Dinner Rolls et al

[meganjane]

I've played around for years looking for a dinner roll that's soft, fluffy and delicious. I think these ones have finally hit the mark. They lend themselves to a lot of variations. You can use half the sugar if preferred.

If you want rolls for lunch the next day, make dough the night before and place in a greased bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap and leave in the fridge overnight to prove.

Next morning, remove and allow to come to room temperature before shaping and leaving to rise a second time.

Master Dinner Roll Recipe
The Bush Gourmand

225g warm water
45g instant milk powder (or use 250g warm milk to replace water and milk powder)
1 Tbsp dried yeast
2 Tbsp Rapadura sugar + 2 (or more) extra for sweet buns
1 tsp salt
60g soft butter
380g strong unbleached bread flour (spelt flour works fine)

1. Place water, milk powder, yeast, sugar and salt into Thermomix bowl and mix on speed 2 for 10 seconds. Leave for one minute.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix on dough setting for 4 minutes.
3. Leave to rise in bowl until MC starts to pop out.
4. Add any remaining ingredients for the type of roll or bun you're making and shape as required. Use a silpat mat if necessary.
5. Place in baking tin and cover with a clean tea towel.
6. Leave to prove in a warm place until doubled in size. This can take 2 to 2 ½ hours in winter.
7. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 200C oven.

Dinner Rolls

Shape dough into 9 small balls and place into 20cm square tin. Continue as per Master Recipe and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 200C oven.
Cool on a wire rack, keeping the rolls together. Or, place into a basket that's lined with a clean tea towel to keep warm for the dinner table.


Hot Cross Buns
Add with flour:
2 Tbsp mixed spice (I blend 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp mixed spice, ¼ tsp nutmeg and ¼ tsp ground cloves)
Once proven in bowl, add 1 cup mixed fruit and knead for a further 20 seconds or so to incorporate.
Cut into 9 even pieces and shape into a ball. To do this, cup hands around a piece of dough and continue pushing dough to the underside until the top is smooth and round.
Place into a 20cm square cake pan and allow to rise. When nearly ready to bake, heat oven to 200C and make piping mixture.

Piping Mixture
1 Tbsp plain flour
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp macadamia oil

Mix together in a small bowl. Place into a small ziplock bag and cut a tiny piece from one corner. Pipe horizontal then vertical lines on the rolls to make the crosses.
Bake for 20 minutes or until they are nicely golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Try to keep in one piece.
Glaze if desired.

Glaze
2 Tbsp Rapadura
2 Tbsp water

Place in a small saucepan and stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to the boil and allow to boil for 20 seconds. Use a pastry brush to brush over warm rolls.

Flat Hamburger Rolls

Make the master recipe.
Divide dough into 6 and shape each into a ball. Place into a large shallow sided (about 2 cm, enough for rolls to rise) baking tray and press down, making sure there’s plenty to space between each bun. Cover with a silpat mat or well greased foil.  
Place another tray on top of the mat and prove as per instructions. Use 2 tea towels to cover completely.
Bake with tray still on top.

Finger Buns

Make the master recipe, adding the extra sugar.
Divide dough into 6 even pieces. Roll each into a ball, then flatten and roll up to make a sausage shape. Place into a medium sized oven dish or tray, so they have a little room between them, to prove.
Bake as per master recipe.
Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Place icing ingredients into Thermomix with butterfly attached.
Blend on speed 2, then increase to speed 4 until creamy.
Ice buns and then sprinkle with coconut.

Icing
1 ½ cups icing sugar
100g soft butter
1 Tbsp milk
Natural pink food colouring, optional
Desiccated coconut, optional

Sweet Scrolls

Make master recipe.
Shape dough into a rectangle on a silpat mat.
Brush dough with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
Roll dough up from long end into a log. Cut into 9 pieces and place into small square baking dish.
Continue as per master recipe.
Mix icing ingredients together. Leave scrolls for 10 minutes to cool a little, then pour over.


Spice Mixture
60g butter, melted
100g rapadura or coconut sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Icing
1 cup icing sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp hot water
1 tsp vanilla

Savoury Scrolls

Make as for sweet scrolls, using only 1 Tbsp sugar. Use fillings such as grated parmesan and herbs, bacon and cheese, pizza sauce, cheese and salami or wherever your imagine leads you.

[judydawn]

Lot of work been done in your test kitchen MJ, thanks for sharing.

[Cornish Cream]

Superb work MJ

[achookwoman]

MJ,  love the variations.  Think I would like my basic recipe without the sugar and only add it to the sweet versions.   Just a personal taste thing. 

[Kimmyh]

Wow MJ lots of variations. Thanks for sharing.

[cookie1]

Thanks MJ. I'm like Chookie in that I only add sugar to sweet bread and rolls. Lots of variations for people to try.

[meganjane]

I'm not usually into sugar in my bread, either. But even the savoury buns tasted delicious with that sugar! Leave it out, it's not an issue. Up until recently, I'd only made sweet rolls with this recipe, but when I made the savoury scrolls, I kept the same amount of sugar. I use rapadura, so it's not quite as sweet as regular sugar.

[Itsnotartitsdinner]

Looking forward to trying. Thanks MJ!