Pantry Potterings

Easy Homemade Bread Rolls Recipe with Step-by-Step Images

Makes: 4 Large Buns
Takes: 2.5 Hours
Level: Easy but more effort
Scroll down for a step-by-step with images

Ingredients:

  • 330g Strong White Bread Flour
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 7g Dried Fast-action Yeast
  • 1 tbs Oil, I use rapeseed but any neutral oil will work
  • 230ml Milk, I use soy milk

Method:

  1. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl. Then add the salt and dried yeast to opposite sides of the bowl. Leave to one side whilst you mix the wet ingredients.
  2. Measure the milk in a heat-proof jug or bowl, warm this in the microwave at 20 second intervals until Luke-warm, then add the oil, stirring until combined.
  3. Once the milk is warmed, stir the flour, yeast and salt together and make a well in the middle of the dried ingredients.
  4. Add the milk and using a wooded spoon, mix until a rough dough is formed.
  5. Lightly flour a clean and dry surface, turn out the dough and knead for about 10-12 minutes until the dough feels soft and bounces back slightly when pushed.
  6. Add a little oil, I use a little spray oil, to the initial mixing bowl, and return the dough to the bowl. Add some cling film or a tea towel to the top and leave to rise in a warm environment for 1 hour.
    I leave our bread to rise in the airing cupboard, but any warm space will do.
  7. After an hour you dough should be doubled in size. Once again, lightly flour your work surface and tip the dough out. Divide the dough in 4 equal pieces and shape into round balls. Don’t worry if the dough deflates at this stage, that is normal, and we will let it rise a second time.
  8. Add some baking parchment or greaseproof paper to an oven tray or dish. Add the buns to this, leaving about 1-1.5cm between them, not too far apart as we want them to rise into each other.
    Leave to rise in the same warm space for 20 minutes.
    I use a pasta dish for this rising, but you can use whatever dish you have on hand.
    I prefer to bake our bread in a Dutch oven, if you are too, then pre-heat your Dutch oven in a 220 fan oven so the dish is already hot then you put the bread inside.
  9. Pre-heat the oven to 220 fan.
  10. If you are not using a Dutch oven, leaving the risen rolls in the baking parchment, place them onto an oven tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-22 minutes.
    If using a Dutch oven, leaving the risen rolls on the baking parchment, place them into the heated Dutch oven and bake in the oven for 15 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for a further 5-7 minutes.
  11. Your rolls should be well-risen, golden brown, and sound hollow when tapped.
  12. You can remove the rolls from the oven and leave to rise on a wire rack, but I prefer to turn the oven off and crack the oven door open, leaving the rolls to cool down in the warm oven. I find this method of cooling can give a crisper crust to the bread.

Step-by-step:

1. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl. Then add the salt and dried yeast to opposite sides of the bowl. Leave to one side whilst you mix the wet ingredients.
2. Measure the milk in a heat-proof jug or bowl, warm this in the microwave at 20 second intervals until Luke-warm, then add the oil, stirring until combined.
3. Once the milk is warmed, stir the flour, yeast and salt together and make a well in the middle of the dried ingredients.
4. Add the milk and using a wooded spoon, mix until a rough dough is formed.

5. Lightly flour a clean and dry surface, turn out the dough and knead for about 10-12 minutes until the dough feels soft and bounces back slightly when pushed.
6. Add a little oil, I use a little spray oil, to the initial mixing bowl, and return the dough to the bowl. Add some cling film or a tea towel to the top and leave to rise in a warm environment for 1 hour.
I leave our bread to rise in the airing cupboard, but any warm space will do.

7. After an hour you dough should be doubled in size. Once again, lightly flour your work surface and tip the dough out. Divide the dough in 4 equal pieces and shape into round balls. Don’t worry if the dough deflates at this stage, that is normal, and we will let it rise a second time.
8. Add some baking parchment or greaseproof paper to an oven tray or dish. Add the buns to this, leaving about 1-1.5cm between them, not too far apart as we want them to rise into each other.
Leave to rise in the same warm space for 20 minutes.
I use a pasta dish for this rising, but you can use whatever dish you have on hand.
I prefer to bake our bread in a Dutch oven, if you are too, then pre-heat your Dutch oven in a 220 fan oven so the dish is already hot then you put the bread inside.
9. Pre-heat the oven to 220 fan.

10. If you are not using a Dutch oven, leaving the risen rolls in the baking parchment, place them onto an oven tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-22 minutes.
If using a Dutch oven, leaving the risen rolls on the baking parchment, place them into the heated Dutch oven and bake in the oven for 15 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for a further 5-7 minutes.

11. Your rolls should be well-risen, golden brown, and sound hollow when tapped.
12. You can remove the rolls from the oven and leave to rise on a wire rack, but I prefer to turn the oven off and crack the oven door open, leaving the rolls to cool down in the warm oven. I find this method of cooling can give a crisper crust to the bread.

I hope you enjoyed these easy bread rolls, if you did, why not try making our super tasty SMASHED CHICKPEA ‘TUNA’ as a great sandwich filler!