Pretzel Dinner or Hamburger Rolls
Makes: 24 rolls
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Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 Tbsp instant yeast
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups milk (warmed to 100-110° F)
- 1 ½ cups water (warmed to 100-110° F)
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 ½ - 8 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Water Bath & Extras:
- 3 quarts water
- 1 Tbsp white sugar
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 pinch coarse salt (for sprinkling)
Instructions:
Dough:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the yeast, oil, warmed milk, and water.
- Add the salt and 2 cups of the flour. Add more flour gradually until a soft dough that clears the sides of the bowl is formed. Knead for 3-4 mintues. (You may not need the full 8 1/2 cups of flour.)*It is similar in texture to bagel dough and should be slightly more stiff and less sticky than, say, roll dough, but definitely still soft and not overfloured.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap or a towel, and allow it to rise until doubled in size (1-2 hours).
- When risen, portion the dough into 24 pieces and roll each piece of dough into a ball.*for hamburger buns: after you roll it into a ball, flatten it quite a bit so it will be wider rather than taller.*
- Arrange the rolls on lightly greased parchment paper or a lightly floured counter. *Make sure the dough balls won't stick!*
- Let them rest for 15-20 mintues.
Cooking the Rolls:
- While the dough rests, bring about 3 qts of water, the sugar, and the baking soda to a boil in a large 6-qt pot.
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, carefully take it off the parchment or counter, flip it over in your hand and pinc the bottom to form a little pucker and help the dough form a nice, taut ball. *Take care not to deflate the dough; you should pinch just the very edge of the dough.
- Place 3-4 dough balls in the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side (the longer you boil, the chewier the baked pretzel roll will be).
- With a slotted spoon, remove the dough from the boiling water and let the excess water drip off into the pan.
- Place the boiled dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Using a very sharp knife or scissors, slice 2-3 cuts into the top of each unbaked roll (about 1/4 inch deep or so). *It's important to use a very sharp blade so that it cuts the dough without deflating it. It's ok if the dough looks wrinkly and kind of funnt. It will work itself out during baking.
- Lightly sprinkle each dough ball with coarse salt then bake for 20 mintues or until the rolls are golden brown on top. Flip the rolls over and bake for 5 more minutes to ensure the bottoms aren't soggy.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooking rack.
Notes:
Make Ahead: These are best served the first day, but you can make them early in the day and serve them fully cooled.
Diet: Egg Free