Garlic, Herb, and Cheese Bread Rolls are bursting with amazing savory flavor and are surprisingly easy to make from scratch. They are bound to become a family favorite for Sunday dinner or any holiday!
Yield:
15 rolls
Prep Time:25minutes
Cook:20minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: These rolls have all of my favorite flavors. There isn’t much better than garlic + rosemary + thyme + Parmesan. Seriously. Texture: Soft and fluffy on the inside, slightly crunchy, chewy, and cheesy on the outside. Ease: Even if yeast intimidates you, this recipe is totally doable. Pros: So crave-worthy. They smell AMAZING while baking. Cons: None!! Would I make this again? Absolutely.
I love baking bread. I’ve definitely always loved eating it.
I find creating a dough, watching it transform, then filling your whole house with that wonderful baking bread aroma quite enjoyable.
This garlic, herb, and cheese bread roll recipe is super straightforward and simple. No crazy steps, no super long processes, just a beautiful easy dough. Even if working with yeast intimidates you, I encourage you to give this recipe a try.
How to Make Perfect Garlic, Herb, and Cheese Bread Rolls
What’s instant yeast? Can I use active rise yeast instead?
Think of instant yeast as a sort of foolproof shortcut ingredient. It’s also labelled rapid rise or quick rise yeast and available at most grocery stores (or you can buy my all time favorite yeast on Amazon).
Instant yeast is formulated to allow you to skip proofing (aka the step where you combine the yeast with warm liquid for 5 minutes). You can add it directly into the mix with all of the ingredients and it will increase your rising time.
If you don’t have or can’t find instant yeast, you can easily use active dry yeast instead. Simply combine it with the warm liquid called for in the recipe and allow it to proof for 5 minutes before adding into the bowl with the other ingredients. Most active dry yeast these days are formulated so they usually don’t technically require proofing. But skipping will lengthen the rising period as it will take the yeast longer to get moving.
Tips for Forming & Kneading Bread Dough
This recipe basically directs you to throw everything together in the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and let the machine do the work until the dough is soft, smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. It’s ALWAYS better to have a dough that starts more sticky and ends up light and fluffy out of the oven than to add too much additional flour and end up with dense or tough rolls. Remember, as the dough rises it will become less sticky as well.
A lot of factors will influence when your dough is done rising and ready to be shaped. Place two fingers in the risen dough up to the second knuckle and then take them out. If the indentations remain the dough is ready to be shaped. If not, cover and let the dough rise longer until the indentations remain. To tell if the shaped bread rolls are done rising, tough the side of one lightly with your finger. If the indentation remains then it’s ready for the oven.
How to Shape Bread Rolls
Once the dough is risen, press it down to deflate it slightly. Use a bench scraper to section the dough into 15 equal pieces. Don’t worry if they’re not perfectly equal in size. However, if you’re a perfectionist you can actually weigh the entire mass of dough, divide that number by 15, then portion each piece perfectly by weight.
As you’re shaping each piece into a round, make sure to pinch the dough into one central point to create a tight ball. This will help the rolls rise beautifully. You can also get creative with the shapes. Check out my video post on 5 ways to shape bread rolls here.
Brush the dough balls with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size, about 30 minutes this time. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
How to Make Dinner Rolls Ahead of Time
Basically all yeast dough can be made ahead of time and baked later. Refrigerating dough basically slows the yeast activity and can actually allow more flavor to develop!
Make the dough all the way through to rising once and shaping the rolls. Once the rolls are shaped, cover them and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature as the oven preheats before baking as the recipe directs.
If the rolls haven’t doubled in size yet, allow to sit at room temperature until they do. Note that this can take several hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen. If it’s a cold day, preheat the oven to the lowest heat setting for a few minutes, turn it off, then place the pan of dough in the oven to help speed up the rising time.
The rolls are best served the day they’re baked. However, you can easily store leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat the rolls briefly in the oven or toaster oven at 300°F until warmed through to refresh.
Garlic, Herb, and Cheese Bread Rolls are bursting with amazing savory flavor and are surprisingly easy to make from scratch. They are bound to become a family favorite for Sunday dinner or any holiday!
Ingredients
For the rolls:
1cupwarm milk (100 – 110°F)
1tablespoonolive oil
2whole eggs, at room temperature
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
1 1/2teaspoonsfine salt
1teaspoongarlic powder
2garlic cloves, minced
1tablespoonminced fresh rosemary
1tablespoonminced fresh thyme
2 1/4teaspoons(1 packet) instant yeast
4cups(508) all-purpose flour
For the topping:
1large egg
1/3cupgrated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Combine the milk, oil, eggs, sugar, salt, garlic powder, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 2 cups of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a rough, shaggy mass.
Attach the dough hook to the mixer, turn to medium-low speed, and gradually add the remaining flour, kneading until a mass of dough begins to forms. Only add as much flour as needed to bring the dough together. Continue kneading on medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes until a soft, smooth ball of dough is formed. The dough should feel elastic and slightly tacky to the touch. Only add additional flour if the dough is unbearably sticky.
Lightly spray a large clean bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour at room temperature or until the dough is big, puffy, and about doubled in size.
Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Gently deflate the dough. Use a bench scraper, knife, or pizza wheel to divide the dough into 15 equal pieces.
Shape each piece into a tight ball and place in the prepared pan. Lightly cover the dough with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 1 hour, or until about doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a small bowl whisk the egg then gently brush over risen rolls. Sprinkle the rolls evenly with the parmesan cheese.
Bake the rolls for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm. Store leftovers in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.
Course :
Side Dish
Cuisine :
American
Keyword :
thanksgiving
This post was originally published in 2014 and recently updated with recipe improvements, tips, and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
I brushed all the whisked egg over the top which flooded it a bit so put extra cheese on (strong cheddar) and it’s lovely. Also used dried herbs instead of fresh.
We haven’t tried that! We always suggest following the recipe as written for best results at least once prior to experimenting so you have something to compare it to. Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
These turned out beautiful. They were shiny and perfectly risen. Texture was fluffy with a crisp top.
I thought the sweet dough did not pair well with the garlic and herbs.
I will make this beautiful dough again as a plain roll without the garlic and herbs, and top the egg wash with sea salt. Can’t wait to try it!
just made these to use with pulled pork! had a taste test. really yummy! i did add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the dough!!! yum, yum
thanks for the recipe!
Hello Tessa, I would love to try this recipe but haven’t had success with recipes using Cups and Tbsp/Tsp as measuring equipment differs from country to country. Would you consider using the metric system where all ingredients are listed in grams, including the Tbsp/Tsp ingredients? I’d be really happy if you would consider it. Thank you very much. I follow you on Instagram too and love browsing all your recipes. Thanks for all your inspiring ideas.
Thanks so much, Mandy Marie! You’ll actually see in the majority of my recipes that I weigh all my dry ingredients, except smaller measurements like teaspoons, because it is such a small measurement that it’s hard to mess up. I also don’t use a scale to measure milk, water, or creams because there’s no air inside those ingredients, so they too are hard to mess up when measuring.
I made these for Easter snd they were FABULOUS! I made them the day before. I followed the recipe till the rolls were formed and in the pan. I put them in the fridge overnight to rise then took them out an hour before baking to warm and baked them! They were perfect and easy! Thanks Tess!!
These rolls turned out great. Very easy and simple recipe. However, I skipped the garlic cloves since it already had garlic powder and reduced the amount of herbs because I didn’t want it too overpowering. I just wish it was more cheesy. Next time I’ll try mixing in the cheese instead of just sprinkling it on the top.
You know Bob Ross, you can hit the tab at the top, skip the notes and jump right to the recipe if you want, right?? Some like the fact that Tessa gives explanations. Gosh…smh!!
I have read recipe several times and am confused about the 2 portions of Parmesan cheese listed in recipe and when they are added, I can only see right before baking? Also in beginning part of post it says to brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan and in recipe it says to brush with egg and then sprinkle Parmesan. I could be overlooking it but if you can could you clarify thanks!!
Made these yesterday. They were very tasty and went well with the lasagna that was served. First time I have ever made dinner rolls, very pleased with the results. The guests complemented these dinner rolls. The house was a little cool so it took longer than the recommended time for the rolls to double in size. Definitely worth the wait.
hi! I want to make this buns because they look amazing really. But I just want to ask there is water in the directions but I cannot find it in the ingredientsn so I don’t know how much water do I really need to put. And next is there is parmessan in the ingredients of buns but you never put it in the buns? Your reply would be much appreciated coz I want to do this amazing looking buns now for my husband! thank you!
Your recipe looks really good and I want to try making it. I am a beginner in bread making. As I am reading the recipe, I noticed that you had mentioned combining water, milk, 1 tablespoon of oil etc. However, your ingredient list did not mention the amount of water to be used. Also, in the ingredient list, there is 2 tablespoon of oil but your directions only mentioned using 1 tablespoon of oil. Your clarification is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Thanks Tess – just came across this page and made a 1/2 batch to go with our dinner tonight. Easy to make and yummy to eat. Will definitely be trying more of your recipes.
Hi, I found your site recently and tried&bought your cookie book. These look amazing and can’t wait to try. I searched through your recipes looking to see if you had one that incororates herbes, veggies and cheese in a bread. When we lived in Seattle years ago there was a bread we bought that had these items in them. I can’t find a receipe or it anywhere. Could you please come up with one or if anyone knows where one is point me in that direction. Love your videos, recipes and am gong to be making my way through them. I think I will be taking your cooking class soon also! : ) Thank you for the receipts.
Thank you for sharing such a delicious yet fuss free recipe. My family loves it. The dough is perfect! So soft and fluffy even on the 3rd day, especially after warming them up in the oven. The only tweek was I added filling.I pan fried some grated garlic n mixed them with soften butter, spreaded a dollop on each after the 1st proof plus adding some ham inside each of them. Its yummmy! Best part about this bread is that it doesn’t have the smell of yeast like some homemade bread recipes. Definitely a keeper!! Thank u!! 🙂
Higher-protein bread flour helps all loaves—from soft white sandwich bread to whole-grain loaves—rise their highest. You will notice that bread flour has a finer texture. I use it when I make rolls. Eggs and milk in bread recipes offers a more protein enriched bread and heavier. French and Italian breads do not use eggs and milk and you will notice they are lighter in texture.
I’m new to your blog and happy to have found this recipe. I’ve been looking for a recipe to re-create a childhood memory: garlic rolls served at a local pizzeria. Most recipes I read today have butter and herbs poured on top after it’s baked so this recipe looks like what I need to create my “memory.” Question: does this roll taste like sourdough bread? I hope so ‘cuz that’s what I want…sourdough rolls with garlic. Keeping my fingers crossed!
I tried these the night before our family Christmas–almost didn’t want to leave any for the the next day! I used ~ 1 tsp dried rosemary and thyme and they still tasted great. Thanks for the help with the finishing touches for our holiday meal 🙂
These sound amazing!
One question, would you be able to freeze/refrigerate these before baking them?
I want to try doing these for rolls with Christmas dinner but with everything else there is to do, it’d be a lot easier if I could premake them!
Sure, I would refrigerate or freeze the just-shaped rolls. Bring them to room temperature before baking and allow them to get a little puffy. Merry Christmas!
I’ve always steered clear of doughs, aside from quick-breads. But lately I’ve been attempting my own pizza dough and it hasn’t been too bad, so maybe this is next.
Hey, Tessa – these look pretty darn good. I may need to give these a try this week next time I make rolls.
A question and a couple of notes…
Question – how big are your rolls? These look like ~2 oz each or just a tad under. Getting each roll the same size is important for a consistent, even bake.
Notes…
1. You CAN get fabulous bread & rolls using SOME whole grain flours without a lot of adjustments to the formula. i.e. you can sub up to 25% whole wheat or (better still) white whole wheat flour for some of the bread flour. You might need to add another teaspoon or two of water, but otherwise, the bread should work just fine. I tend to use white whole wheat on these kinds of rolls as they have less ‘edge’ than regular whole wheat and they don’t change the look of the roll.
Once you’ve made these a couple of times with just bread flour, you can try them again with 25% whole wheat (white or red). Add just enough water to get about the same feel to the dough. Note that whole wheat will soak up a bit more water as the dough develops, so starting out just a little wetter should give you the right dough feel by the time you’re shaping the rolls.
For those not familiar with it, white whole wheat, it isn’t a ‘marketing gimmick’ or anything crazy – it is an albino strain of wheat that is ground up just like regular (red) whole wheat. Turns out the grain compounds that produce the red color also produce that harsh ‘edge’ sometimes associated with whole wheat breads.
2. When giving bread formulas, please consider giving the weights for the ingredients. You’ve done that for the flour, which is among the most important ingredient to weigh – the other is the salt – but really everything should be weighed.
As you know, successful baking is first about finding the proper balance between ingredients and then using good technique (mixing, resting, shaping, baking, etc) to end up with great bread. However, once you’ve ‘gotten it right’, the second trick is being able to make the recipe again & again. Nothing is more frustrating for a new baker that making truly great bread once and then not being able to get the same great results again.
The key to consistent results is weighing the ingredients so you have both the proper amounts and the correct proportions between ingredients. For finely ground ingredients such as flour, ‘scooping’ is about the worst possible way to measure.
I recently did some testing on scooping vs. weighing. The results were shocking. In the most extreme case, I found ‘scooping’ put 25% more flour in the bowl than weighing. In practical terms, that is like measuring out 4 cups of flour but ending up with 5 cups. That’s huge. A difference that large throws off the entire recipe and puts everything out of whack. This is, in my experience, the reason most new bakers fail. It makes baking look like a random, hit or miss process when, in fact, it is the exact opposite.
As it turns out, salt is another big issue with baking. The density of the crystal structure between different types and brands of salt is quite significant. This is especially true with kosher salt and flake salt. As a result, a ‘teaspoon’ of salt can have wildly different amounts of actual salt in the spoon. Weighing out the salt eliminates this issue as well.
The good news is that digital kitchen scales are widely available and very inexpensive. These days, they pretty much all will give you readings in pounds & ounces, ounces or grams, which is all you really need in a home kitchen scale.
I made the switch 2 years ago to weighing all my ingredients and it made a HUGE difference in both the quality and consistency of my baking. I consider my scale to be my most valuable baking tool (even more important than a good stand mixer).
As always, thanks for yet another great post. I love your writing/posting style – very clear, approachable and inspiring.
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness
— March 24, 2014 at 3:48 am
I’ve actually never made bread before – it’s intimidating! But with garlic and cheese…I feel like these are a must try! Gotta face the fear someday! Pinned
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Mmmm amazing!
I brushed all the whisked egg over the top which flooded it a bit so put extra cheese on (strong cheddar) and it’s lovely. Also used dried herbs instead of fresh.
So happy you loved these garlic, herb and cheese rolls, Tina!!
Thank you very much, the bread rolls are delicious, great recipe
Can I use bread flour instead of AP?
We haven’t tried that! We always suggest following the recipe as written for best results at least once prior to experimenting so you have something to compare it to. Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
These turned out beautiful. They were shiny and perfectly risen. Texture was fluffy with a crisp top.
I thought the sweet dough did not pair well with the garlic and herbs.
I will make this beautiful dough again as a plain roll without the garlic and herbs, and top the egg wash with sea salt. Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Gail!
just made these to use with pulled pork! had a taste test. really yummy! i did add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the dough!!! yum, yum
thanks for the recipe!
Oooo your dinner sounds fantastic!!
Hello Tessa, I would love to try this recipe but haven’t had success with recipes using Cups and Tbsp/Tsp as measuring equipment differs from country to country. Would you consider using the metric system where all ingredients are listed in grams, including the Tbsp/Tsp ingredients? I’d be really happy if you would consider it. Thank you very much. I follow you on Instagram too and love browsing all your recipes. Thanks for all your inspiring ideas.
Thanks so much, Mandy Marie! You’ll actually see in the majority of my recipes that I weigh all my dry ingredients, except smaller measurements like teaspoons, because it is such a small measurement that it’s hard to mess up. I also don’t use a scale to measure milk, water, or creams because there’s no air inside those ingredients, so they too are hard to mess up when measuring.
I made these for Easter snd they were FABULOUS! I made them the day before. I followed the recipe till the rolls were formed and in the pan. I put them in the fridge overnight to rise then took them out an hour before baking to warm and baked them! They were perfect and easy! Thanks Tess!!
Hooray! I’m so happy these turned out perfectly for you, Sandy!
Followed your recipe and tips to get beautiful bread rolls that disappeared as soon as they were set on table! Definitely a keeper!
I just made these rolls and my kitchen smells amazing! Inspite of not being hungry I had one, yummm!
Love your recipes, thanks!
It’s hard to resist fresh bread rolls 😉 So glad you enjoyed!
i love to cook i cook lot of thing every day Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday
angel magiera
These rolls turned out great. Very easy and simple recipe. However, I skipped the garlic cloves since it already had garlic powder and reduced the amount of herbs because I didn’t want it too overpowering. I just wish it was more cheesy. Next time I’ll try mixing in the cheese instead of just sprinkling it on the top.
Beautiful and fluffy. Easy to make
Too much info just give me the recipe. Gosh
You know Bob Ross, you can hit the tab at the top, skip the notes and jump right to the recipe if you want, right?? Some like the fact that Tessa gives explanations. Gosh…smh!!
I have read recipe several times and am confused about the 2 portions of Parmesan cheese listed in recipe and when they are added, I can only see right before baking? Also in beginning part of post it says to brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan and in recipe it says to brush with egg and then sprinkle Parmesan. I could be overlooking it but if you can could you clarify thanks!!
Made these yesterday. They were very tasty and went well with the lasagna that was served. First time I have ever made dinner rolls, very pleased with the results. The guests complemented these dinner rolls. The house was a little cool so it took longer than the recommended time for the rolls to double in size. Definitely worth the wait.
How much water? What do you do with the other 1 Tblsp of oil? I made then and they were good but all the ingredients might make them even better.
hi! I want to make this buns because they look amazing really. But I just want to ask there is water in the directions but I cannot find it in the ingredientsn so I don’t know how much water do I really need to put. And next is there is parmessan in the ingredients of buns but you never put it in the buns? Your reply would be much appreciated coz I want to do this amazing looking buns now for my husband! thank you!
It looks really delicious thanks for the recipe and tips.
https://mutilateadoll2unblocked.us
Your recipe looks really good and I want to try making it. I am a beginner in bread making. As I am reading the recipe, I noticed that you had mentioned combining water, milk, 1 tablespoon of oil etc. However, your ingredient list did not mention the amount of water to be used. Also, in the ingredient list, there is 2 tablespoon of oil but your directions only mentioned using 1 tablespoon of oil. Your clarification is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Can you make this in the bread machine?
Can this be made with wheat flour?
The beginning of the directions say “water” but water is not in the ingredients list. How much water should I put in the bowl? Thank You!
I please answer where does the water go and how much.thanks
Thanks Tess – just came across this page and made a 1/2 batch to go with our dinner tonight. Easy to make and yummy to eat. Will definitely be trying more of your recipes.
Hi, I found your site recently and tried&bought your cookie book. These look amazing and can’t wait to try. I searched through your recipes looking to see if you had one that incororates herbes, veggies and cheese in a bread. When we lived in Seattle years ago there was a bread we bought that had these items in them. I can’t find a receipe or it anywhere. Could you please come up with one or if anyone knows where one is point me in that direction. Love your videos, recipes and am gong to be making my way through them. I think I will be taking your cooking class soon also! : ) Thank you for the receipts.
Thank you so much for such a delicious and easy recipe. The texture was so soft and fluffy!
Thank you for sharing such a delicious yet fuss free recipe. My family loves it. The dough is perfect! So soft and fluffy even on the 3rd day, especially after warming them up in the oven. The only tweek was I added filling.I pan fried some grated garlic n mixed them with soften butter, spreaded a dollop on each after the 1st proof plus adding some ham inside each of them. Its yummmy! Best part about this bread is that it doesn’t have the smell of yeast like some homemade bread recipes. Definitely a keeper!! Thank u!! 🙂
lovely will try to make it later…thank you
Could I use a bundt tin when the rolls have proved? I would like to make shaped rolls to pull apart.
Higher-protein bread flour helps all loaves—from soft white sandwich bread to whole-grain loaves—rise their highest. You will notice that bread flour has a finer texture. I use it when I make rolls. Eggs and milk in bread recipes offers a more protein enriched bread and heavier. French and Italian breads do not use eggs and milk and you will notice they are lighter in texture.
Just made these and it is so fluffy and and delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
How much water did you use, because there is none listed in the ingredients?
Thanks very much.
Oh, my goodness!!
What is bread flour ?
Thanks for allowing me to join….
I’m new to your blog and happy to have found this recipe. I’ve been looking for a recipe to re-create a childhood memory: garlic rolls served at a local pizzeria. Most recipes I read today have butter and herbs poured on top after it’s baked so this recipe looks like what I need to create my “memory.” Question: does this roll taste like sourdough bread? I hope so ‘cuz that’s what I want…sourdough rolls with garlic. Keeping my fingers crossed!
I tried these the night before our family Christmas–almost didn’t want to leave any for the the next day! I used ~ 1 tsp dried rosemary and thyme and they still tasted great. Thanks for the help with the finishing touches for our holiday meal 🙂
These sound amazing!
One question, would you be able to freeze/refrigerate these before baking them?
I want to try doing these for rolls with Christmas dinner but with everything else there is to do, it’d be a lot easier if I could premake them!
Sure, I would refrigerate or freeze the just-shaped rolls. Bring them to room temperature before baking and allow them to get a little puffy. Merry Christmas!
what can you use instead of milk?
Boy, these rolls look yummy! I have got to try them. My husband loves garlic so it will be a nice surprise for him.
I’ve always steered clear of doughs, aside from quick-breads. But lately I’ve been attempting my own pizza dough and it hasn’t been too bad, so maybe this is next.
It is lunchtime here in Portugal, so opening this post right now was simply a killer… So gorgeous and promising!
I love garlic + rosemary together, especially infused in fluffy rolls. Tessa, these look amazing! I’ve gotta try.
I want these for breakfast, lunch and dinner! So gorgeous!
Hey, Tessa – these look pretty darn good. I may need to give these a try this week next time I make rolls.
A question and a couple of notes…
Question – how big are your rolls? These look like ~2 oz each or just a tad under. Getting each roll the same size is important for a consistent, even bake.
Notes…
1. You CAN get fabulous bread & rolls using SOME whole grain flours without a lot of adjustments to the formula. i.e. you can sub up to 25% whole wheat or (better still) white whole wheat flour for some of the bread flour. You might need to add another teaspoon or two of water, but otherwise, the bread should work just fine. I tend to use white whole wheat on these kinds of rolls as they have less ‘edge’ than regular whole wheat and they don’t change the look of the roll.
Once you’ve made these a couple of times with just bread flour, you can try them again with 25% whole wheat (white or red). Add just enough water to get about the same feel to the dough. Note that whole wheat will soak up a bit more water as the dough develops, so starting out just a little wetter should give you the right dough feel by the time you’re shaping the rolls.
For those not familiar with it, white whole wheat, it isn’t a ‘marketing gimmick’ or anything crazy – it is an albino strain of wheat that is ground up just like regular (red) whole wheat. Turns out the grain compounds that produce the red color also produce that harsh ‘edge’ sometimes associated with whole wheat breads.
2. When giving bread formulas, please consider giving the weights for the ingredients. You’ve done that for the flour, which is among the most important ingredient to weigh – the other is the salt – but really everything should be weighed.
As you know, successful baking is first about finding the proper balance between ingredients and then using good technique (mixing, resting, shaping, baking, etc) to end up with great bread. However, once you’ve ‘gotten it right’, the second trick is being able to make the recipe again & again. Nothing is more frustrating for a new baker that making truly great bread once and then not being able to get the same great results again.
The key to consistent results is weighing the ingredients so you have both the proper amounts and the correct proportions between ingredients. For finely ground ingredients such as flour, ‘scooping’ is about the worst possible way to measure.
I recently did some testing on scooping vs. weighing. The results were shocking. In the most extreme case, I found ‘scooping’ put 25% more flour in the bowl than weighing. In practical terms, that is like measuring out 4 cups of flour but ending up with 5 cups. That’s huge. A difference that large throws off the entire recipe and puts everything out of whack. This is, in my experience, the reason most new bakers fail. It makes baking look like a random, hit or miss process when, in fact, it is the exact opposite.
As it turns out, salt is another big issue with baking. The density of the crystal structure between different types and brands of salt is quite significant. This is especially true with kosher salt and flake salt. As a result, a ‘teaspoon’ of salt can have wildly different amounts of actual salt in the spoon. Weighing out the salt eliminates this issue as well.
The good news is that digital kitchen scales are widely available and very inexpensive. These days, they pretty much all will give you readings in pounds & ounces, ounces or grams, which is all you really need in a home kitchen scale.
I made the switch 2 years ago to weighing all my ingredients and it made a HUGE difference in both the quality and consistency of my baking. I consider my scale to be my most valuable baking tool (even more important than a good stand mixer).
As always, thanks for yet another great post. I love your writing/posting style – very clear, approachable and inspiring.
Garlic and cheese? Sounds amazing, I’ve got to try these.
I’ve actually never made bread before – it’s intimidating! But with garlic and cheese…I feel like these are a must try! Gotta face the fear someday! Pinned