So Fluffy! Dinner or Slider Rolls - Sourdough

Nothing says event meal like dinner rolls.  I know it is tempting to just buy, especially on Thanksgiving.  There is alot going on and the last thing you need is another thing that needs oven time.  But I promise you, these are worth.  Not only are they delicious and easy to make but it will get you the props you want from the kids.  I get specific requests for these at Thanksgiving.  

I then started making them more often just for breakfast or slider night.  I am a vegetarian and life changed for me when Beyond Meat started selling their ground round in Canada a few years ago.  Before then, I had never had a slider.  True story.   Here are a few tips to ensure these go well.  

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1. I would only recommend you make these in a Toast Oven if you have a 'taller' one.  The kind that allows you to do much more than toast.  The shorter ones that are specific for toast will not work.  They will burn the tops before they are cooked through.  
2. If you are doing them in the toaster oven (not the short kind), use a metal (non stick) cake pan.  If you use glass, it will insulate the bottom and in the small oven, they will cook unevenly.  For the same reason, put the rack at the lowest level.
3. If you are doing them in a proper oven, you can use either glass or non-stick but if you have multiple racks, do not use glass if you are going to put them above other food.  The bottoms will not cook.
4. Dividing the dough.  I always weigh.  Sure if you are in a rush, do what everyone else tells you and just divide and divide.  But I have found that dough is unevenly dense and balls of the same size all weigh differently.  You'll only see that when you see bulgy ones come out of the oven.  I pre-weigh my mixing bowl... well actually I have known the weight of my stand mixer bowl forever, 808g.  I have it written in the last page of my recipe collection book.
5. If you are doing dinner rolls, you can divide by 20 and layout the balls 5x4.  If you are doing sliders you can make 12 so they are slightly bigger.  
6. To add a bit of chew, you can substitute all or some of the water with milk or soy milk and skip the milk powder. (a higher protein plant milk.  Cashew or Oat is not great, it will just be expensive water, from a functionality standpoint). Do not get me wrong, I prefer Cashew.  I find it to have the most neutral taste.  My kids prefer soy.
7. If you do not have a starter, you can substitute for function not taste, 50%50% 50g water and 50g flour but, then you will need another 1 teaspoon of yeast
8. I find measuring and levelling flour for breads annoying so I weigh a quarter cup and do math for the whole recipe. 
9. If you are using Sourdough starter, do this in the morning because the bulk fermentation takes longer (first rise).

So Fluffy Sourdough Dinner Rolls

So FLUFFY! Dinner Rolls - Sourdough

1 c Water (or milk)

2 T (Tablespoon) Sugar (or honey or maple syrup)

3 T Milk Powder

1 t (teaspoon) Instant Yeast

1 large egg

60 g Butter (1/4 c or half a stick) (room temperature, or microwaved for 15s)

1 t Salt

3 1/2 c All Purpose Flour (for me, that means about 500-525g because my flour generally weighs 35-37.5 g per quarter cup, see Tip 8)

Optional: chopped fresh herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano

1. Heat your Water or Milk in the microwave for 45s.  Add to your stand mixer bowl with the Sugar and Yeast and let bloom for 5-10 minutes.  
2. Add the starter with the bowl on scale.  It is roughly 1/2 c.  If you are in a rush, you do not have to wait for the yeast to bloom and just throw it all together.  
3. Add all the ingredients, except the herbs.
4. Mix with dough hook, for 10-15 minutes until the dough pulls cleanly away from the bowl and forms a smooth dough.  If it is looking dry, add water only 1 teaspoon increments and wait a good minute before adding more. If it is looking dry, add flour in 1/2 Tablespoon increments and again, wait a good minute before adding more.  
5. Add the optional herbs for the last few minutes of the kneading time. 
6. Remove the bowl from the standmixer and remove all the dough from the hook.  Take the dough and form in a smooth ball in your hands by turning it in on itself.   You can use a floured surface, silpat, or like me, just holding your hands.  
7. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil into the stand mixer bowl and then take the ball and swirl it around in the bowl to lightly oil the bowl and the ball.  
8. Cover and set aside for at 3 hours until doubled.  
9. Push down and knead a few times to even out the air distribution.  I just do this in the bowl with my knuckles and heel of my hand.
10. Weigh the whole bowl.  Subtract the weight of your empty bowl and divide by the rolls number you plan to do.  
11. Lightly butter your baking dish of choice.  
12. Take out your handy dandy scale again and weigh out the balls, rolling smooth and place in your baking dish.
13. Let rise for 2 hours.
14. Preheat oven to 375F bake for 18-25 minutes.  Watch that the tops are golden brown.  
15. Serve warm.  

Optional, if they will be eaten right away, brush with a bit of honey and melted butter.  They will not store this way very well, as I learned.  This will assume you will eat them all.