Soft Dinner Rolls
These dinner rolls are tinted a pale soft blue using bluepea flowers. Sink your teeth into the fluffy and light crumb, perfect when slathered with butter as it melts into the crumb. If there’s any leftover curry on your plate, mop it all up with these rolls. Or, simply enjoy them neat.
Total Time: 1½ hours
Difficulty: 2/5
Cost: S$3.50
Yields: 600g rolls
A: Bluepea Flower Water
50 bluepea flowers
150ml water, boiling
B: Dough
280g bread flour
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
125ml bluepea flower water
1 free-range (kampong) egg 55g
30g granulated sugar
30g butter, salted room temperature
DIRECTIONS:
1.Bluepea flower water: Toss flowers into boiling water. Allow it to steep for 5 minutes. Strain and set aside 120ml of blue-tainted liquid.
2. Combine all ingredients, except butter in a stand mixer fitted with dough hook. Knead until a silky and elastic dough forms, approximately 10 minutes. Add in butter. Mix until it is well incorporated. Knead for 10 minutes.
3. Do a windowpane test: pinch a small piece of dough – using both your thumbs and index fingers, gently stretch dough in opposite direction. If you see a thin membrane resembling a windowpane without it breaking or tearing, the gluten is well developed. If not, continue to knead another 3-5 minutes and do another windowpane test.
4. Using a pastry brush, grease a clean bowl with some oil or butter. Place dough into bowl, and cover with cling wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, approximately 1 hour.
5. Transfer dough onto clean kitchen counter or silicon mat, lightly dusted with flour. Punch it in the middle to release gas. Divide into 2 equal portions. Using your hands, shape into individual balls.
6. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
7. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough until 0.8cm thin. Next, roll up into a log to resemble a Swiss roll. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough.
8. Place both pieces of dough side by side into a 450g loaf pan that has been greased with butter.
9. Preheat oven to 180C on fan mode.
10. Allow dough to rise at room temperature until it occupies 80-90% of the pan, approximately 1 hour.
11. Bake 40 minutes until golden brown.
12. Turn loaf out of pan immediately onto a wire rack. Allow it to fully cool down. Using a bread knife, slice and serve.
TIP: Toast bread after 2 days because crumb is firmer. Alternatively, make French toast – dip sliced bread in beaten egg and panfry in butter.
TECHNIQUE: For good crumb texture, make sure the dough has reached windowpane stage.
Photos: Candy Wong
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