Soft And Fluffy Dinner Rolls

AT LAST! Cottony soft and fluffy dinner rolls with that "pull-apart" quality that do not give your jaws a work-out!

 I've read somewhere that even for the experienced home-baker, bread holds a certain mystique. After many, many failed experiments at bread making, each unsuccessful attempt resulting in my ego as deflated as the bread dough that collapsed in the oven, I think I've finally nailed it! The secret? MILK POWDER! According to Shirley O' Corriher, (author of BakeWise) dry milk contributes to gluten development and provides protein and sugar for better crust colour and flavour, and therefore keeps the bread moist. The sugar in milk (lactose) isn't digested by the yeast and thus makes the bread sweeter while contributing to a soft and moist crumb.

Buttery, pillow-soft rolls

Here's the recipe to share.

Ingredients
300gm or more bread flour, depending on humidity and temperature
1 3/4 tsp instant dried yeast
3 1/2 tsp sugar
1 3/4  tsp salt
30g unsalted butter @ room temperature
1 egg
2 1/4 tbsp milk powder dissolved in 225 ml lukewarm water
a little melted butter for butter wash

Method
Combine  ½ portion of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Add  the egg, milk and butter into the bowl. Gradually, add the remaining flour, stirring until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Plop the dough on a floured board and knead  until you have a smooth and elastic, but still soft and slightly sticky dough. Don't work too much flour into the dough, only add it if the dough gets too sticky to work with. Shape the dough into a nice smooth ball and transfer to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let it rise, in a warm spot, until it has doubled in size (1 – 1 ½ hours depending on the room temperature).
Take the dough out of the bowl, punch it down, shape into rolls and place them on a baking sheet. Cover and let them rise until they double in size again.
Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the rolls turn light brown. Remove from oven and brush with the melted butter while the rolls are still hot.

Enjoy!