2000s Recipes + Menus
Rye Dinner Rolls with Crisp Tops
Makes16 rolls
- Active time:45 min
- Start to finish:4 hr
April 2009
A basket full of freshly baked rolls adds a welcoming touch to any holiday table. Combining the crunch of a cracker with the tender yeastiness of bread, these little numbers are especially fun.
For rolls
- 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 scant cup warm water (105-115ºF), divided
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and dusting
- 1/3 cup light or dark rye flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
For rye-crisp tops
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons light or dark rye flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large egg white
Make dough:
-
Stir together yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and sugar in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)
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Stir flours, salt, and remaining scant 3/4 cup water into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.
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Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and knead with lightly floured hands until dough is elastic and smooth but still supple and slightly sticky, 6 to 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball.
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Put dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft- free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
Make rolls:
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Punch down dough (do not knead). Remove from bowl and fold into thirds like a letter. Divide into 16 pieces and roll each piece into a ball, transferring to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and loosely covering with plastic wrap (or towel). Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Make rye-crisp tops while rolls rise:
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Stir together flours and salt, then stir in water and oil until a dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times. Divide into 16 very small pieces. Roll out each piece on lightly floured surface to a thin round (about 2 inches; shape need not be perfectly round) and arrange in 1 layer on a sheet of parchment.
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Beat egg white with a pinch of salt and lightly brush some of it onto rounds. Let stand, uncovered, to dry slightly while rolls rise.
Assemble and bake rolls:
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Preheat oven to 425ºF with rack in middle.
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Lightly brush each ball of dough with some of egg white. Gently lay a round of rye-crisp dough, egg-wash side up, on top of each roll. Bake rolls until golden-brown, about 20 minutes. Cool to warm or room temperature.
Cooks’ notes:
- Dough can be formed into balls and allowed to rise slowly, covered well with plastic wrap and chilled, 8 to 16 hours. Bring to room temperature while making rye-crisp tops.
- Rolls are best the day they are baked but can be frozen (first cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Keywords
- easter,
- bread,
- maggie ruggiero,
- one fine day
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