Sandwich Rolls

In an effort to respect everyone's New Year's Resolutions, I think I am going to stick to breads and rolls for the next few weeks. This week I made some rolls using a recipe for a basic sandwich bread. It was a pretty easy recipe and also pretty versatile. You could make rolls or loaves and when you think of all the options you have with shaping methods and "toppings," you really have a lot you can do. Unfortunately, the batteries on my camera died so no pictures on this one (I was a little too lazy at 3:30 am to go digging around for new batteries). Here's the recipe:

• 1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast
• 2 Cups Milk
• 6.25 Cups Bread Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 5.5 Tablespoons Sugar
• 6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 Egg

Warm the milk to around 95 F and add the yeast. Let the yeast hydrate for a few minutes. Combine all other ingredients and then add the milk and yeast. Then mix for 2 minutes or so on low and knead for about 5 minutes. You'll end up with a course dough at first and not particularly sticky compared to other bread doughs. By the time you are done kneading, you should have a soft barely sticky dough. You can refrigerate the dough up to 4 days before baking, but I usually give it about 12 hours in the fridge. That gives it enough time to experience the slow, cold fermentation process.
When you are ready for baking, you can choose whatever options you want in terms of shaping or added toppings. I ended up just making some simple round rolls. Easy enough to shape and simple to try different toppings. It was kind of like shaping cookies, just slice off a piece of the dough and roll into a ball. And you can go for whatever size you want. I topped some with Sesame Seeds and others with Asiago Cheese.
Now to get that nice sheen that you always see on restaurant rolls, you can use an egg wash - or even better a honey wash. A Tablespoon of Honey and 3 Tablespoons of Water whisked together will give you not only that sheen, but also a great little hint of sweetness to the rolls.