Vegan Dinner Rolls
Vegan dinner rolls - these delicious milk bread rolls are super soft, fluffy and delicious. They are perfect for serving as a side, with soup or for making sandwiches. The tangzhong method helps to keep them soft for days without needing to add lots of fat. Don't worry, it's really easy!
Servings 9 people
Ingredients
Tangzhong:
- 30 g (¼ cup) white bread flour
- 160 g (⅔ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best)
Dough:
- 180 g (¾ cup) cold unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best)
- 30 g (2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 400 g (3 ¼ cups) white bread flour
- 8 g (2 ½ teaspoons) instant yeast
- 45 g (3 Tablespoons) vegan butter softened
Instructions
- To make the tangzhong, place the flour in a saucepan and gradually whisk in the milk to avoid lumps.
- Place the pan over a medium/low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to a paste/pudding-like consistency.
- Scrape the tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour the rest of the cold milk on top. This will cool the tangzhong down so that the heat doesn’t kill the yeast.
- Add the sugar, salt and flour and finally the yeast. Stir until it forms a rough dough then set the stand mixer to a medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth and stretchy, this can take about 10 minutes.
- Add the vegan butter and knead for about another 5 minutes until it is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer feels greasy. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
- You should be able to stretch a section of the dough thin enough to see light through it without it breaking (the windowpane test). If it seems too wet then you can knead in a little extra flour, a tablespoon at a time. Be careful though, this is meant to be a very soft, sticky dough and adding too much extra flour will make the bread dry.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in the fridge to rise overnight, or in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
- The following day (or once the dough has doubled in size at room temperature), knock back the dough and give it a brief 30 second knead to knock out the air bubbles. Line a 23 cm/9 in square tin with baking parchment.
- Divide the dough into 9 or 12 even pieces and shape each one into a ball. You can either arrange them in the tin now, or follow the shaping instructions below for rolls shaped like the ones in the photos.
- Roll each ball out into a long oval, fold one third of the oval over the middle (from the side, not the top), then the other third over the top to form a long, narrow packet.
- Roll over the seam to flatten it, then roll it up tightly from one end to make a fat sausage. Repeat with the other balls of dough then arrange them in the tin, seam side down.
- Loosely cover and leave to rise until puffy, about 45-60 minutes. If you gently press the dough with your finger it should spring back slowly, and maybe leave a slight indentation. If it springs back quickly then it needs a little longer, and if the dough deflates then it is over-prooved so keep an eye on it!
- When the bread is nearly ready, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Gently brush any exposed dough with a little milk, then bake the rolls for 30 minutes. They should be deep golden and a probe thermometer inserted into the centre should reach at least 90°C/194°F.*
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully lift it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool for about 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos. If you have a question I may have already answered it above!
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- I find it easier to weigh out the liquid ingredients using my scale, which is why I have given the amounts in grams. The quantity is the same if using a measuring jug (160ml milk for the tangzhong and 180ml for the dough).
- *If you don’t have a thermometer then a toothpick inserted into the centre of a roll should go in and out smoothly with little resistance and come out clean.