As it is Christmas time I thought I wouldn’t be baking for a week or so, but I had the urge. At first I was going to try to make some pretzels, but having read the recipes I decided that was just too much work for today. So I opted to make some soft white rolls. I usually only eat wholemeal bread, but sometimes I have a hankering for some white bread. So these rolls will be ideal. I can freeze them in twos, and just take them out when the fancy takes me.
They are also very simple to make, so that is a bonus as well. They just take a while, as they rest for a total of about 2.5 hours.
You can dust the rolls with flour before putting in the oven. But I don’t bother as I don’t like excess flour making a mess.
Ingredients:
- 500g/1lb 2oz unbleached strong white flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried yeast
- 30g/1oz butter or lard, softened
- 75ml/2½fl oz milk, warmed
- 225ml/8fl oz warm water
- Rice flour for dusting
Method:
- Add the flour, salt and dried yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix with the paddle attachment for a few seconds. You can do this manually in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the softened butter into the flour mixture and beat until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
- Mix the warm milk with the water.
- Change the paddle attachment to the kneading attachment, if you are using a stand mixer.
- Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat until the dough is well combined. If doing by hand bring the dough together into a ball.
- Knead the dough in the stand mixer for about 13 minutes. If doing manually knead on a floured work surface for 20 minutes, or until the dough is elastic and smooth. If necessary add a little more warm water to loosen the dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingflim. Allow to prove for 90 mins in a warm place. The dough should double in size.
- When the dough has risen, return it to a floured work surface and knock it back.
- Separate the mixture into eight parts and roll each into a ball. Flatten each slightly with the palm of your hand and transfer the rolls to a baking tray, placing them close together. Cover the tray with cling film and set aside for another hour, or until the rolls have doubled in size again.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/425F/Gas 7.
- When the rolls have expanded, dust them with the rice flour(if you wish) and transfer them to the oven.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through.