What’s better than fresh, hot, buttery rolls to go along with dinner? Not much, friends, not much. But since rolls can be kind of an intimidating venture to take on at home, we often find ourselves turning to that familiar refrigerated tube. Or the bagged brown-and-serve variety. And those are both serviceable dinner accompaniments, sure. But we all know there’s nothing quite like homemade… and with this easy roll recipe, there’s just no reason to resort to storebought! Because these are done in just an hour. That’s it! They’re the perfect roll for beginning bread makers. They’re simple to make and buttery and soft and pretty much heaven-sent.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Sunflower seeds and oats, for topping (optional)
PREPARATION
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a muffin tin with butter, set aside.
Add milk, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the butter to a small saucepan and set over low heat. Heat just until butter melts and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm (between 90° and 110°F).
Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and add warm water and yeast. Let sit until yeast becomes foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
Add 2 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and mix on low for 1 minute using a dough hook. With mixer on low, gradually add remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments. Mix until dough starts to hold together, about 2 minutes. Continue kneading on low until dough is smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes. (If you don’t have a stand mixer and dough hook, simply mix ingredients together by with a wooden spoon until dough holds together and sides of bowl are clean, and knead dough in bowl for 2-3 minutes.)
Grease a large bowl with nonstick spray or oil, and place the dough in it, turning dough over to grease top. Cover with a dry, clean towel and set to rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them into balls, about 1 inch big. Place three balls in each muffin cup.
Cover pan with a clean dish towel and set in a warm place to rise for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt remaining butter and set aside.
Brush rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with oats and seeds, if using. Bake until golden brown, about 9-12 minutes. Enjoy!
Adapted from I Heart Eating.