Published November 1, 1999.
Our goal with our dinner roll recipe was to shorten and simplify the task without sacrificing flavor or texture. We found our time-saving steps at the beginning and end of the process. First, we substituted rapid-rise yeast for regular active yeast in our dinner roll recipe. The rolls completed their first and second rise in just over an hour; regular active yeast required more than two hours. Last, we decided against making any "fancy" shapes that take the nonprofessional baker lots of time to master. Instead, we simply cut triangular pillow shapes from the dough after rolling it into the shape of a baguette.
To ensure the softest, most tender rolls, avoid flouring the work surface during hand kneading; if necessary, flour your hands instead. The flour that you use to dust the work surface during shaping stays on the surface of the dough and is meant to give the rolls a soft, delicate look. The dough is best made in a standing mixer; there is too large a quantity of soft dough for a food processor, and it is difficult to make by hand. You will need four cookie sheets for this recipe.
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