These Bread Machine Dinner rolls are super-easy, buttery, soft and delicious. Use your bread machine to make the dough, while you focus on other things!
I recently made these rolls for a dinner party, along with my Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts and Roasted Spring Vegetables, and they were a huge hit! Dwaine has asked me to make them again and – because they are so easy – I’m happy to oblige.
Bread Machine Dinner Rolls
Making dough in your bread machine is a little trick that will help you get more accomplished in less time. It takes all the kneading and first proofing off of your hands, so that all you need to do is form the rolls and bake. It’s even simpler and more reliable than using that frozen dough (which, by the way, how long has that bag of rolls been in the freezer anyway?)
I use a good quality Williams-Sonoma bread machine I picked up at a garage sale. I did have to search online for a current instruction manual, but other than that, it has worked fine for me for years. And because it has a built-in warmer, it’s perfect for proofing my bread so that I don’t have to figure out where to put my big bowl of dough.
Though here’s a secret – you can proof dough very well in your Instant Pot! Just grease the stainless steel bowl, add the dough, set the machine to “Yogurt” for 1 hour, cover with a simple lid and you’re all set!
How I Do It
My bread machine instructs me to add the liquid ingredients first, then the dry, and the yeast added last. This is because my machine has a built-in warmer. You don’t want to activate the yeast first, as the warmer will keep the dough at a good temperature, and if you pre-activate the yeast, you’ll get it way too excited! I’ve come back to an overproofed mess before!
So, my order is, Milk, Eggs, Sugar, Salt, Flour. Make a small well in the flour and add the yeast. Leave the butter out until the regular dough has had a chance to form. After about ten minutes of mixing and kneading, add the softened butter to the mixture. (It’s perfectly fine to leave the lid open on your machine during the kneading.)
As it mixes, you may need to help the butter incorporate by pushing it down carefully with a spatula. Eventually it will all blend in well.
Let It Complete the First Proof
After the butter is incorporated, replace the lid and let the machine do it’s thing. It will probably take about an hour and a half in total to finish the first rise. It may finish up with a punch down phase or not, but either way, once the dough is proofed, it’s ready to form into rolls.
Forming the Rolls
There are a few tricks to forming rolls. Basically, you want the surface of the dough to remain smooth and not torn, so handle the dough gently. This video will help you understand what you’re going for when making a smooth, round dinner roll:
Once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll figure out what you’re going for – you really need to feel it as you’re doing it.
Second Proofing.
Once you’ve formed all your rolls and placed them in your dish, you need to proof them one more time. I just cover mine with a light tea towel and place them in a relatively warm spot – over my dishwasher usually works pretty well. The second proofing will take about an hour.
Ready to Bake!
Once the rolls have been proofed, I like to top them with an egg wash to give them a nice shine. Just mix an egg with 1 tablespoon of water and whip it together with a fork until blended. Use a pastry brush to coat the top of each roll and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt.
Bake the rolls in a 350°F oven for 25 minutes, or until brown as they are here. Enjoy!
Bread Machine Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 1 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast 5 g
- 1/4 cup Sugar 57 g
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 cups Bread Flour 575 g Or high protein flour like Hungarian
- 3 lg Eggs Plus 1 egg for egg wash
- 1/2 cup Butter Softened, and cut into 1-inch chunks
- Sea Salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Assemble your bread machine and select the "Dough" setting. Don't forget the paddle!
- Add in this order (or the order recommended by your bread machine): Milk, Eggs, Sugar, Salt, Flour. Make a small well in the flour and add the yeast.
- Turn on the machine and let it blend and knead the dough for about ten minutes. Add the butter chunks. Make sure the butter is kneaded in well. You may need to help it along by pushing it down with a spatula.
- Grease a 9X13" baking dish.
- Let the cycle complete the first rise, then remove the dough to a floured surface.
- Give the dough four or five kneads to de-gas and form a ball. Divide the dough into twelve pieces and form a smooth ball from each piece.
- Place each ball into the baking dish. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let proof for another hour.
- Make an egg wash by adding a tablespoon of water to an egg and beating it well. With a pastry brush, coat the top of each roll with the wash. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
- Bake in a pre-heated 350°F oven for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
If you are looking for a really good bread machine . . .
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