My sweetheart Peggy and I really enjoy dipping pieces of the crusty version of the rolls in a small dish of the Food Nirvana version of Carrabba's® dipping oil. Try it. Making the dipping oil is easy. Look for the recipe in Appetizers.
Directions for making the crusty roll variation are provided at the bottom of this recipe.
Ingredients: (makes 27 to 32 rolls depending on what method you decide to use to bake them)
1 package (1/4 ounce) of active dry yeast
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of sugar, divided
1-1/2 cups of warm water (105° F maximum), divided
1/2 cup of butter, melted, plus room temperature butter for lightly coating the dough rising bowl and the baking dishes
2 jumbo or extra large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup of instant nonfat dry milk powder
1-1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
4 to 5 cups of all-purpose flour (use 1/2 cup of vital wheat gluten for part of the flour if you have it)
Directions:
Dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in 1/2 cup of the warm water in a large electric mixer bowl.
Add the melted butter, eggs, milk powder, salt, 3 cups of flour, and the remaining sugar and water. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough, ergo add some, mix it in, decide if you have a soft dough, etc.
Turn the dough onto a floured wood cutting board and knead it until it is smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Or, simply knead it in the electric mixer bowl for four minutes using the mixer dough hook.
Place the dough in a lightly buttered two quart bowl, turning it once to coat the top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours. Use a 100 degrees F proofing oven if you have that setting on your oven.
Put the dough on a large wooden cutting board and punch the dough down.
Divide/cut the dough into 27 pieces with a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, then shape each piece into a ball by hand. You may want to lightly dust your hands in flour.
Place 18 of the balls in a lightly buttered 13" by 9" baking dish and the remaining balls in a lightly buttered 9" by 9" square baking dish.
Cover both baking dishes with buttered plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it is doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Bake the rolls until they are golden brown, about 17 to 20 minutes. Cool the rolls briefly on one or two wire racks.
Serve the rolls warm, with butter, pulling them apart as needed.
Crusty Variation: What if you like warm dinner rolls to be crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside? If that is your choice then make and put 32 pieces of dough on to two parchment paper coated baking sheets, with the dough pieces separated equally from each other and from the sides and ends of the baking sheets, covered with buttered plastic wrap, for the final rising of the dough. Then preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and put a cast iron skillet on the lowest oven shelf. When you remove the plastic wrap from the risen rolls, sprinkle a small amount of kosher salt on the top of each roll, then put the baking sheets into the oven (both if they fit, otherwise do two separate bakings) and pour one cup of water into the hot cast iron skillet and quickly close the oven door. After five minutes of baking, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 12 to 14 more minutes.
Remove the baking sheet(s) from the oven and let the rolls cool. Serve them warm, with butter.
Enjoy!