Texas Roadhouse Rolls

<strong>Texas Roadhouse Rolls</strong>

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the warm milk,  active dry yeast, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, and proof for 5 minutes. Tips - Warm the milk according the temperature on the package directions on the brand of yeast you're using. The temp can vary from brand to brand. For this recipe, in general I aim for between 105-110F. Check the temp with a digital thermometer and do NOT guess. Proof means "to prove" that the. yeast is alive and well. You will know this if the mixture turns bubbly and frothy looking. If it does not, it means that the yeast isn't alive and your bread won't rise later on. So you need to start over until you see bubbles and a frothy looking mixture. If you're doing this by hand, use a large mixing bowl and wooden spoon.

2. After 5 minutes, add the eggs, yolks, remaining granulated sugar, brown sugar, and beat momentarily to combine.

3. Add the flour, salt, and beat momentarily to combine.

4. Switch to the dough hook, and knead on medium speed for 6 minutes. If you're doing it by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured countertop or work surface, and knead for about 10 minutes. Tips - This is a sticky, tacky, very moist dough. Resist the urge to add more flour because the more flour you add now, the denser and heavier the finished rolls will be. However, if you absolutely can't work with it  (by hand) or it's sticking terribly to the side of the mixing bowl (if using a stand mixer), then add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, up to about 1/4 or 4 tablespoons, or the bare minimum that you can get away with and still have the dough come together.

5. After the dough is elastic and bounces back after pushing on it, spray a large mixing bowl (if using a stand mixer, you can spray the mixing bowl) very well with nonstick cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap (spray the side the dough will come into contact with), and allow it to rise for about 90 minutes, or until doubled in size. Tips - The colder your kitchen, the longer the dough will take to rise. If you're making the rolls on a winter day, it'll take longer for them to rise (maybe 2 hours, or a bit longer), so wait as long as it takes.

6. After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down.

7. Flour a clean countertop or work surface, and roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 16x20-inches, and that it's 1/2-inch thick. Tips - You can also choose to only roll out half the dough and stash the other half in the fridge for another few hours. This will slow down the rise. Make sure it's kept in a sprayed bowl and covered with plastic wrap until you're ready to bake it. This is advantageous if you know that you can't handle rolling/rising/baking off 40 rolls at once.

8. Using a pizza wheel, slice the dough into about 40 pieces.

9. Spray large baking sheets (up to about 4 or 5 if you have that many) with cooking spray, and transfer 12 pieces of dough to each baking sheet, spaced 1/2-inch apart. Tips - If you don't have that many, just let the dough hang out on your countertop, cover it with a tea towel so it doesn't dry out, and separate the pieces so they're 1/2-inch apart.

10. Allow the dough to rise again for 30 to 45 minutes, or until doubled in size. Towards the end of this rise, preheat your oven to 350F.

11. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until rolls are lightly golden browned. Tips - Rotate the baking sheets once midway through baking to ensure even cooking and browning. Bake on the center two oven racks. Do not bake more than 2 baking sheets at a time. The third and fourth baking sheets (or rolls 24 through 40) or the second overall round of baking needs to happen after you bake off the first 24 rolls. Don't attempt to bake them all at once as none will turn out well.

12. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack as soon as possible after baking.

13. Brush the tops of the baked rolls with the remaining 1/4 cup melted butter. Set rolls aside momentarily.