Nov 24, 2021

Dinner Rolls

Dinner rolls hot from the oven and straight to the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Fresh, homemade dinner rolls with fluffy soft interiors begging to be slathered in melty butter just can't be beat. No holiday dinner table is complete without them, so why not skip the store-bought and really deliver something special.

Thankfully, dinner rolls are quite easy to make for anyone with a little time and patience and they can be made dairy-free if needed. With the prep tips in the directions below, you'll know how to tell when the dough is ready and how to quickly form them into the round bundles of deliciousness the whole table will be waiting for.

Ingredients

(Makes 16 servings)

1 cup (250ml) 2% milk, warm (lactose-free or almond milk if necessary)
1/2 cup (125ml) water, warm
1/4 cup (57g) plant-based butter, melted
1/4 cup (50g) monk fruit sweetener (or granulated sugar)
1 packet active dry yeast, (or 2.25 teaspoons)
4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour (plus additional for dusting)
1 teaspoon (6g) salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon avocado oil
seasoned salt or cornmeal (optional)

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl, add the milk, water, melted butter, and sweetener then mix well. Add the yeast and mix. Let stand to proof for 5 or 6 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk one egg and add it to the proofed yeast mixture. Stir then pour into the flour. Mix until it begins to form a dough. Lightly flour a flat work surface and turn out the dough. Begin kneading until the dough becomes smooth (about 10 minutes). If the dough becomes too sticky, add a little additional flour. The dough is ready when a piece stretched into a square doesn't tear. Form the dough into a ball.

Add a light coating of avocado oil to a large bowl and turn the ball of dough into the bowl. Rub a very light coating of the oil over the ball to prevent it from drying then cover with a kitchen towel or clingwrap. Set it aside in a warm area to rise until it has doubled in size (about an hour to 90 minutes).

Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Set aside.

Punch the dough down then lightly flour the work surface before turning the dough out. Knead for 3 or 4 more minutes then divide into 16 pieces roughly the same size. Roll each piece of dough on the work surface with a loosely cupped hand to form a ball then stretch the surface so that the tops of each are smooth, tucking the sides down and underneath.

Place the dough balls onto the sheet pan and cover with towel or clingwrap for an additional 30 minutes. After 20 minutes, begin preheating the oven to 375˚F / 190˚C.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with a teaspoon of water. Remove the covering from the dough balls and brush each with the egg wash. Optional: Sprinkle lightly with seasoned salt or cornmeal.

With a sharp knife or bread lame, make a shallow cut across the centre of each dough ball. This is to control the way the buns rise and split as they bake. Bake until the buns have doubled in size and become light golden brown (about 30 minutes). Serve warm from the oven or let cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: