Herbed Dinner Rolls

Here are my tips to getting your yeast to bloom:
Run HOT water into the bowl that you are going to use for your yeast blooming – this will heat up your bowl. If you put hot water in a cold bowl, it will make warm water – which means no blooming. Empty the water out of the bowl.

Then, with the tap water as hot as it gets from running it, measure out a cup of water. Put a thermometer in it if you are in doubt. If like mine, it should be around the higher end of the range: 110-115 degrees.

Then measure out the hot water into the pre-heated bowl.

Stir together the hot water, 2 tablespoons sugar and yeast until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, at least five minutes (I got distracted and waited 20). If the mixture does not foam up, throw it out and start over. Your dough will never be right if this step doesn’t work.

Melt 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) butter in a small saucepan over the lowest heat (you don’t want the butter to take on any color at all, so keep it low!)

Add the chopped herbs to the melted butter (the herbs will infuse the butter). Add the milk to the butter and herbs and barely heat until lukewarm.

Pour the milk mixture into the large bowl with the yeast mixture. Then add the bread flour and salt. Stir in 1 cup all-purpose flour, a little at a time while the mixer is working.

Mix the dough until a smooth and elastic dough begins to form, adding more all-purpose flour as needed.

The dough will be smooth after a few minutes.

Place the dough into a large, buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and and let rest in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Take the beautiful puffy dough ball out and pat it softly. Cut the dough into quarters, and then cut each of those into 3 pieces.

Form each of the 12 pieces into little balls and place them in a dish (9×13 sized) that has been buttered with 1 Tablespoon of the remaining butter.

Cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise again, another hour.

When they have doubled again, I kind of stretch them out and fold them over themselves.

Melt the last 2 Tablespoons of butter, and brush the rolls with the butter.

Bake the rolls at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until barely golden brown on top.

Serve warm!