Who says dinner rolls have to be plain and round? These little flowers are buttery, soft and fluffy, not to mention super fun for the little ones. By rubbing the butter in the flour you get a flaky texture almost resembling flaky pastry, and the yoghurt gives it a tangy flavour and keeps it fresh even the next day. The most important thing about making these is to keep the dough at room temperature before the baking. If the room is too warm, the butter may start to melt and you will have a very difficult time kneading and shaping the dough.
Ingredients
450 grams plain flour
100 grams butter
2 ½ teaspoons dried yeast
200 grams plain yoghurt
120 ml lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for brushing
Preparation
Dice the butter into small cubes and place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Sift the flour twice and place half of it in a large bowl. Add the chilled butter and rub it in the flour. You can rub it between your fingers or use a pastry blender. Once you have a fine mixture of butter and flour, add a bit more flour and rub it in the same way. Take a medium bowl and pour in the yoghurt, salt and the lukewarm water. Make sure the water is not too warm, because the butter will start to melt and you will not be able to knead the dough properly. Add the rest of the flour and the yeast to the bowl with the butter and flour, whisk well and make a well in the centre. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to form, then flour your work surface and knead the dough with your hands for a few minutes.
Place it back in the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for about an hour to an hour and a half at room temperature. If the room is too warm, the butter may start to melt. Once the dough has risen, gently knead it on a floured surface and divide it into 16 equal pieces. You can weigh the dough and divide it by weight, or just divide it approximately. Shape each dough piece into a ball, then arrange them on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper. If you wish, you can make six cuts into the each dough ball (not all the way through, you do not wish to cut it in half) so it resembles a flower. Let them rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature, then brush them with the oil and bake them in a preheated oven, at 200˚C (400˚F), for about 15 minutes.
