Softest and most flavorful butter rolls! Rich in buttery goodness, these rolls are irresistibly delicious. With my fast-rising single-proof dough, you can whip up a batch in 90 minutes or less, making it ideal for any day when you yearn for scrumptious bread.**See recipe notes for overnight rising instructions.
Place milk and 1 tsp sugar in a microwave-safe cup. Heat for 30 seconds. Check if the temperature is LUKEWARM by dipping your finger or a kitchen thermometer. If it's still cold, heat for another 10 seconds until it reaches 40c/104f.
Add yeast, stir and let it proof for 10 minutes until it froths.
Prepare other ingredients
Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine flour, salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine. Separate egg yolks from the egg whites. Set aside.
Knead the dough
Add proofed yeast and eggs to the flour mixture. Stir with a spatula until just combined. Attach the dough hook and turn the mixer on to the lowest speed. Add the cubes of butter one at a time while running the mixer at medium-low speed. Beat for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Increase speed to medium-high. Beat for 10 to 12 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl every now and then. While beating, add flour as necessary until the dough becomes less sticky. Start with 2 tablespoons and go from there. I added about 4-5 tablespoons more bread flour.
Scrape the dough on a work surface dusted with flour. Form into a smooth bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Divide, Shape and Rise
Line baking tray with baking paper.
Divide the dough into 16 large rolls (approx 70g each) or 24 smaller rolls and shape into a smooth ball. For an evenly sized dough, use a kitchen scale. Mine was about 47g each to make 24 rolls. Adjust based on your preference.
Place the ball in the tray. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 30mins up to 40 mins depending on room temperature.
Baking
Preheat oven at 180c/356f, 20 minutes before the dough rolls finishes rising.
Gently brush the top of each roll with egg wash. This is optional.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the top turns light brown. If you're using two racks, switch the trays after 12 minutes so all the rolls will brown evenly.
Brush with a mixture of melted butter and honey while warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Milk temperature should be 30c/86f to 40c/104f. If it's too hot the yeast will die. If it's too cold, the yeast will not froth. You can use low-fat or full-cream fresh milk. I used 2% milk.
Flour - I find that combining 2 types of flour makes a soft yet chewy bread. You can use pure bread flour or just all-purpose flour if one or the other is not available.
Proving dough in colder months: Place a heatproof dish on the bottom rack of the oven and fill it with boiling water. Put the dough in the middle or top rack and shut the door. The steam and heat from the boiling water will create a warm environment to help raise the dough. You can also do this in an empty kitchen cabinet/cupboard so you can start preheating the oven while the rolls are rising.
Reduce the yeast amount to 2 1/4 tsp. Follow the same recipe up until the kneading.
Form the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a bowl greased with vegetable oil.
Cover the dough tightly and place it at room temperature for 10 minutes then place it in the refrigerator overnight. The cold temperature will slow down the rise but still allow the flavors to develop.
In the morning, take the dough out, let it come to room temperature.
Divide and shape the rolls, and continue with the final proofing and baking steps as usual.