Kaiser Rolls
Source: Food 52
Click here to read about my experience making this recipe for my state meal challenge!
Servings: 8
Total time: 3 hours
INGREDIENTS
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1/2 Tbs sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp (half a packet) active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 1 whole egg + 1 egg white
- 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
- Poppy seeds
DIRECTIONS
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine 1 3/4 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
- Add the hot water and honey and mix 1 minute to form a smooth but heavy batter.
- Add the egg, egg white, and butter, and beat until smooth.
- Replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook and add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until a solid dough forms.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until it comes clean from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball around the hook. Add more flour if needed.
- Let the dough rise in a lightly greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down, then let rise for another 45 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle generously with poppy seeds.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Flatten each one slightly and dust the tops with more bread flour. Score each roll with a kaiser stamp pressed almost all the way through the roll, or use a lame or kitchen shears to cut a 1/4″ X in the top.
- Set the rolls tops-down on the poppy-seed-covered baking sheet (this helps them retain their shape). Cover the rolls and let them rise again for 40 minutes.
- Set a large, rimmed pan on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Just before baking the rolls, pour 1 cup of hot water into the bottom pan to create steam.
- Uncover the rolls and turn them right-side up. Spray lightly with water, then put in the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Then spray the oven with more water and bake an additional 12 minutes until browned.
- Let the rolls cool on a wire rack until cooled completely. Use to make breakfast sandwiches!