Why make homemade dinner rolls when you can buy them in the bakery section of any grocery store – and besides, it’s just the bread basket, right, nothing important? I hope those are rhetorical questions. You wouldn’t ask if you could just see John’s reaction whenever I put a bread basket on the table, with a warm and fragrant, cloth-wrapped bundle inside. When he lifts an edge of the napkin to take a peek, he’ll say, “Oh, boy. Rolls!” He really does, and why not? These poppy seed rolls are worth the excitement.
Greek yogurt and buttermilk in the dough make them extra tender and add a subtly tangy flavor. A brushstroke of egg wash across the top of each roll adds a golden shine and helps the poppy seeds to adhere. (I used a free-range egg with a dark orange yolk, which gave this batch of rolls an extra-sunny color, but any kind of egg is fine.)
The quantity of dough in this recipe will make about 16 decent-sized dinner rolls, or 8 large sandwich rolls, or any combination of the two. To shape the sandwich rolls, I like to roll each piece of dough out to a short, fat rope, then twist it into a simple knot.
Making poppy seed rolls ahead, and what to do with leftovers:
- Poppy seed rolls are fantastic served warm from the oven. If you’ve made them ahead, you can enjoy them at room temperature, or reheat them by wrapping them in foil and heating in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or wrapping in paper towels and microwaving until warm.
- They will stay fresh for 3 days, well-wrapped at room temperature, and can be frozen in freezer-safe zip-lock bags for up to one month.
(Mamie’s Rolls are another option for soft homemade dinner and sandwich rolls; that post has photos that demonstrate how to make the knot shape.)
Poppy Seed Rolls
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for the bowl
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- ¾ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) buttermilk
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¾ teaspoon Morton’s)
- 3¾ cups (450 grams) all-purpose flour, plus additional
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Directions
- Step 1 Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Step 2 Combine the yeast and the water in a liquid measuring cup along with a large pinch of the sugar, and whisk to blend. Let the yeast mixture sit until it’s foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Step 3 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yogurt, buttermilk, salt, melted butter and the remaining sugar, and stir on low speed to combine. Add the yeast mixture and stir on low speed until combined. Add 2½ cups of the flour and mix on low speed, then gradually increase the speed until the mixture forms a smooth, batter-like dough. Beat the dough for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Step 4 Switch to the dough hook and add ½ cup of flour. Mix on low speed at first and then increase the speed to medium low until all the flour is incorporated. Repeat with another ½ cup of the flour. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of flour and mix until the dough gathers itself in a ball that clings to the dough hook and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Run the mixer on medium low speed for 2 minutes, without adding any additional flour, to knead the dough.
- Step 5 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead by hand for 1 to 2 minutes, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. When you’re done, the dough should be silky smooth, soft (not stiff), and just slightly sticky.
- Step 6 Butter a large bowl. Put the dough in the bowl and turn it over to coat the entire ball of dough with butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at warm room temperature for 1 hour, or until it’s doubled and puffy. (Test the dough by poking one finger into the center. When you take your finger out, if the dough does not close up over the hole, it’s risen enough.)
- Step 7 Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the dough into portions of whatever size you like. You can make all dinner-sized or all sandwich-sized rolls, or some of each. Gently roll each piece of dough between your palms to form a round ball, then smooth your fingers down around the outside of the ball, squeezing gently, to form the roll into a tight, smooth shape, pinching any excess together on the bottom. Or, roll out short ropes between your palms and form the ropes into knots, tucking the ends underneath. Arrange the rolls on the baking sheets, spacing them out evenly. Cover each sheet loosely with a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re puffy and about double in size. Meanwhile heat the oven to 350 degrees with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
- Step 8 Combine the egg and cream in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Very gently brush each roll with some of the egg wash, being careful not to dent or deflate the rolls. Sprinkle the poppy seeds onto the tops of the rolls.
- Step 9 Bake 10 minutes, then switch the baking sheets from the top to bottom racks and rotate them back to front. Bake 10 minutes more for dinner rolls, 12 to 15 minutes more for sandwich rolls. When they’re done, the rolls will be golden brown on the bottom and light golden on top. Carefully transfer the rolls from the baking sheets to a cooling rack. Dinner rolls can be served warm, sandwich rolls should be cooled completely before slicing and filling, and all rolls must be cooled completely before wrapping and storing.
I made these today, simply amazing!!! The texture, the taste, just lovely!! Your directions were flat-out perfect, thank you, thank you, I will be making these beautiful dinner rolls many times in the future!!