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three dinner rolls stacked in a circle on a small white plate on a white marble backdrop

How To Make Simple Dinner Rolls

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  • Author: Bianca
  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8 dinner rolls 1x
  • Category: side, breakfast
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: bread, vegan
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

5-ingredient vegan dinner rolls that are simple to make, light and fluffy. Perfect for dinner, breakfast, sides and holiday meals.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (plus more for kneading)*
  • 2 tablespoons organic coconut sugar (I have also successfully used maple syrup instead)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 7 grams (2 ¼ teaspoons) instant/dry/ rapid-rise yeast
  • 325 ml (1 1/3 cup + 2 tsp) lukewarm water**

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl add the flour.

In a separate mug or mixing bowl add in the lukewarm water*** and stir in the yeast, salt and coconut sugar. Stir until well combined.

When I use only water and no milk I use my kettle and set it to 40 Celsius degrees. I wait a few seconds and use that water as my lukewarm water.

If you are using (part) plant-based milk then add the milk to a separate mixing bowl (or small saucepan over medium heat) until warm. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and with a fork combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface.

Knead until smooth and compact. Simply fold the batter to the middle, creating a ball of dough. Start with little pressure and end with more pressure by using the palms of your hand.

Add only more flour to make a soft dough and to prevent a sticky dough.

Cover with a clean towel and let proof/rest for 45 minutes at room temperature.

Flour the dough lightly and divide into 8 pieces. I find the easiest to do that with a knife.

Create little buns by folding the dough to the middle (same technique as before). You want to create little balls.

Score the rolls gently with a knife. Scoring is the technique term for cutting bread dough before baking. It creates weak spots in the crust, allowing for expansion instead of burst seams.

Place on a lined baking sheet.

Cover and let proof until doubled in size – about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C).

Bake for about 20 minutes on the top tray, or until fluffy and light golden brown. Keep an eye on it as times may vary depending on your oven.

Serve immediately or store them loosely covered with a kitchen towel for up to 3 days on the counter.


Notes

* you can substitute the white flour with about 1/3 whole-wheat pastry flour

** for a more milky bun you an sub this with a plant-based milk such as soy milk. But again this needs to be lukewarm. Another option is lukewarm water and 1/3 lukewarm plant-based milk.

*** lukewarm generally means about 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit/38.5 Celsius.

You could freeze these rolls for up to a month. For freezing pre-bake the rolls, then when ready to serve, let the rolls thaw, rise for about 30 minutes, and then bake.