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.
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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How To Make the Best Bread Machine Pizza Dough
My Favorite Pizza Dough is made in a bread machine (although easily converted to a stand mixer recipe or by hand) and is simple enough for a beginner to make.
Crusty Bread Machine Rolls Recipe
Crusty dinner rolls with a soft interior--cornstarch glaze is the secret.
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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AmazonBasics Stainless Steel Bowl Scraper/Chopper -
AmazonBasics Silicone Baking Mat - 2-Pack -
Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker, 2 lb. loaf of Bread, Stainless Steel/Black -
King Arthur Flour Unbleached Bread Flour, 5 Pound (Packaging May Vary) -
Fleischmann's Yeast for Bread Machines, 4-ounce Jars (Pack of 1)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 rollAmount Per Serving: Calories: 170Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 399mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
Vivian
Saturday 20th of February 2021
This sounds great for hoagies. If this recipe makes 8 buns might it make 6 hoagies?
Paula
Saturday 20th of February 2021
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.
Paula
Sunday 3rd of January 2021
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.
Paula
Friday 29th of May 2020
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?
Paula
Friday 15th of May 2020
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!
MJ
Thursday 30th of January 2020
Hi Paula! Greetings from Nova Scotia, Canada! Can I refrigerate this dough overnight after the dough cycle ends? If so what would I need to do the next day? Do I need the cold dough to warm up before shaping (like your pizza dough) into rolls or do I shape them cold and allow to rise if so for how long? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I would love to adapt this recipe into an overnight refrigerated all-purpose dough. Thanks so much!
Paula
Thursday 30th of January 2020
Hi MJ, I have never tried it with this dough, but in general, you can do it with most dough recipes. Worth a try. I would not think it is necessary to wait for the dough to warm before shaping into rolls. However, if you shape the cold dough into rolls, it might take an additional hour or two for them to proof until almost double in size. I can't give you a specific time. It will depend on the ambient temperature where your rolls are rising as well as the size of the rolls, how long you took to roll them out, how cold your baking container is, etc. There's a good chance that refrigerating overnight will improve the flavor of your rolls.