Continental Rolls Recipes

SOFT DINNER ROLLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/rubber spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula is a better choice.*
• Add the remaining sugar, egg, butter, salt, and 1 cup flour. With a dough hook or paddle attachment, mix/beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough, similar to the photos and video above. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.
• Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 full minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3 full minutes. (See video tutorial above if you need a visual of kneading dough by hand.)
• Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
• Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or two 9-inch square or round baking pans. You can also bake the rolls in a cast iron skillet or on a lined baking sheet.*
• When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 14-16 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it- doesn't need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a smooth ball. I do this entirely in my hands and you can watch in the video tutorial above. Arrange in prepared baking pan.
• Cover shaped rolls with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until puffy, about 1 hour.
• Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). (It's best to bake the rolls towards the bottom of the oven so the tops don't burn.)
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven, brush with optional honey butter topping, and allow rolls to cool for a few minutes before serving.
• Cover leftover rolls tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

CONTINENTAL ROLLS

Steps:

• Combine the warm water, agave nectar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (not bread hook). Use a wooden spoon or whisk to mix well. Make sure the yeast is completely dissolved.
• Whisk together the flour mix, xanthan gum, and salt. Add to the yeast mixture in two batches and beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the dough is combined, about 1 minute.
• Dust a baking sheet liberally with cornmeal.
• Use a rubber spatula to turn out the dough onto a well-floured board. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour mix, pat into a disk, and cut in half. Roll the dough into two 12-inch logs. Cut one log into 4 pieces. Shape into 3 by 3-inch rectangles. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other log. Spray the tops of the rolls with baking spray. Cover the rolls with a clean dish towel or tea towel. Place a pan of very hot water in the bottom of the oven. Put the baking sheet with the rolls in the oven, with the oven turned off. Let rise for 1 hour. In the last 20 minutes of the rise, remove the rolls from the oven, replace the pan of hot water with new hot water (this will create steam, which gives you that coveted crunchy crust), and preheat the oven to 375°F. Let the rolls continue to rise on the counter while the oven is heating. Brush the tops of the rolls gently with cold water. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, brush the rolls again with cold water, return to the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes longer, or until the rolls are lightly golden on top. Transfer the rolls to a cooling rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm. To reheat, place in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, directly on the rack.
• Instead of using baking spray, you can also melt 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening and brush the rolls with it using a pastry brush.