My rolls aren't turning out so good

Alunny

Alunny

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So I bought myself some yeast and I am trying to make my own bread without a bread maker and with only a cookie sheet to work with. I also have a deep one that might fit 4 rolls but I have not tried it yet.

My first attempt at actual bread were honey glazed (and flavoured) crescents. They were awesome...but had to be eaten hot/straight away. They were also very heavy.

My second attempt were actual rolls. These came out half the size I expected (flat, like they never rose which I suspect had to do with the cookie sheet not holding the balls closer together) and they were not cooked properly inside, it was very doughy. We cut them open and cooked them a bit longer which was fine but they were very heavy too.

I'm just wondering what I can do or if there's a recipe I can try for something I can make into a big ball and have come out like the rolls you find in the grocery store? Something not so heavy, something light and airy and bready that I can make at home without a bread machine/maker or anything more than a hand mixer with dough hook attachments (which are very bizarre by the way) and my stupid cookie sheet/deep brownie or cake tin thing.
 
I never had any issues making rolls, but they did tend to join together and you have to break them up, if you get me, when they were a 'blob' of dough. It was different when they were shaped for some reason. I am wondering if you didn't prove them properly a second time, or over kneaded them after the first proving because I have never used a bread maker and have never had any issues.
 
Not sure what proving is ha ha.

I used this recipe for mine, but they weren't touching...so they were a bit flat but I figured the dough would sort of pull in and rise a bit. Maybe I need to buy some instant yeast or something, I musn't be experienced enough to do it quite from scratch yet ha ha.
 
I haven't made rolls in a while. But I DO want to make some soon.
The problem is if the yeast is outdated, then it is no good. So next time, I'll use it up before that happens. :stop:
 
Yes. Except no salt. Also not sure how to quantify "warm water" so I used warm water in a bowl surrounded by warm water to keep it warm.

I did another recipe the same way and it worked great. Here's the recipe (they're the honey crescent things I mentioned before).

I feel like the bread is smelling amazing like I expect but the actual quality is miles below what I expect. Is there a recipe you've used before I could give a go?
 
With yeast, the water temp needs to be fairly exact. Once upon a time they referred to this as blood warm or milk warm. It is essentually body temp. so, if you've ever made a proper baby's bottle, you've got yourself the temp. for yeast. I go by, if I cannot percieve a hot or cold temp., it's blood warm. That said, you should always proof the yeast separately, if you're a new baker. That is, a small amount of blood warm liquid (say 1/2 cup from the total amount in the recipe) to the amount and type of yeast called for in the recipe, along with some sort of carbohydrate (white flour, potato or potato water, sugar). Mix this and let it sit 5-8 min. If it's bubbly, the water was right and the yeast living. From there troubleshooting proplems is a bit easier.

I can tell you, not having a bread machine and using a cookie sheet is not what is wrong. You could have underproofed, overproofed, killed the yeast, added too much or too little of any one of the ingredients, etc. You can find a huge amount of info at the fresh loaf website. Oh, and what we buy at the store has alot of additive like dough softeners that keep that light fluffy texture. I don't consider that real bread, though I used to consider it the mark. It takes a bit to retrain the palate for something a bit heavier. Try making things like potato bread or oat bread if that ends up being the case.
 
That's interesting. I have an easier time with rolls than I do with croissants. I have the worst luck with croissants. I think it's my sloppy form that's the issue. My recipe is on point but my technique leaves something to be desired.
 
Michelle said:
If it's bubbly, the water was right and the yeast living. From there troubleshooting proplems is a bit easier.
Click to expand...

It was bubbly for sure, very bubbly ha ha. It was not blood warm as you say, it was a lot warmer than that. It said "very warm water"...what the hell does that even mean? Should I be getting a thermometer or something?

Michelle said:
Oh, and what we buy at the store has alot of additive like dough softeners that keep that light fluffy texture. I don't consider that real bread, though I used to consider it the mark. It takes a bit to retrain the palate for something a bit heavier. Try making things like potato bread or oat bread if that ends up being the case.
Click to expand...

Oh no! So I can't even come close to it? I don't want to put anything strange in but if there's a way to lighten it naturally....I would like to do so.

JoanMcWench said:
That's interesting. I have an easier time with rolls than I do with croissants. I have the worst luck with croissants. I think it's my sloppy form that's the issue. My recipe is on point but my technique leaves something to be desired.
Click to expand...

Just cut into squares, then cut the square like a sandwich and roll the fat end first :). Or, cut into a diamond and then cut in half ha ha. Depends on how crescent shaped you want it I suppose? :)
 
lol Yes, I know how to do it but it seems like the croissants just don't agree with me. I've even tried the freaking Pillsbury in a can garbage to no avail. I feel like they just don't care for me as a person.
 
Aww that sucks! And it's kind of funny, but that said I never had luck with Pillsbury when I was in America either!

@Michelle I can't thank you enough for that website link!! It's absolutely brilliant and I feel like my confidence has been restored! I'm going to follow their "lessons" and probably do them on camera for youtube. I want to start a channel where I do some cooking things and follow recipes I find online :D. Also recipe's I've made but mostly online things. I'm very excited, I've bought a heap of new things: measuring cups and spoons that are pretty, "sauce bowls" to hold measured ingredients, even a "baking matt" what ever that is. I think it's just a plastic surface for the bench. I need a cake rack now, very badly. Maybe 12 of them LOL (jk, two will be good).
 
I made these again with instant yeast and they doubled or more in size, it was brilliant! AND they were a lot fluffier!!

The issue I am still having, however, is the centre of them is not cooking. It's thick and doughy. Even when I cut it open and leave it in the oven for a bit it stays thick even though it cooks through. Could I be making them too big? I made them roughly palm sized but they were like those big rolls you get from the bakery as opposed to the half sized ones you get from the supermarket....if that makes sense.

They had a brilliant crust to them on top and bottom though, it was really exciting! :D
 
I think your issue might be lack of salt. I note you said that you followed the recipe to the letter, but 'no salt' - bread dough needs salt! It's part of the science of bread making. Realistically, the only three ingredients you need to make wholesome bread are flour, water, salt and yeast. Many recipes have other things like oil, sugar etc, but these are a matter of taste, and I never use them in my bread baking, yet my bread is good.

What I would do is this: put your flour in the bowl first, then add the salt to one side and your yeast to the other. Salt and yeast cannot make direct contact with one another or the yeast will die, so mix each one to the side of the bowl of flour and then work it all in together, by which time they'll each be mixed through the flour enough to be 'safe'.

Next add any other extra ingredients you are using such as sugar or oil. Then the liquid. Now, there's a lot of misunderstanding concerning temperature of the liquid. Back in the day when yeast was a lot less reliable than it is now, you had to use slightly warmish water in order to get it going; you don't need to do that now. In fact, many professional artisan bakers will tell you that 100% stone cold water is by far the better option, as cold water retards the growth of your yeast without killing it. What this means is that your dough will take longer to prove, but this retardation is when the flavour has time to develop fully. I not only use cold water in my bread, but I also put it in the fridge to prove to further slow down the process - the flavour is definitely improved! That said, do not ever use water that is anything above slightly warm, or hot - this will definitely inhibit or kill your yeast, and even if it does prove slightly, the end result will be a dense and heavy loaf. Add your liquid gradually; you're aiming for a soft and pliable dough that sticks to your hand but doesn't make a mess all over your hands either. Doing it by hand will get you used to how it should look and feel. Knead it until it's smooth and elastic before you prove.

One more point about yeast....Never use out of date yeast as it just won't work; if your yeast is fresh and/or well within the 'use by' date, then you don't need to prove it separately before adding to your flour. This was another method used back in the day when yeast was unreliable, and it had to be tested each time before use.

I hope this helps you a bit. Let me know how it goes.
 
Wow thanks for the info, really great history there that's given me a better understanding! I guess I can see what you mean by the salt. I did put some in this time but not as much as the recipe wanted....so I guess that explains the bigger success but still failure a little more. Also I noticed the person who made the recipe expects these to be in 12 balls...I made it into 4. I cannot imagine how teeny these would be if I made 12 balls so I may try making 6 next time, I estimate it will work out fine. Also if I made it into 12 balls it would need to come out in 5 minutes, no way these would last 10 minutes and not be rock hard if separated into 12 balls!

As for mixing them in the one bowl, how do I do that exactly? I have instant AND dry yeast but I want to try to stick to instant at the moment. Would it be safe to mix the salt in entirely, really well, and then add the yeast? Can you maybe take a look at the recipe I used and adapt it to use the method you've given me? I've been using a hand mixer with dough hooks, is it still okay to do that? I do knead once combined though.

Also when you say it takes longer to prove, how long is it? Is there a good rule of thumb for it? Thank you so much for your info and help so far :D.
 
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