but you can do it with a spoon or your hands or the paddle attachment.)
Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, and mix using the dough hook until the dough looks smooth and elastic. It’ll still be tacky but shouldn’t be overly sticky. Don’t add all the flour right away—often it’ll look wet still, but once you let the dough mix for a few minutes, it’ll smooth out.
Continue mixing for 5 minutes on the machine.
Transfer the dough into a large oiled mixed bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
After the initial rise, turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and press it into a large rectangle, about 12” x 5”.
Using a knife, score the top into 24 even squares. (I shaped mine into 20 balls instead of 24 because I was using a very large shallow ceramic bowl—this one—to bake, but 24 is the best amount if you’re using four round pans or two sheet pans.)
Pull off chunks of dough along the scored lines and roll each chunk into a ball. Place the balls in well-greased pans: you can use four 8” or 9” round pans or you can use two 9” x 13” pans.
Cover the pans lightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 more minutes at room temperature. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
After the 20 minute period, remove the plastic wrap and pop the pans in the oven. (Sometimes I brush them with melted butter before the oven just for kicks! But it’s more important to do this after they bake.)
Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the tops.
Remove from the oven and brush the warm rolls with melted butter.
Let them sit for a bit, then turn them out of the pans so that they don’t steam on the bottom. Let them cool on a wire rack (although I highly recommend you eat at least one warm!).