French Rolls

Needless to say we are a LITTLE obsessed with bread in our house.  My husband is definitely the worst of the bunch.  We can't just go to the store and buy bread, we have to make it, ALL of it.  And we LOVE to make it.  So with that premise, we were making French Dip sandwiches (recipe coming soon) yesterday and needed GOOD French Rolls. So, Saturday night we researched, found and made the dough for our Sunday feast.  Aren't they beauties?!  Slightly crunchy on the outside, soft, moist, and chewy on the inside! They are wonderful... for sandwiches or slathered in butter!  We found the recipe here.  It is simple, with very few ingredients.  And we have found that few ingredients usually make the best bread! We made some slight changes.

*You will need to let this dough sit in the fridge overnight, for best results, so plan ahead!*

French Rolls (Petits Pains)
(12 rolls)

1 2/3 cups cold water
2 1/4 t yeast
1/2 T salt
4 cups flour (we like King Arthur flour)

In a large bowl, mix water and yeast until the yeast is dissolved.  Stir in the salt and enough flour to make a soft dough that can be kneaded. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 8 minutes. (We put ours in the Bosch and let it do the work.)  If the dough gets too sticky, dust it with a little flour and continue kneading.  You want the dough to be soft, not hard.

Grease a large bowl (this dough will expand a lot).  Put the dough in the bowl and turn once to lightly grease the dough.  Tightly cover the dough and place it in the fridge overnight.

Take the dough out of the fridge 90 minutes before you shape it.  You should punch it down right after taking it out.  After 90 minutes, punch the dough down again and turn it onto a floured surface.  Knead the dough to remove all of the air bubbles, about 5 minutes.  Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and shape into round rolls.  Cover and let rise again for 1 hour.  Remove the cover and flatten each ball on a lightly floured surface with your hands.  Fold the roll in half and then in half again to make a long roll, taper the ends of each roll to make a point.  Place these rolls on greased baking sheets, cover and let rise a final time about 45 minutes or until doubled.

Bake the rolls at 400 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm or cold.

If you want to retain the texture of these rolls, DO NOT store in a plastic bag.  Store in a paper bag, or eat the same day they were cooked.