Rustic Dinner Rolls

These Rustic Dinner Rolls are my new favorite. Crusty, airy, and tender, they’re roll perfection.  People will think you bought them from an expensive bakery. We love these rolls!

These Rustic Dinner Rolls are my new found love.

I’ve made them three times in the last week and I’m guessing they will be gracing our table again at least once this week. I can’t get enough of them, either can my boys. I sent some down to my friend Heather and she called me and said Evan (her husband) would like some more rolls please.

They are fabulous! They taste like they came from a European-style bakery.  It’s hard to stop at just one or two.  There may have been someone in this house who ate four with their dinner the other night . . . . Hmmm wonder who that could have been?

I have always had a weakness for bread, especially the yummy artisan bread that is so crispy on the outside but chewy and tender on the inside.  These rolls are just that! They are light, chewy, yet perfectly crisp. They are out of this world and that is no exaggeration!

BUT . . . .

Here are something you need to know. . . . These rolls are simple to make — I PROMISE!  The list of ingredients is short and sweet. BUT they take a long time with all the raising that you’ve got going on.  Don’t let the LONG directions scare you away.  I know they look daunting but I promise you these are so easy to make.  Just know that you will need to start making these about 3 to 3 1/2 hours before you’re wanting to eat them.

The process is easy, it’s just long but worth every single second — I promise!

Rustic Dinner Rolls

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★★★★

3.7 from 3 reviews

• Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 16 rolls 1x

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Description

These Rustic Dinner Rolls are my new favorite. Crusty, airy, and tender, they’re roll perfection.  People will think you bought them from an expensive bakery.

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Ingredients

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• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon water, at room temperature)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon rapid rise or instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 3 cups plus 1 tablespoon  bread flour
• 3 Tbsp. Whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

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Instructions

 

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk water, yeast and honey. Add the flours and mix on low speed with dough hook until dough forms a ball, about 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the plastic wrap and evenly sprinkle the salt over the dough. Knead on low speed for 5 minutes. If the dough creeps up the attachment, stop the mixer and scrape it down. Increase speed to medium and mix for 1 more minute. If the dough is really sticky, add 1 more tablespoons flour and mix in well. Grease a large bowl and transfer dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
3. With dough still in bowl, fold the dough over itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and fold again. Rotate the bowl again a quarter turn and fold dough once more. Cover with plastic wrap and and rise for 30 minutes. Repeat the folding process and cover again and let raise for 30 minutes. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans, set aside.
4. Transfer the dough to a floured counter and sprinkle the top with more flour. Using a dough scraper (or large knife if you don’t have one), cut the dough in half and gently stretch each half into a 16-inch cylinder. Divide each cylinder in half and then each half into 4 pieces (16 total pieces). Dust the top of each piece with more flour. With floured hands, gently pick up each piece and roll in your palms to coat with flour, shake off excess and place in the prepared cake pan. Arrange 8 dough pieces in each cake pan placing one in the middle and the others around it, cut side up. Losely cover the pans with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
6. Remove the plastic wrap and spray the rolls lightly with water.  Bake for 10 minutes until the tops of the rolls are brown.
7. Reduce the oven temp to 400 degrees
8. Remove rolls from the oven and invert both cake pans onto a rimmed baking sheet.  Wait a few minutes and then turn roll right side up and pull them apart and space them evenly on the baking sheet.  Continue to bake them until the rolls develop a deep golden brown crust and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 10-15 minutes.  Rotate the baking sheet half-way though.  Transfer the rolls to a wire rack.
9. The rolls can be store in a Ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.  To recrisp the crust, place the rolls in a 450 degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes.

Notes

1. I know it seems strange and possibly pointless switching the rolls to a bigger pan for the last 10 minutes of cooking but don’t skip this step.  By pulling the rolls apart and spacing them onto a bigger pan for the last few minutes of cooking time, all sides of the rolls crisp up and there won’t be any soft spots.

• Prep Time: 3 hours
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Breads

Recipe Source: The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2010