Soft Buttery Dinner Rolls

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake up the yeast

   Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk in the sugar and yeast. It should feel like bathwater on your wrist — much hotter and you'll kill the yeast. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the surface looks foamy and smells faintly of bread. If nothing happens, your yeast is dead; start over with a fresh packet rather than hoping for the best.

2. 2

   Build the dough

   Add the egg, softened butter, salt, and 3 cups of the flour. Fit the dough hook and mix on low until the flour disappears, then add the remaining cup a few tablespoons at a time. Stop adding flour once the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl but still clings to the bottom. You may not need every last spoonful — humidity and how you scoop your flour both change the math.

3. 3

   Knead until springy

   Knead on medium-low for 6 to 8 minutes. The dough should turn smooth, glossy, and slightly tacky — if you press a finger into it, it should spring back most of the way and leave your finger clean-ish. Resist the urge to flour it into submission; a soft, slightly sticky dough is exactly what gives you a tender roll. By hand, this takes closer to 10 to 12 minutes on a lightly oiled counter.

4. 4

   First rise

   Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turn it once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let it rise somewhere warm and draft-free for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled and domed. A cold kitchen just means a longer wait — judge by size, not the clock.

5. 5

   Divide and shape

   Butter a 9×13-inch pan. Deflate the dough gently and turn it onto a very lightly floured counter. Divide into 12 equal pieces — a scale makes this painless, about 82g each. To shape, flatten a piece, pull the edges into the center to make a taut parcel, flip it seam-side down, and cup your hand over it, dragging it in small circles against the counter until it tightens into a smooth ball.

6. 6

   Second rise

   Arrange the balls in the pan in four rows of three, leaving about half an inch between them. Cover loosely and let rise 45 to 60 minutes, until puffy and just touching. Press one lightly with a fingertip: the dent should fill back in slowly. If it springs back instantly, give them more time.

7. 7

   Bake

   Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center about 20 minutes before the rolls are ready. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until deeply golden on top. For certainty, an instant-read thermometer in the center roll should read 190°F to 195°F. If the tops are browning faster than the centers are setting, tent loosely with foil for the last few minutes.

8. 8

   Butter and serve

   Brush the hot rolls generously with melted butter the moment they leave the oven — it soaks in and keeps the crust soft rather than crisp. Scatter flaky salt over the top if you like. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then pull apart and serve warm.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Weigh your flour if you can. Scooping straight from the bag can pack in an extra 30g per cup, which is the single most common reason homemade rolls come out dense and dry.

• 2.

  The dough should feel softer and stickier than you're comfortable with. That extra hydration turns to steam in the oven and is what makes the crumb cloudlike.

• 3.

  To get ahead: shape the rolls, cover the pan tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Pull the pan out 1 1/2 to 2 hours before baking to let them finish rising at room temperature.

• 4.

  No stand mixer is no problem. Mix with a sturdy spoon until shaggy, then knead by hand on an oiled rather than floured surface to avoid working in extra flour.

• 5.

  For a shinier, more burnished top, brush the risen rolls with an egg beaten with a tablespoon of milk just before baking, then butter them again when they come out.

• 6.

  An oven with just the light on makes a reliable proofing box on a cold day. So does a turned-off oven with a pan of just-boiled water on the rack below.

Equipment

• Stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
• 9×13-inch baking pan
• Digital kitchen scale
• Instant-read thermometer
• Bench scraper
• Pastry brush
• Large mixing bowl
• Plastic wrap or kitchen towel

Storage