Pizza Dough Rolls

I have a standby pizza dough recipe, but I really like pizza dough made entirely from white flour when we put it on the grill (it bubbles up nicely, and I don't get that with the whole wheat dough). So I tried this one. While the dough was resting, Cory grabs the ciabatta that I had bought for lunches that week and suggests french bread pizzas instead. We were hungry, so it wasn't much of a choice.

The recipe called for only 1 2-hour rise, but because I didn't make it that night, I ended up doing the initial 2-hour rise, wrapping it in plastic wrap in the fridge for an additional 48 hours, doing another 10-minute rise after a quick knead, and a final 30-minute rise after shaping the dough into rolls. I have no idea if all of this was necessary, but we were so pleased with the results that I'm not changing a thing next time I make this! So yes, it's a time-intensive roll, but totally worth the work.

This recipe yielded 4 large sandwich rolls. For dinner rolls, just cut them into smaller chunks (I think you could get 6-8 dinner rolls out of this same recipe).

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 tsp. (1 package) active dry yeast
• 1 c. warm water
• 2 c. bread flour
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. honey
• Pam spray
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:

• Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand until frothy (about 10 minutes).
• Add the flour, olive oil, salt and honey to the bowl of the stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix the dough until combined. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for ~5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and pliable.
• Spray the dough and the insides of the bowl with Pam, then cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume (~2 hours).
• After the dough has doubled in size, spray a large piece of plastic wrap with Pam and turn the dough out onto the sheet of plastic wrap. Gently wrap up the dough without deflating or kneading it. Store in the refrigerator for 2 days (it's probably okay for only 1 day, or even just overnight. If you choose to shorten this cool rising time, please let me know how it turns out.).
• After 2 days have elapsed, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead 8-10 times. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes of rest, shape the dough into rolls and set aside on a a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Cover the rolls with the damp kitchen towel again and let rest for an additional 30 minutes.
• Brush the tops of the rolls with the melted butter, then bake them at 425 degrees for ~18 minutes. Let cool a bit before serving.

Verdict:
The outsides of these rolls were perfectly crusty and the insides were light. It had the distinctive flavor of pizza, but was a great vehicle for sandwiches. I made some pot roast in the crock pot, and the rolls held up really nicely to the liquid-y french dip sauce.