HOW TO: Shape Round Rolls
HOW TO: Shape Round Rolls
Step 1: Make one batch of Brenda’s Favorite Dough Recipe. Complete initial rise cycle for dough.
Step 2: Flour the mat. A wire mesh strainer allows even flouring without excess, results in a light even dusting.
Step 3: Shape the dough. Dump risen dough out of bowl and fold into a rectangle, pressing with fingertips to direct the dough into the desired shape.
Step 4: Cut the dough. Brenda generally does a 4 x 8 grid (32 rolls). A dough scraper works great to divide the dough, and a butter knife is a good substitute. This method allows rolls to be fairly consistent in size which helps them cook evenly.
Step 5: Shape each roll.
As you pick up each dough square, tap one side in the flour on mat/board
Set dough square (flour side resting on palm) on your non-dominant palm
Pinch: using the finger tips of your dominant hand, pull the edges together as your fingertips press the dough firmly into your dominant palm, squeezing and sealing the edges
Think: closing fingers into palm, momentarily creating a fist
Rotate: pull dough back into non-dominant palm, pressing center with non-dominant thumb to push air out
Repeat ‘Pinch’ & ‘Rotate’ until air pockets have been depleted, approximately 6-12 times
Place completed roll on pan, spacing evenly with other rolls
Keep shaping the rolls until all the dough has been shaped. If you have small helpers, they’ll love assisting
Your completed pan will look something like this. When placing rolls, try to space so as to fill entire pan. Brenda creates a grid by placing rolls in corners, then evenly along sides, lastly filling in the middle.
This photo is a double-batch of Brenda’s Favorite Dough Recipe turned into 63 rolls, the pan is a three-quarter sheet pan (22" x 16") lined with parchment
Step 6: Let rolls rise for about 45 minutes, preheating oven to 350F about 40 minutes into rise time. Fingertip test to check that adequately risen.
Gently press fingertip into the side of one roll, about 1/4” deep
Stays: dough is ready to cook
Disappears: let it rise another 10 min and test again
Step 7: Bake 22-28 minutes, until evenly golden brown across all rolls. Try not to over-bake as rolls will become dry and lose their rich flavor.
Brenda’s tips:
A few considerations:
Sometimes cutting the dough doesn’t result in similar sized dough squares. Simply cut a little dough off the really big ones and add to the really little ones. Practice will make it easier.
You can make any number of rolls out of a batch. Cut into 12 will result in very large dinner rolls. Lots of children at your Thanksgiving celebration? You don’t want them tossing your hard work after (if even) one bite? Cut the batch into 6 x 12 and you’ll have 72 rolls that are about 1” finished. A little more rolling time for a lot less waste. Or divide the batch in half and make 12 regular size from one half and 36 out of the other half. Be sure to bake on separate pans so the small rolls don’t over bake and adjust baking times as well.
