YEAST ROLLS

Yeast Rolls image

Provided by Ruth Cousineau

Categories Bread Side Bake Christmas Thanksgiving Fall Winter Honey Gourmet Sugar Conscious Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher

Yield Makes 18

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Ingredients

1/4 cup warm water (105-115°F)
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon mild honey
2 teaspoons salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk at room temperature
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for greasing bowl
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Special Equipment
an instant-read thermometer (for checking water temperature); a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth); parchment paper

Steps:

Stir together water, yeast, and honey in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
Stir salt into 3 cups flour in a large bowl, then add yeast mixture, buttermilk, and butter, stirring until a soft dough forms.
Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead, adding just enough more flour to prevent sticking, until smooth and elastic, 6 to 10 minutes.
Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Cut dough into 18 equal pieces. Cup your hand over 1 piece and, using your thumb and pinkie to keep ball inside your cupped hand, push dough with heel of your hand against work surface while rolling in a circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise) to form a smooth ball. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough, arranging balls 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with kitchen towel and let rolls rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
Brush rolls lightly with egg wash and bake until rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool at least 15 minutes.