We love homemade dinner rolls all year round, but in hot weather I hate the way running the oven heats up the kitchen. So that's when it's time to break out the toaster oven.
As I was trying to decide which part of the counter to give over to it for the summer, Mr Delightful got the brilliant idea of not bringing it into the kitchen at all. Instead, he said, just bring it out of the garage as needed and bake on the covered patio between the garage and kitchen. Is he brilliant or what?!
My kitchen would look like an appliance showroom if I kept them all on the counters, so I keep all but the electric tea kettle and toaster in the garage. I have a dozen appliances lined up out there, to be brought in only when needed. I call the area my Butler's Pantry!
We always cook bacon out there as well, in the Cuisinart Griddler. Bacon might smell wonderful as it is cooking, but nobody likes it stinking up the house for three days afterward! Anyway, back to the rolls.
I've always baked my Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls in a 13x9x2-inch Pyrex baking dish, but Pyrex is not meant for toaster ovens (though many people have done it without incident) and that size Pyrex dish won't fit in even my huge toaster oven.
So I scaled my recipe down to work in an 8x8x2-inch baking tin. And, because "it's summertime and the livin' is easy," I made changes to speed up the whole process so you can get these rolls on the table in just a couple no-muss-no-fuss hours.
If you're gluten-free, try my Gluten-Free Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls.
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Quick and Easy Toaster Oven Dinner Rolls
(Makes 9 2.5-ounce rolls)
2 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (12.5 ounces/354 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons (0.875 ounces/25 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 fluid ounces/207 ml) water, or half water half milk
3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces/43 grams) unsalted butter
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 In a 2- to 2.5-quart mixing bowl, measure or weigh the flour. Take out 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) and set it aside for later. Whisk in the sugar, yeast and salt.
2 In a 1-cup glass measure, measure the water, or water and milk; heat in the microwave until hot but not boiling. Stir in the butter until it is melted. Check that the temperature of the mixture is very warm (120 to 130F/49 to 54C).
3 Make a well in the center of the flour, then add warm liquid and egg to the well. With dough whisk or large wooden spoon, slowly stir until soft, shaggy dough comes together. Stir vigorously for a minute or two.
4 Cover the bowl and let rest for 20 minutes. Grease well an 8x8x2-inch square metal pan with butter. Line the bottom and two sides with parchment paper; butter it as well.
5 Now's the time for the reserved 2 tablespoons of flour. Scrape dough onto lightly floured work surface and use more of the reserved flour as needed to make the sticky dough easier to handle. With a bench scraper, divide dough into 9 equal portions and roll each into a smooth ball. Place in prepared pan.
Note: To turn a piece of dough into a smooth ball, roll it between your palms and then on the counter with your hand cupped over it, making a motion like moving a computer mouse around.
6 Cover (I use my Nordic Ware Microwave Splatter Cover and a towel) and let rise until they are crowded together and puffy, 30 to 45 minutes or so. During last 10 or 15 minutes (you know your oven) preheat toaster oven (my toaster oven takes about 5 minutes) or oven to 350F/180C/Gas4.
Note: If using my regular gas oven, I go with 375F/190C/Gas5. The lower temperature for the toaster oven ensures that tops won't overbrown before rolls are done. Bake for a shorter time at the higher temperature. I've baked the rolls in the toaster oven at 375F for 18 to 20 minutes, and they were perfect. But, like every oven, every toaster oven is different. Experiment!
Note: If using my regular gas oven, I go with 375F/190C/Gas5. The lower temperature for the toaster oven ensures that tops won't overbrown before rolls are done. Bake for a shorter time at the higher temperature. I've baked the rolls in the toaster oven at 375F for 18 to 20 minutes, and they were perfect. But, like every oven, every toaster oven is different. Experiment!
7 Bake for about 25 to 28 minutes, or until well browned. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out of pan, pull apart and serve.
Note: To freeze the rolls for a later date, remove rolls from baking dish in one piece and cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Double-wrap with foil (probably one layer of heavy-duty would be sufficient); freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, remove from freezer 2 1/2 hours before serving time. Defrost, wrapped, at room temperature for 2 hours. During last 15 minutes, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place foil-wrapped rolls on a cookie sheet and bake about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support.
Jean
60 comments:
They turned out really perfect...soft, tender and nicely golden brown.
Angie, thank you. We do love bread, don't we?!
Of course he’s brilliant! Mr. Delightful thinks outside the box (or the garage, as the case may be). Another exception to my sparse bread menu: soft, moist dinner rolls (sponges for butter). And that butter pat in your photo is definitely butter! “Butter makes it better.” I only like dinner rolls when their hot (moist), however, and I see them (taste them) as late-stage yeast rolls.
Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 14!
Thank you, Sully. And, of course, we have nothing but butter in this house--because I CAN believe it's (margarine) not butter!
Thank you, Dee!
Pull-apart dinner rolls are a delight but, for some reason, I don't come across them often these days. I'm definitely keen to see them more, they look just right to me. I love the idea of a Butler's Pantry in the garage.I'm very jealous, I don't have a garage or a butler.
If you want to see them, you'll have to make them, Phil. Restaurants don't seem to serve them. They're strictly homemade. My "butler" seems to be working out pretty well and doesn't even mind giving over the space in the garage! :-)
These look delicious and there is nothing like fresh bread for irresistible taste. Your Butler's Pantry in the garage is a great idea - except that my husband has taken over ours for his shop!
Jean, you are a genius! Who would have thought one could bake rolls in a toaster oven? Yours look amazing and I really wish I could reach in and grab one! Yum! There is absolutely nothing better than homemade!
How wonderful they look and how smart to cook certain things outside of the house! Love that idea. I also like the idea of using a smaller pan and having a smaller yield! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks, Lorrie! I'm glad Mr Delightful didn't really have a need for the countertop at the back of the garage. His "shop" stuff is inside all the cabinets, but *I* have the entire countertop!
Sandi, thanks so much. Of course, I'm not a genius, but it's nice to be called one! :D
Thank you, Ellen. The smaller yield was an added bonus because I have no control when it comes to homemade breads and rolls!
Jean, your rolls are beautiful! I love where you keep your appliances. I do a similar thing in my home. We have a cabinet in our Florida room that houses the blender, food processor, ice cream maker, panini grill, waffle iron and who knows what else. My kitchen could never hold it all!
"No need to knead" - Jean, I think you wrote this one just for me! And describing a movement like moving a computer mouse is extremely helpful, too. I'm still having problems getting hold of yeast in my regular store, but I do have a few sachets in the cupboard for trying this one. Thank you!
These really look delicious. I do love a roll with dinner, especially certain kinds of dinners and these look like they would fit the bill. Thanks!
Two of my favorite phrases this year are “slather it on” as in butter, jam, peanut butter etc and “don’t stint yourself”. Both will do nicely with these rolls. Time to get baking. I also have a garage subbing for a pantry. Currently, prized counter space is being taken by the air fryer that I didn’t want but is used several times a day. Never be afraid to change your mind.
I looove dinner rolls. Fresh from toaster oven, your dinner rolls look so soft and yummy :-)
Mr. Delightful is very smart suggesting to bake on the covered patio. Our kitchen counter is way too cluttered. Need to do something about it...!
Martha, I'm glad you have an out-of-kitchen spot for your appliances, too. I use my big compressor ice cream maker right there in the garage, er, uh, butler's pantry.
Pauline, I think you'll have fun with this one! Glad you liked the way I described the motion of shaping the rolls. I felt pretty amazed at myself when it occurred to me!
Thanks, Jeanie. I hope you'll make them soon. My dad could sit down at the table with a dozen dishes to eat and say, "Where's the bread?" It just wasn't a meal without bread!
Nancy, I do love to slather on the butter! :D So far I've resisted the air fryer, but maybe if you told me what you use it for several times a day, I'd give in and "not stint myself!"
Such a great idea to bake these in a toaster oven! I've never tried that but plan on trying your recipe.
Thank you, Tamago. It feels so much better to have all that open counterspace, much more restful to the eye!
Thanks, Suchot. I hope you'll try it soon and let me know how it turned out for you!
Jean, I may have exaggerated the several times a day quote re the air fryer but not by much. My daughter has always telecommuted and makes her own lunch. Leftovers reheat beautifully. We don’t waste much here. She likes fish, I don’t, so she does battered or breaded frozen fish for tacos. I had a forgotten package of frozen roasted veggies that looked water logged. Came out slightly charred and like new. Wished I had a few more packages stashed away somewhere. I always (again with the mind changing) said I don’t like chicken wings. Wow. Crisp and juicy with only a spritz or small amount of oil. Have a friend who borrowed an air fryer to try. When her husband tried the wings, he said we NEED one of these. Settings to air fry, air roast, reheat, bake. I made my beignets this Mardi Gras with again a spritz of oil and they were wonderful. It really is a mini convection oven. No heating the kitchen with the big oven for smaller amounts or to reheat. Hand cut oven fries, no problem. The microwave is good for reheating but doesn’t recrisp anything. I have never been tempted by a toaster oven so I guess we are even. I would never replace my main oven for baked goods or roasting larger amounts. Everything has its use. Hope this helps. Really was a good purchase.
Nancy, thanks for the info. You've given me something to think about. Of course, if I end up getting one (another appliance!) my husband is going to blame you!
Oh, my! These do look incredibly easy. I’m so glad you started the post by saying we could use a regular oven, as I have never had a toaster oven! How did I get to 62 years old without one? Like you, all my appliances are put away so that my countertops are free for cooking. It really makes such a difference… I will be definitely giving this a try, as bread is one thing I make almost every other day.
Hey, Mr. D bring it on! I’ll gladly take the blame for a cool kitchen and guilt free wings and fries. Seriously, I’m still amazed by this little marvel. I got an Instant Pot partly based on your posts. Favorites are lasagna and cheesecake. I used the sous vide setting for steaks with good results. Here’s to the next culinary adventure.
Oh, David, I love my big toaster oven. Back when we used to entertain (you know, back in pre-Covid times), it was great to have the extra oven for more oven dishes or for one that had to be baked at a different temperature than the others. I hope you enjoy the rolls as much as we do!
Thanks, Nancy. I do love a culinary adventure!
Well every bit of this post is just genius! I never thought of cooking in the garage...brilliant! And using a toaster oven for rolls? Fantastic. I can use a little Pampered Chef small bar pan for that! Thanks for the tips and the recipe!
Thanks so much, Sarah! I'm preheating it right now on a table on the covered patio just off the kitchen! (But my compressor ice cream maker is even heavier, so I always just use it right where it stays on the counter in the garage. Very slick!) I'll be slathering the butter on a roll less than an hour from now.
Looks great, Jean! I hope we get a tour of the Butler's Pantry one day.
Thanks, Margie. And thanks for the idea--it never even occurred to me to do a tour of the Butler's Pantry!
These look so good! Thank you for sharing the recipe... and thanks for stopping by my blog.
Thank you! And I am just dazzled by the personalized cards you make!
I love the idea of keeping appliances in another room, I tend not to use them if they're at the back of a cupboard. Thanks for linking with #pocolo and hope to see you back later this week
Suzanne, thank you! "Back of the cupboard" has never worked for me either.
Yum.
Thanks so much for sharing with us at the To Grandma's house we go link party! I'll be featuring you this week on my blog, Facebook page, Pinterest and Instagram when the next party starts!
Thanks, RR!
Tarah, thank you so much! It's an honor to be shared by you on your blog and SM. (If you haven't seen Tarah's mad skills with the power tools, check her out!)
Hi Jean I have been out of it for a short while. Spilling a cup of tea over my laptop keyboard was not beneficial to the said laptop. It stopped working. It is being repaired at this very moment while I send you this message on an old I-pad I haven’t used in ages. I do like your ,”baps,” a name given to soft bread rolls over here. There is also a smutty joke in there but please forgive me. Couldn’t resist it.That last picture of the balls of dough covered in cellophane look like a set of ,”boules.” A stripy blue and white jumper, a black flat cap , a Gaulloisec hanging from your lips, a few shots of absinthe and you will be set up. Absinthe is brain damage stuff so take care. All the best, Tony
Tony, I could live on "baps" of one sort or another. I can have one with a bit of cheese as a main course, then one with just butter for dessert. I'm glad your laptop can be repaired. When you get it back, remember, steady on with your tea! I can't imagine using my tablet's little keyboard for much.
I keep a lot of excess kitchen gear in the basement. Which also doubles as a pantry. Don't have a toaster oven, but we do use our oven during the summer -- but we have a very efficient AC. Anyway, these look wonderful -- love rolls like this. Thaks!
I love this recipe and hope to make it. I have some kitchen appliances in the garage but when my husband retired he called the garage his office. He leaves me little space.
KR, thanks. Oh how wonderful it would be to have a basement AND very efficient AC! In our first apartment, we called the spare bedroom 'The Basement' because it served so many purposes, including home gym and music studio.
Thanks, Gerlinde. Yes, these men can get out of control once they retire! :D Happy baking!
Everything you make looks so perfect and delicious, Jean, dinner rolls included.
Amalia
xo
Amalia, thank you so much. Guess my obsessively weighing each ball of dough to make sure they are the same pays off! :D
I do like the look of these pull apart rolls :)
All the best Jan
They look great - I can almost smell them cooking... Thank for joining us at #PoCoLo
Thanks, Jan. I really love them and have to control myself! Would rather eat bread than dessert.
Stephanie, thank you. Yes, I do love the smell of bread baking!
I love homemade bread and rolls year round, Jean, and this smaller batch would be perfect for my Breville toaster oven!
Thanks, Kitty. Yes, we have to have our bread and rolls no matter what the temperature is!
Yum!
Thanks, Victoria!
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