Dinner Rolls

Method

1. mix8 min
   milk at blood heat, not hotter
   scald the milk to a shiver at the edges, then cool it to lukewarm before anything else touches it — heating denatures a whey protein that otherwise slackens gluten, but milk still hot enough to feel warm on the wrist will kill the yeast outright. Then milk + sugar + yeast + beaten egg + salt
2. knead12 min
   by hand, or 8 min in a mixer
   + flour, worked to a shaggy mass, then + softened butter a lump at a time. Butter added at the start coats the flour and the dough never develops strength; added after the gluten has begun to form, it shortens the crumb without stopping it. Knead until the dough is tacky but pulls cleanly off the counter
3. proof60 min
   covered, 75-80°F
   the dough in a greased bowl until doubled and a poked dent fills back slowly. Enriched dough rises slower than lean dough — the fat and sugar both drag on the yeast — so judge it by the dent, not the clock
4. prep10 min
   deflate gently, divide into 6 equal pieces by weight, and roll each under a cupped palm against the bare counter until the surface goes tight and smooth. That taut skin is what makes the roll rise up rather than out; flour on the counter lets the ball slip and the seam stays open
5. proof30 min
   covered, in a greased 8-inch pan
   the balls arranged with about a finger's gap, until puffy and just touching. They finish the joining in the oven, and the touching sides steam each other instead of forming crust — that is the soft pull-apart edge
6. bake20 min
   375°F
   until the tops are deep gold and the centre of the middle roll reads 190°F. Pull them at pale blond and the interior is still wet; go past 200°F and the milk sugars have set into something dry
7. glaze1 min
   straight from the oven
   + melted butter brushed over the hot tops, which softens the crust as it cools and keeps it from going leathery. Rest 10 minutes in the pan before pulling apart