Hamburger Rolls

These rolls are really tasty and to say something completely dorky you will never buy hamburger rolls again after trying these ones. They are easily doubled and freeze well.

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (2.5 tsp) (.25 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Combine the milk, 1 cup of water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat and let stand until lukewarm. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.  And if it’s too cold you will have to reheat it and then it will be too hot and you don’t want to do that. Trust me. I did it. If I can hold my finger in the liquid for 5 seconds then I decide it’s a good temperature.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and yeast. Pour in wet ingredients and stir until the dough starts to pull together. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook to mix for about 8 minutes. If not, knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes. Don’t over knead it as it will get really chewy. I know. I did that too. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 even portions. Make tight balls out of the dough by pulling the dough tightly around and pinching it at the bottom. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or tin foil – wax paper will stink. I use tin foil. Let rolls rise for about 20 minutes. Squish each ball with the palm of your hand until it is 3 to 4 inches wide.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Mix together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Brush onto the tops of the rolls. I then like to sprinkle Italian Seasoning or poppy seeds or sesame seeds on top.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until nicely browned on the top and bottom.