Dinner rolls do not have to be plain. They are one of those things you can completely adjust to your taste buds. If you are a garlic lover, like yours truly, these will be just right for you. I like this method of making garlicky baked goods, although it does take a bit of preparation. You can just add some crushed garlic to the dough, or even add granulated garlic, but they will not taste the same. Letting the garlic permeate the yoghurt overnight gives such a mild and unique flavour. You can adjust the amount of dried sage to your liking, of course.
Ingredients
400 grams plain flour
200 grams yoghurt
120 ml boiling water
3 tablespoons oil, divided
2 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾ teaspoon dried yeast
¾ teaspoon dried sage
1 tablespoon oil, for brushing
Preparation
Roughly crush the garlic cloves, place them in the yoghurt, mix well, cover the bowl tightly and leave it in the fridge overnight. Next day, when you’re ready to make the dough, take the yoghurt pot out of the fridge, take the garlic cloves out and discard them and leave the yoghurt at room temperature for a few minutes. Sift the flour in a large bowl; add the yeast, sugar, salt, dried sage and whisk it very well. Take the boiling water, and pour it into the yoghurt, whisking constantly. Add in 2 tablespoons of oil, mix well, and then pour it over the dry ingredients.
Mix with a wooden spoon until a very soft and slightly sticky dough forms. At this point, add a bit more flour if you need, but don’t add too much, the dough needs to be as soft as possible. Keep kneading the dough in the bowl, with your hands for a couple of minutes, until it becomes really sticky. Add the reserved tablespoon of oil and knead it in. The dough won’t stick to your hands and you will be able to shape it into a smooth ball.
Place the dough in a large clean bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rise, at room temperature, for about an hour, or until doubled in size. When the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead it lightly, shape it into a ball and cut it into 25 equal pieces. You can cut it into 12 pieces, of course, but it will affect the time of the baking. Shape each dough piece into a sphere and place them on a large baking sheet, lined with baking paper.
Let them sit in a warm spot for another hour, to rise again. Just before baking, brush them with an additional tablespoon of oil and bake them in a preheated oven, at 190˚C (375˚F), for 15-18 minutes (20-25 minutes, for larger dinner rolls).
Note: If you wish, you can brush the tops of dinner rolls with a bit of butter as soon as you take them out of the oven, for a softer crust.
