Bread Rolls

Ingredients

"Wet" Ingredients

3/4 cup + 1-3 tbs warm water (80 F) 

2 tbs butter or olive oil

3 1/2 tbs sugar

2 tbs dry milk (or substitute 1/4 c of the water with fresh whole milk)

1 tsp salt

Dry Ingredients

2 tsp dry yeast or 1 1/2 tsp bread machine (fast rise) yeast

3 cups bread flour (or 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups white bread flour)

Topping: 1/4 cup milk or cream + 1 tbs sugar

Oven: 350F

Procedure

For breadmaker: place all the wet ingredients in the bread pan. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet. Run machine on Dough setting. When finished, remove dough and cut into 6-8 pieces and roll into smooth balls (or fold the tops to the middle of the bottom until the top is stretched into a roll then pinch the bottoms to seal). Place on a parchment-lined baking pan and brush with the milk/sugar mixture. Cover with oiled cling film and a towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes. When doubled in size, uncover, brush again and bake in a medium-hot oven (350F) for about 15-20 minutes. Remove when the tops look golden brown. 

By hand or mixer with a dough hook: place dry ingredients in a big bowl and stir together with a clean hand. Make a hole in the center and place all the wet ingredients. Knead for 5-10 minutes until thoroughly mixed and the dough is smooth and stretchy. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size. Remove onto a clean flat surface dusted with a little flour. Knead the dough for 5 more minutes until it is soft and smooth. Cut into 6-8 pieces and roll into balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan and brush with the milk/sugar mixture. Cover with oiled cling film and a towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes. When doubled in size, uncover, brush again and bake in a medium-hot oven (350F) for about 15-20 minutes. Remove when the tops look golden brown. 

I like to serve them with room temperature salted butter and honey or jam. They're perfect for hamburgers or sandwiches and never last more than a day. If any are left, wrap in parchment and then place in an air-tight container or fridge, or freeze them.

Let me know how they turned out and how fast they disappeared!