Chris’s Hot Rolls
Lofty, pillowy, soft rolls, these yeasty wonders reflect a collaboration between Christopher Tan and me. The recipe reflect an amalgam of his recipes from Nerd Baker and Nerd Baker 2: Tales from the Yeast Indies. Makes 15 to 16 rolls.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- Stand mixer, such as KitchenAid
Ingredients
- 230 g | 1 cup water
- 100 g diced peeled Russet or Yukon gold potato
- 75 g | ⅓ cup sugar
- 5.5 g | 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 7 g | 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast, preferably SAF brand
- 30 g | 3 ½ tablespoons powdered milk
- 500 g | 17.6 oz bread flour, or 275g | 9.7 oz bread flour and 225g | 7.9 oz whole wheat flour
- 65 g | 5 tablespoon unsalted butter, cubed and softened, plus more as needed
Cross Paste
- 22 g | 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons tapioca or arrowroot starch
- ½ teaspoon neutral oil
- Scant ⅛ teaspoon white or rice vinegar
- About 2 tablespoons water
Honey-Butter Glaze
- 15 g | 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Combine water and diced potato in a small pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cover, bring to a vigorous simmer over medium heat, lower the heat to medium-low to maintain the cooking and avoid over boiling. Cook until the potato is very soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the boiling subside.
- Set the bowl of a stand mixer on a scale and tare the scale to set to zero. Pour in the cooked potato and water. Add cold water to yield 330 grams. The mixture should now be warm. Add the sugar, salt, and egg yolks, whisk hard until the potato disintegrates into the hot liquid and the dry ingredients dissolve, making a smooth mixture. Let cool until lukewarm, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Whisk the egg whites then stir in the yeast. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes for the yeast to bloom and foam a bit on top.
- Using a spatula, stir in the powdered milk and flour to form a rough dough. Cover bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Using a dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium-low speed (3 or 4 on a KitchenAid mixer) for 1 minute, re-cover the bowl and let rest for 5 minutes. Repeat the kneading and resting 2 more times. The dough should be elastic and smooth by this point.
- Finally, add the butter to the bowl and knead until the dough absorbs it and starts to ‘clean’— that is, pull away from—the bowl sides, which should take 1 to 2 minutes.
- Lightly oil a clean bowl (leave your hand greased for working the dough). Transfer the dough to a lightly dust your work surface, then knead for 1 to 2 minutes to ensure the dough is well composed. It should be smooth, soft, and a little tacky. If it’s super sticky, knead in extra flour. Transfer to the oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a cozy, draft-free spot until doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Lightly grease a work surface and your hands with oil. Turn dough out and gently deflate it with your fingertips. Divide it into 15 or 16 balls, each weighing about 70g. Cup each ball under your palm and fingers and drag it in small circles on the work surface, to compact and tighten it. Cover balls with a damp tea towel and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Grease a 10-inch (25cm) square pan or a 9-by-13 inch (22.5-by-32.5cm) rectangular cake pan with butter, or line it with parchment paper.
- Flatten a ball slightly, then draw its edges together underneath the ball, so that its upper surface rounds and tightens. Pinch the underside firmly to seal the gathered edges, then repeat the cupping and dragging to neaten the ball. Shape all buns likewise. Tuck buns into greased pan, sealed sides down, snuggling them close together. Cover pan with a tray or lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise until almost doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
- Prep the oven and cross paste: Meanwhile, reheat oven to 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle position.
- For the paste, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, starch, oil and vinegar. Whisk in 2 tablespoons water to form a paste. Is the mixture thickly flowing kind of like stretchy icing? If not, whisk in water by the ¼ teaspoon. (With King Arthur all-purpose flour, I need to whisk in an extra ½ teaspoon of water beyond the initial 2 tablespoons.) Scrape into a small ziplock bag.
- Pipe crosses, bake and glaze: When the buns have risen sufficiently, snip off a ⅛ to ¼-inch (3 to 6mm) hole from one corner of the bag. Then pipe a cross or make some other pattern atop each bun.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until risen and browned. While the rolls bake, put the butter and honey in a small bowl and microwave on high until melted, about 20 seconds.To test for doneness: insert a thermometer into a roll and the temperature should read at least 190°F (88°C), or tapped a with a fingertip and it should feel slightly springy and sound hollow.
- Pull the pan from the oven, brush the hot rolls with honey-butter glaze and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Reheat in a 350°F (180°C) oven or toaster oven, until warm, 6 to 10 minutes depending on quantity.
Notes
For darker color, brush the rolls with melted butter before baking.
Baked rolls may be frozen, thawed, then refreshed in a 350°F (180°C) oven for about 10 minutes. If they are hard, mist with water before baking.
