French Bread Rolls {Foodie Friday}

Spring, spring. You guys! We finally made it. The longest, coldest and (almost) snowiest winter has finally come to an end. The calendar says it is spring, but it's still pretty chilly in these parts. Truth be told, tonight's dinner is Chicken Noodle Soup served with these-the perfect roll recipe.

If that wasn't enough, these are also great when made into hamburger and hot dog buns. One recipe will make 12 hamburger/hot dog buns or 24 rolls. I have tried dozens of roll recipes. Many have been good and some have even been posted on the blog, but these rolls, well...they take homemade bread to a whole new level. Perfect with Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup, (any soup really) or my personal favorite, Spaghetti. Another thing about these rolls is that they don't take a whole day to make. Yes, you have to let them rise, but it always seems to take forever and these seemed pretty quick to me. You could even skip the second rise if you were really in a pinch.

One Year Ago: 4 Layer Nacho Dip
Two Years Ago: Snickerdoodle Pie

French Bread Rolls

Yield: Makes two dozen rolls

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 3/4 tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl by hand, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour (if you are using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, let the yeast proof in the warm water and sugar for about 3-5 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly before adding the oil, salt and flour). Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Judge the dough not by the amount of flour called for in the recipe but in how the dough feels. The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch.
2. Knead the dough in the stand mixer or by hand until it is very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled (this usually takes about an hour).
3. Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased countertop. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and form the dough into round balls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or silpat-lined baking sheet about an inch or two apart. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down. Let the rolls rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.

This recipe can easily be halved or quartered as necessary.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

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