Breadmaker Kicked-up Dinner Rolls

I wanted some bread to go with the Honey-butter Baked Chicken I made, so I decided to make some of my own.  These fluffy, buttery dinner rolls are not too sweet or flavorful on their own, great for soaking up pot roast gravy or soups.  I just wish I had some soup or gumbo to go with these!

Based on the recipe by Emeril Lagasse. Updated on 26 Dec 2020 with new pictures. I’ve also modified the recipe for the breadmaker and added a few shortcuts.

My first few tries making this, the liquids to flour ratio of this resulted in super wet dough which was impossible to knead, let alone shape into rolls. When I bake in my kitchen the humidity is almost always between 70% to 80%, so I’ve modified this recipe to factor in the additional moisture my dough would absorb from the air around it.

When revisiting this recipe I also learned something new about the science of breadmaking. Don’t skip the milk scalding step; this helps deactivate the proteins which would have weakened the gluten in your dough. Using scalded milk will yield fluffier (and clearly yummier) rolls. Here I’m sharing a simpler way of doing this using your microwave, easy peasy!

Start by scalding the milk. In a microwave-safe glass bowl or container, add the milk. Place a wooden chopstick or any other long microwaveable tool into the bowl. A small metal spoon is fine, in fact, as long as it doesn’t touch or get too close to the walls of the microwave. This breaks the surface of the milk and prevents it from boiling over.

Heat on high for 1 minute, then take out the milk and stir with a wooden spoon. Continue heating for another 1 minute.

Using an instant-read thermometer, check the temperature. You want the milk to be about 85 degrees C. If additional heating is needed, heat the milk on high for 30 seconds, stirring and checking the temperature each round until you reach the desired temperature.

Add 60 grams of the butter and sugar to the scalded milk and stir, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Allow the mixture to cool down to lukewarm, between 36.5 to 40.5 degrees C, before proceeding. I usually just quickly pop it in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes or so to speed up the process.

In your breadmaker pan, add the milk mixture, water and eggs.

Add the bread and plain flours, salt, creamer or milk powder, and yeast.

Transfer the pan to your machine and start the Dough program.  On the Kenwood BM450 this cycle takes 1 hour 30 minutes, at the end of which the dough should double in size. It was a super hot day the day I made this, and I still had about 10 minutes left on the timer when the dough already reached the brim of the breadmaker pan. Watch your dough, and take it out when it has doubled in size.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Using lightly oiled or floured hands, knead until smooth and elastic, 2 to 3 minutes.

Roll the dough out into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle.

Cut the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces, or 24 pieces if you prefer smaller rolls. I usually make my rolls smaller so they don’t run out too fast, and if I’m making this for dinner parties naturally you’d wanna make more portions depending on the number of guests.

Arrange the dough in a metal 9- by 13-inch pan. I usually roll up the dough pieces to ensure a better fit.

Cover and let rest in a warm place, until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan 160 degrees C).

Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining melted butter.

Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and bake, until golden brown and puffy, 18 to 20 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack.