Name: Crusty Bread Machine Rolls Recipe
Prep time: 2 h 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 3 h 5 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup warm water (227 gr); 1 tablespoon olive oil (13 gr); 1-1/2 teaspoon table or sea salt (9 gr); 1 -1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar (18 gr); 1-1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour (180 gr); 1-1/2 cup bread flour (180 gr); 1 teaspoon bread machine or instant yeast (3 gr); 1/4 cup water + 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (1.25 gr) mixed in a 2-cup pyrex container and heated in a microwave for 20 seconds on HIGH or until thick.

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Preview: Make these really Crusty Rolls with the help of your bread machine. They have a crusty exterior with a soft and chewy interior. A simple glaze contains the secret.

Who can resist a freshly-baked yeast roll with a thin, crisp, crackly, crumbly crust surrounding soft and chewy bread? Not me, for sure. Show me some marshmallow-soft salted butter, and I’m good for dinner.

These rolls carry a secret. Keep reading to find out how easy it is to get a crackly crust on your rolls.

Warning: These crusty rolls can be messy. Crumbs may scatter everywhere as you slice or tear these rolls, but I have a solution. See below.

How can I avoid a mess when slicing crusty rolls or loaves?

See the picture below for a special slotted cutting board designed to catch the crumbs? It also makes a convenient cooling rack and/or serving tray.

Crusty dinner Rolls. on slatted bread board

What’s the secret to the crispy crust?

The glaze is a cornstarch and water mixture, microwaved until thick, then cooled. For me, it’s easier than spraying water into my oven or using oven tiles or other special equipment to produce crusty bread.

You’ll want to eat Crusty Bread Rolls hot out of the oven. Whatever you don’t eat the first go-round should get a quick trip back into the oven just before dinner to re-crisp. Bake about 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Turn off the oven, and leave the rolls inside for another 5 minutes. Works great in a toaster oven, too, when you are only doing one or two rolls.

Part Two: How to make bread bowls with this recipe.

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Because ciabatta starts life as a very slack and sticky dough, the bread machine is a useful tool to mix and knead the dough.

Crusty French Bread (Mixed in a Bread Machine)

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Crusty Round Bread (made in a bread machine); Two-step process slowly develops yeasty flavor resulting in a chewy texture with a close crumb.

How To Make the Best Bread Machine Pizza Dough

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Yield: 8 large rolls

Crusty Bread Machine Rolls Recipe

Crusty dinner rolls with a soft interior--cornstarch glaze is the secret.

Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (227 gr)
1 tablespoon olive oil (13 gr)
1-1/2 teaspoon table or sea salt (9 gr)
1 -1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar (18 gr)
1-1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour (180 gr)
1-1/2 cup bread flour (180 gr)
1 teaspoon bread machine or instant yeast (3 gr)

Glaze

1/4 cup water + 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (1.25 gr) mixed in a 2-cup pyrex container and heated in a microwave for 20 seconds on HIGH or until thick.

Instructions

Heat 1 cup tap water in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Pour into bread machine pan with the blade in place.
Add olive oil, salt, sugar, flour, and yeast to the pan. Select the dough cycle. After 5 minutes, check the dough. It should stick to the side and pull away. Add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky, or add water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is too dry (dough slaps against the side)
When the dough cycle has finished and bread has risen to double the original size, remove the dough onto a floured surface.
For dinner rolls divide dough in half (2 pieces), then cut each half in half (4 pieces), and finally, divide each of those pieces in half again resulting in 8 rolls. Form into balls.
Cover a cookie baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Lightly scatter cornmeal over the sheet before placing the round dough balls onto the cookie sheet--evenly spaced from each other.
Cover dough balls with a tea towel and set in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until risen almost double.
Preheat oven to 375˚F.
Brush rolls with cooled cornstarch glaze. Use a serrated knife to make a small gash in the top, if desired, but it's not required.
Bake for 35 minutes until crust is crisp and brown.

Notes

To my fellow yogurt-makers: For a faux sourdough flavor, try substituting whey drained off yogurt to produce Greek yogurt for the water in this recipe.

Directions for making bread with a stand mixer or by hand:

To make this recipe in a heavy-duty stand mixer, add ingredients to the bowl in the same order. Turn on low to mix until all ingredients are moistened. Using a dough hook, turn speed to 2 or 3 and continue beating/kneading until dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place. Deflate dough gently and shape rolls as indicated in the recipe.
If making by hand, combine all ingredients into a shaggy ball in a large bowl. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead with your hands until dough becomes smooth and elastic, a process that will likely take 10-20 minutes depending on your experience. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise until double. Deflate dough gently and shape rolls as indicated in the recipe.
Please note: If you substitute regular yeast for instant or bread machine yeast, you can dissolve it first before adding it to the dry ingredients. Stir it into about 1/4 cup of the lukewarm liquid called for in the recipe. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Add to other wet ingredients and then add dry ingredients. Proceed as directed to knead and shape rolls.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 roll
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 170Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 399mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g

Tira Wood

Saturday 25th of September 2021

What temperature should the microwaved water be. Thank you.

Vivian

Saturday 20th of February 2021

This sounds great for hoagies. If this recipe makes 8 buns might it make 6 hoagies?

Paula

Hi Vivan,

Sure, I think it would make 6 hoagies, although I've never tried it. Do you want your hoagies to be really crusty? If not you could leave the cornstarch glaze off.

Nancy

Sunday 3rd of January 2021

These are excellent! I have made them 3 times in the last 2 weeks. The first batch we just couldn’t stop eating. The second was cut up and used for fondue dipping for our annual NYE celebration (just the 2 of us) and the third is being used for small sandwiches. Thank-you so much for such an easy, delicious and consistent recipe.

Hi Nancy,

I like your idea to use it for fondue dipping. What a great tradition! Gotta remember this. Thanks for writing.

Renee

Friday 29th of May 2020

I made these yesterday. They were excellent with a tender inside and crunchy crust. I appreciated your tips for troubleshooting the dough's consistency.

Hi Renee,

Good deal. Always happy to hear when a recipe works out for you. Thank you for writing.

Nicole

Friday 15th of May 2020

Hi! I’m going to be making these rolls tomorrow- very excited! Was just wondering, if I knead the dough by hand how long should I allow it to rise until it is double in size?

Hi Nicole, It's difficult to tell you an exact time as it depends on several factors: the temperature of the dough when you start the rising process, the ambient temperature where the dough is sitting, and the kind of yeast you use. In general, it takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Check it after an hour to see if it has doubled in size.

Do you know how to check if the dough has risen enough? Poke two fingers into the dough and pull them back out. The holes should start to fill in SLOWLY when the dough is ready. If the holes don't fill in at all, the dough has risen too much already. If the dough bounces back and the holes disappear almost immediately, it needs to rise some more. I hope that helps. Happy Bread-eating!