Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

I was cleaning out my refrigerator yesterday morning when I saw I had a quart of buttermilk stashed in the back. Thankfully it was not expired yet but I'd forgotten I bought it a few weeks back because I was determined to make buttermilk biscuits. Then I had a mommy-brain fart, as I do every once in a while, and totally forgot about it.

Anyway, yesterday I found the buttermilk and immediately I started checking my plethora of cookbooks. I browsed through the Joy of Cooking, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, a few of my Czech and German cookbooks and all had good bread recipes using buttermilk but I was looking for something easier, in roll form instead of bread or biscuit or dumplings, and that I didn't have to use a ton of butter in. So, I went to Google and, lo and behold, I found this buttermilk dinner roll recipe via Michael Ruhlman who got it via Saveur which is my favorite gourmet magazine at the moment!

In Ruhlman's recipe, you are advised to let the dough rise until doubled, which should take 2 to 3 hours. I put my covered dough in my turned-off oven and let it rise for just one hour. Then after I placed my rolls in the springform pan, I let it rise another hour, again inside my turned-off oven. I think that seemed to do the trick. Anyhoo, I just happen to have poppy seeds but if you don't have them available, I think you can omit, just make sure you egg wash your rolls before you bake them. Lastly, I don't have a scale so I went with the conventional amounts and my rolls came out A-OK!

INGREDIENTS (makes 12 rolls)

• 28 ounces/800 grams AP flour (5 1/2 cups)
• 20 ounces/570 grams buttermilk, room temp or microwaved for 40 to 60 seconds to take the chill off it
• 1/4 ounce/7 grams (1 package) active dry yeast
• 1/2 ounce/14 grams kosher salt (1 tablespoon)
• 1.5 ounces/40 grams honey (2 tablespoons)
• vegetable spray or butter for greasing a springform pan
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds (or as desired)

DIRECTIONS

Combine the flour, buttermilk, yeast, salt and honey in the bowl of a standing mixer. Mix on medium till the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Cover and let rise till doubled in volume (dough shouldn’t bounce back when you press a finger into it). This will take at least two hours, maybe three or more depending on the temperature of your dough and the temperature of your kitchen.

Turn the dough out onto your counter and give it a good knead. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (about 4 ounces each). Form each into a tight boule by rolling it on the counter. (Check out this video on how to shape a boule).

Spray or butter a springform pan. Fit the boules into it, cover it with a towel and let the dough rise for an hour.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F./190 degrees C. Whisk the egg till it’s uniformly yellow.

When the rolls have risen again, brush them with the egg wash, sprinkle them with poppy seeds and bake them for 40 minutes. Let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with soft butter.