Soft Yeast Dinner Rolls

Before you start

The softest dinner rolls rely on a simple trick borrowed from Asian milk breads. A small portion of the flour is cooked with milk into a thick paste, called tangzhong, before it goes into the dough. Cooked starch holds far more water than raw flour, so the rolls bake up moist and cloud-like and stay soft a day or two longer than a standard recipe.

The dough is enriched with egg, butter and sugar but is still easy to handle once kneaded. The rolls are shaped into tight balls and packed into one pan, where they rise into each other and bake with soft, tearable sides and golden tops. Pull them when the center roll hits the target temperature, brush with butter and serve warm.

Ingredients

• Tangzhong25 g (3 tbsp) bread flour
• 125 g (½ cup) whole milk
• Dough375 g (3 cups + 2 tbsp) bread flour
• 120 g (½ cup) whole milk — lukewarm
• 1 large egg — room temperature
• 35 g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
• 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 7 g (1¼ tsp) fine salt
• 45 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter — softened
• Finish2 tbsp melted butter
• as needed flaky salt — optional

Method

1. Whisk the 25 g flour and 125 g milk in a small saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until it thickens into a pudding-like paste that leaves trails, about 65°C (149°F). Scrape into the mixer bowl and cool until just warm, about 20 minutes.
2. Add the lukewarm milk and egg to the tangzhong and whisk to loosen. Add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt and mix on low for 2 minutes.
3. Knead on medium-low for 5 minutes, then add the butter a piece at a time. Knead 6 to 8 minutes more, until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky and stretches into a thin membrane.
4. Place in a greased bowl, cover and rise 60 to 90 minutes in a warm spot, until doubled.
5. Grease the pan. Divide the dough into 15 pieces of about 52 g. Shape each into a smooth ball by cupping it under your hand and rolling on an unfloured counter, then arrange in 3 rows of 5.
6. Cover and proof 45 to 60 minutes, until the rolls are puffy and pressing against each other. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) during the last 20 minutes.
7. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and 88°C (190°F) in the center roll. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with flaky salt if you like, and cool 15 minutes in the pan.

Tips for success

• Make the tangzhong up to a day ahead and refrigerate it covered; let it come to room temperature before mixing.
• Rolling the balls on a bare counter creates surface tension, which makes rounder rolls with smoother tops.
• For a soft crust all around, cover the pan loosely with a clean towel as the rolls cool.

Substitutions

Bread flour

All-purpose flour works and gives an even softer roll; reduce the dough milk by 10 g.

Whole milk

Oat or soy milk in the same weight, including in the tangzhong. The rolls brown slightly less.

Egg

Replace with 45 g milk. The rolls will be a little paler and less rich.

Variations

Make-ahead rolls

After shaping, cover tightly and refrigerate up to 18 hours. Let them sit at room temperature 1 to 1½ hours before baking.

Parmesan herb rolls

Brush the proofed rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and dried Italian herbs before baking.

Troubleshooting

Tangzhong turned lumpy

The heat was too high or you stopped whisking. Press it through a sieve, or start over at a lower heat.

Rolls are dense

The dough was under-kneaded or under-proofed. Knead until it forms a thin membrane, and proof until the rolls are touching and puffy.

Rolls stuck to the pan

Grease every corner, or line the pan with parchment for easy lifting.

Storage

Keep cooled rolls in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months and warm, wrapped in foil, at 175°C (350°F) for 10 minutes.

Safety notes

Do not taste raw dough; it contains raw egg and flour. Contains wheat, milk and egg.