Dinner Rolls

I love bread.
There I said it.  I am completely - 100% addicted to really great bread.  There is something absolutely wonderful about a hot, just out of the oven, yeast roll that I just find irresistible.  My obsession over warm bread may be bordering on addiction but I like to think of it as a healthy addiction.  (Do you actually believe that?)   I love when a waiter brings a basket of freshly baked, warm bread to the table when I am dining at a restaurant.  I would be perfectly happy eating the complimentary bread and a great salad instead of ordering an entree.  I know that when I make a batch of rolls at home, I am going to have to eat one before it even has a chance to cool.  (I have the burns on the roof of my mouth to prove it.)  I used a Cook's Illustrated recipe to make my latest batch of yeast rolls.  They did not disappoint.

Dinner Rolls
4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup butter
1 egg white
sesame seeds

​Combine 1 cup flour with salt and yeast in mixer.

​Beat in warm water with paddle attachment.

​
​Add 1 cup remaining flour and beat until smooth.  Beat in remaining flour.  Switch to dough hook and knead 4 minutes.

​Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour.

​Cut dough into 16 equal pieces and place on a silpat lined baking sheet.  

​Cover with a towel and let rise 45 minutes. 

​Combine egg white with 2 teaspoons water.  Brush over rolls and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

​Bake 15 minutes at 425.  

Piping hot yeast rolls - yum!

​If they made computers that would let me actually capture the aroma of these rolls and email it to you, I bet that you would have to eat one too.  These rolls are really yummy.  Soft and chewy on the inside with a thin crispy crust.  They are superb warm and not too shabby when they are cool either.  Whip up a batch for yourself but don't say that I didn't warn you - they're irresistible.  

Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe