Soft light n airy dinner rolls generously smeared with a rice flour topping that bakes into interesting crunchy streaks!
An absolute delight to behold!
Courtesy: Jeff Yankellow
I like to crack a roll open, pulling with my hands.
Soak torn bread in the richly flavored oil and enjoy..Mmmm! 🙂
You will need:
5 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup milk powder
2 cups luke-warm water
1 heaped tsp instant Yeast
2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp butter
Some extra flour for sprinkling.
Method:
Making the dough…
Empty out some flour in a mixing bowl.
Using a spoon or whisk, aerate the flour by whisking it.
Now measure out 5 level cupfuls of the aerated flour in another large mixing bowl.
Add the salt, sugar, yeast, butter and milk powder to the measured flour.
Add the 2 cups of Luke warm water.
Using a wooden spoon, slowly bring the dough together.
At this stage the dough will look rough n shaggy.
Sprinkle some flour on top of dough…
and flip dough onto work surface.
Folding the dough…
Pick up top corners of dough,
and fold to meet bottom corners.
Using palm of your hand gently push dough back.
Give a 90 degree turn to the dough, so that the seam faces left. Repeat this process folding
and pushing dough for the next 4-5 minutes.
Now mid-way cover dough and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Once again, fold and push dough for another 4-5 minutes, till it resembles a smooth ball.
Grease a mixing bowl.
Transfer dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap.
Allow to rise for 1 hour or till it more than doubles in volume.
For the topping…
Meanwhile prepare the rice flour topping.
Make a thick paste using, 1 cup rice flour
1 heaped tsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
A hefty pinch of salt
2-3 drops of oil.
Cover this paste with. Plastic wrap and rest for atleast 30 minutes.
Shaping and proofing the dough…
Once the dough doubles, transfer dough to a lightly floored surface.
Lightly pat with fingers and flatten slightly.
Cut horizontally into two sections. Each section will make about 12 small dinner rolls.
We will work with one section at a time.
Starting from the top gently, yet tightly roll dough, pinching down seams after each roll.
Repeat rolling and pinching till…
the entire section is rolled into a uniform cylinder, with the seam tightly pinched close.
Now flip roll so that seam side faces down. Gently roll the dough with your hands to make a thin uniform cylinder.
Mark and cut into 12 uniform pieces.
Repeat the same process with the second half of the dough to get 24 dinner rolls.
Shaping the rolls…
Take 1 cut piece of dough. Flip to keep the smooth side at the bottom. Press gently with fingers to deflate slightly.
Using your fingers, pinch corners, fold and bring to the middle.
Move in a concentric circle, till all the corners are pinched in.
Flip dough to bring smooth side on top. Then using your hands, tuck dough in from all sides to further tighten the ball of dough.
Repeat this process with all 24 pieces.
Baking the rolls…
Place freshly shaped rolls on a greased baking sheet, ready to be topped with the rice flour paste.
Spread the rice flour topping on each roll quite liberally.
Move quickly, as you want to spread the topping on all the rolls…before the rolls start proofing!
Now proof rolls for 30-40 minutes.
Place rolls in a 375F preheated oven in the middle rack for about 20 minutes. Place a dish of hot water in the bottom rack, to steam dough, for firm robust outer crust.
After 5-6 minutes. Remove pan of water and continue to bake.
Increase temperature to 400F for the last 2-3 minutes of baking for a darker crust.
Once out of the oven transfer rolls to wire rack to cool.
Enjoy these delicious rolls with Rosemary infused Olive oil, butter or any spread you like.
