The word proof has a lot of meanings. It can refer to alcohol content, a mathematical procedure, or evidence. However, in the world of baking, proof refers to rising dough.

Home bakers, and recipes aimed at home bakers, refer to it as "rising," but professionals call it "proofing." Proofing is a part of the bread making process where fermentation takes place, causing the dough to expand, grow, or rise (whichever term you prefer). Depending on who you ask, proofing can include the first period of fermentation, which is usually called the bulk fermentation. Most of the time, though, proofing is the second stage of fermentation, called the "second rise" by home bakers. This is the period after the final shaping when the dough is left to expand to it's proper size before baking.

Proofing is an important stage in baking (of course each stage is important in its own way) for three reasons. First off, more fermentation occurs for that much more flavor. The fermentation then causes gas production which makes the dough expand to a larger size. Also the gluten is able to relax which allows oven spring to take place.

Congratulations! You have successfully made delicious, homemade dinner rolls. After gathering all your ingredients, you proofed the yeast, kneaded the dough, shaped the rolls, baked the rolls and now that the rolls have had sufficient time to cool you get to taste the rolls. They have a hint of crispness to the crust and a soft interior. You can see the color difference in the rolls that are brushed with egg (top left, in the photo) and those that were not (all the others). The rolls brushed with egg bake up darker in color, though the egg does not add anything to the flavor of the roll.

Eat these with butter and jam, or use them to mop up gravy. Enjoy!

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Lightly beat an egg with 2 tablespoons of water and brush onto your risen dinner rolls. This will give them a lovely brown sheen as they bake. You could brush them with butter instead, for a deeper color, but an egg will always give them the best shine. If you like, you may also sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on top of the rolls at this point.

Bake the rolls at 400F for about 20 minutes. They will be golden when they are done. Slide them off the baking sheet and onto a wire rack to cool. Yeasted breads can turn a bit gummy inside if they are cut when they are hot, so it is best to let them cool to room temperature before eating them.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Take your risen dough and turn it out onto your lightly floured surface. Use a knife or a bench scraper to divide the dough in half, then divide each half into six even pieces, for a total of 12. You can shape these pieces into any shape you like. Rounded balls are probably the simplest, but it is even easier to drop them into lightly greased muffin tins. To make knots, roll each piece of dough into a rope and tie it. (Yes, that is my hand. No, it is not easy to shape a dinner roll and take a photo at the same time. ) Shaping the dinner rolls is a great time to get your kids involved in baking, even if they can only manage snake-like breadsticks or less-than-circular rolls.

Place all your formed rolls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or one that has been lightly greased. Cover the baking sheet with a large, clean dish towel and let the rolls rise for about 20 minutes.

Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 400F, then you can finish preparing the rolls.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

 

To your yeast mixture, add buttermilk, honey, salt and 2 cups of flour. Stir vigorously. This is made easier if you have a stand mixer, where you can proof the yeast in the attached bowl and use the dough hook to knead it for you. It isn't too difficult to do by hand, though. All you need is a big wooden spoon. Add the remaining flour a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough stops sticking to the sides of the bowl and clings instead to your spoon or dough hook.

Kneading is the best part, so place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it with the heel of your hand. As best as I can describe without a video clip, here is how you knead dough. Press the dough down with the heel of your hand, fold over the top half of the dough. Rotate the folded dough 90 degrees (1/4 turn) and repeat. Continue kneading, adding a bit more flour to prevent the dough from sticking, for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Place it in an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 - 2 hours, until doubled in size. If you kitchen is cold, this rise will take 2 hours, but it will probably take less time if your kitchen is warm. The dough is now ready to be shaped.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

 

The first step, once you have your ingredients, is to proof the yeast. Combine your active dry yeast with 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl. You can test the temperature of your water by putting a few drops on the back of your hand, as you would do to test the temperature of a baby's bottle. If the water is too hot for your hand, it's too hot for the yeast. You cannot kill yeast with water that is too cold, only slow its activity slightly, so it is best to err on the side of caution and not overheat your water.

Mix the water and yeast with a fork to blend. After 5-10 minutes, the yeast should look slightly foamy. Time to add the rest of the ingredients in the next step.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]