Italian-Style Rolls

Kittencalskitchen's Note:

I have made these buns many times, there wonderful with a pasta dinner, they bake out beautifully with a crispy light golden crust, you will get 8 large buns with this recipe! If you reside in the U.S. then use all bread flour, Canadian residents may use all-purpose flour --- I most always add in 1-1/2 cups of finely cubed cheddar towards the end of kneading, it really adds flavor to these buns

• Total Time: 2 hrs 22 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 22 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 8 buns

• 1 ½ cups water , divided
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 teaspoons yeast
• 3 ½ cups white flour (might need more)
• 1 teaspoon salt (can use 1-1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted butter (can use 3 tablespoons)

Directions:

1. Place the kneader attachment onto the stand mixer.
2. Proof the yeast with 1 teaspoon sugar in 3/4 cup water for 10 minutes or until foamy.
3. In the stainless steel mixing bowl place 3-1/2 cups flour, salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and melted butter.
4. When the yeast has proofed add to the bowl along with 3/4 cup warm water.
5. Start kneading adding in more flour only if needed (total kneading time should take about 8 minutes) do not add in too much flour or the buns will be heavy, when finished kneading the dough should feel soft but semi-sticky and smooth and should stick to your hands only slightly when removing from the bowl.
6. Remove the dough to a very lightly flour-dusted surface; cover with clean tea towel and let rest 5 minutes.
7. Shape into a ball (the dough will come together nicely after resting).
8. Place into a large greased deep glass bowl.
9. Cover and let rise for about 60-90 minutes.
10. To check if the dough is ready to be punched down, very gently stick two fingers about 1/2-inch into the dough, the dough is ready when the finger marks remain.
11. Punch down dough and slice in half.
12. Slice each half into 4 even pieces.
13. Shape each piece into a round ball.
14. Place balls spacing well apart onto a 10 x 15-inch greased baking sheet (2 balls across and 4 balls down).
15. Cover and let rise 30-40 minutes.
16. Bake at 375 for about 22 minutes or until light golden brown.

Reviews

[Jezski]

Good rolls. I also made them in the bread machine and found that I needed a lot more flour. Maybe I measured wrong to start with. Nice texture and flavor and they did not even dry out the next day. I brushed with water and sprinkled with sea salt crystals. A keeper of a recipe!. . . . . . Janet

[Chef shapeweaver ©]

After seeing Chef Karen=^..^='s wonderful photos of these rolls,I knew I had to make them.And on 2/11/09 I did.Since there was just SO and myself I cut the recipe in half,and it seemed to do just fine.And as Chef Karen=^..^= did, I also used my bread machine to mix up the dough.The taste was very good,slightly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.I served these along side Meatloaf Parmesan and together they both made a very good Italian style meal. This recipe will be made again.Thanks for posting and, "Keep Smiling :)"

[Karen=^..^=]

The whole family loved these rolls. I tossed all of the ingredients into my bread machine and used the dough cycle (I used the higher amounts of butter and salt and needed a little more bread flour). When the cycle was completed, I punched the dough down, let it rest the 5 minutes and formed into balls. The dough was a little sticky, but I oiled my hands and that helped. Before baking, I brushed the rolls with olive oil and sprinkled with Italian seasoning. Mine were done perfectly in about 20 minutes. Served these with Spaghetti topped with My Mama Iuliucci's "Don't Skip a Step" Spaghetti Sauce and Mama Iuliucci's Famous Meat-A-Balls (Italian Meatballs) and they were the perfect complement to this meal. Note: if you want your rolls to stay crispy, don't cover them in the bread basket. If you want them to be softer, like for hamburger buns, cover the bread basket with a tea towel. These were great both ways, but we preferred the crispy crust with this Italian meal. Thanks, Kit, for posting!