Fresh Rolls
Sandwich Rolls
The weather over the next few days is going to over 100 degrees here and is supposed to stay there for a while. When it gets that hot I look for things to make for dinner that satisfy and yet don’t heat up the house even more than usual. Tonight as the sun went down I started mixing up some dough to make a few rolls that we could have decent sandwichs on just in case the heats gets to me too much and I really don’t feel like cooking. I noticed that because it is so hot and humid out that I had to add more flour to my normal recipe for these rolls. I topped the with different things to give us some variety, some have caraway seeds, some have dehydrated onions that I reconstitute before putting them on the dough and others have a mix of Italian spices. When they are all cooled off well I will wrap most of them and put them in the freezer, they defrost quickly on the counter in the southern heat.
Sandwich Rolls
The crust on these is slightly crispy but the interior is nice and soft and light so you’re not stuffed when you eat a nice sandwich on them, unless of course you go a little overboard with the filling you choose.
My Sandwich Rolls
1 medium potato, boiled and mashed or put thru ricer, cooled
4 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup water
1 cup milk
4-5 cups flour (depending on humidity in your area)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast, you can use less for a longer rise time
I use a DLX or Bosch mixer depending on my mood the day I am baking, tonight I used the DLX, I haven’t ever tried to do this in my old KitchenAid mixer.
Add all the ingredients, except the flour and salt to the mixer bowl and mix together for 1 minute until they are all combined. When they are all combined start adding the flour by the half cupfuls until you have added half of it, stop the machine and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to hydrate the flour. After the rest turn the machine back on and add the salt and again start adding the rest of the flour until the dough is no longer sticky, you may not need all of the flour, the dough should feel slightly tacky but shouldn’t stick to your hands. When you reach the tacky stage remove the dough to a buttered large bowl and turn over so the whole dough is coated with the butter, cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place until it is almost doubled in size. When it is about doubled remove it to the counter and shape your rolls however you like, coat with one egg mixed with 2 tablespoons of water, brush the egg on the shaped rolls and then sprinkle with your toppings, slash the tops, cover them with the towel for 30-45 minutes to allow them to rise again and then bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees. Place on rack to cool and never wrap them while they are still warm. Enjoy them with your favorite lunch meats and cheeses.
Sandwich Rolls
These sandwich breads look wonderful!
Kuby,
They came out really good and I am so glad I made them last night. It is brutally hot here today and there is no way I want to even go near my kitchen and turn on a burner to cook today. I’ve got some nice Rosemary Ham and different cheese and thats what I am having on one of these. Hubby will have some dry salami on his, probably with some mild provolone. If this heatwave doesn’t break for the next few days at least I have enough rolls here to feed us. Mattie
I will try making these today or tomorrow for my husbands lunches. I don’t have a really good quality mixer, but I do have an older kitchen aid with dough hook and a great bread machine. I can probably use the bread machine if I cut the liquid and add less flour. When you cut slits in the bread, add the egg and toppings, are they ready to go into the oven or do you do that before the second rise? When I shape rolls, I just tear off pieces of the punched down dough and shape. Do you flatten with rolling pin? Can I roll them between my hands into a tube? Also… storing in plastic while warm.. this won’t make them soggy? I do notice my homemade breads don’t last more then a few days, I always make sure they are completely cool but maybe that’s not the way to go.
Kuby,
Never wrap them when they are the least bit warm or they will get soggy, let them cool down all the way first then wrap them. I only wrap them when I am going to freeze them as I did with these. I brush them with the egg wash right after I shape them, add the toppings and then cover and allow to rise again, when risen I then slash them and into the oven they go. Most lean doughs, those with no fats or dairy in them will go stale very quick and even most doughs that have fat and dairy added will go stale quicker than we are used to with store bought breads and rolls because we aren’t adding all the preservatives they do to the dough. I forgot to add that I also give them a spritz of water right as they go into the oven, it helps them not form a crust before they have a chance to get a nice oven spring.
Kuby, I forgot to answer your question about how I form them. I don’t use a rolling pin as it deflates the dough too much. I take a piece of dough and pat it gently out to a rectangle, then fold in the corners and then roll it up tightly and pinch the bottom seam to seal them, then I roll them like a child play with clay to make a snake, I roll them until they are about 12 inches long and then onto the pan they go, that’s for the hero rolls. For the round ones I take a piece of dough and cup my hand over it and just roll it around until it forms a tight ball, don’t flour the counter to do this as you want the sticky traction the counter provides so you can form a tight skin on the top, when done they go onto the pan. When they are all formed then I brush them with the egg white and add the toppings, cover and allow them to rise again, when risen I slash the tops and using a simple spray bottle I mist the tops and into the oven the pans go. The small round ones are often done before the long heros are.