Bread Machine Focus week Day 4- Using the dough cycle

Another of the cycles that I consider to be really important in a bread machine is the dough cycle. With this feature you are free to make breads and rolls that you can form and bake in your regular oven. I use mine this way for dinner rolls on a regular basis. It is so nice to have the machine do all the mixing, kneading and rising for me. I then only have to form the rolls allow them to rise again and bake them. This really frees up my time when entertaining or just getting dinner on the table for the family.

Most of the bread machines I have used and looked at take about an hour and a half for this cycle. Then most recipes need to rise again and be baked so you can easily plan your time. I find that the rolls seem to rise more predictably this way than when I make them with my mixer and try to do both rises in my somewhat cold kitchen.

I also use this feature for pizza crust, cutting my prep time down a lot when making a pizza from scratch.

The recipe I am giving today is one of our favorites and makes a very basic dinner roll that is good with any meal. I found this recipe when I was on a mission for a friend to find a dairy free roll recipe that actually tasted good. I especially love the versatility of this recipe. How you want to use the rolls will determine how many rolls you get. If you want a sandwich bun (about the size of a regular size hamburger bun) you will get 12. If you want dinner rolls between 15 and 18 depending on how big you want your rolls.

Dinner Rolls

1 cup warm water

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 egg

3 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons yeast

Combine the ingredients in your bread machine in the order specified by the manufacturer.

Select the dough cycle

At the end of the dough cycle remove the dough from the bread machine and allow to rest on a floured surface, covered for about 10 minutes.

Grease a rimmed cookie sheet (mine is about 10”X15” and is the perfect size for this recipe.

Divide the dough in to the desired number of rolls. If you want to use them for sandwiches cut it into 12 if you want a dinner roll you can do either 15 or 18 depending on how big you want your rolls.

Allow the rolls to rise covered in a warm place for about 30-40 minutes. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm.