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No-Fuss Rolls — What Gets Made on a Tuesday

By Priya Krishnamurthy ◀ Post #388 of 416 ▶ August 18, 2023 at 8:54 PM | Edison, New Jersey
An ordinary week in the life between milestones. The kitchen produces meals on schedule. Amma is in memory care. Appa visits her daily. The children grow. The sambar gets made. The rasam gets made. The wet grinder roars on Sundays. I made Chapati dal tonight. Not because it is special but because it is Tuesday and Tuesday needs dinner and the kitchen does not distinguish between milestone weeks and ordinary weeks. The generous pinch is generous either way. The food continues. We continue.

Chapati dal was on the stove, but these rolls came alongside — because the kitchen, as I said, does not distinguish between ordinary weeks and marked ones. I needed something that required very little of me and gave back warmth in return. No-Fuss Rolls are exactly that: a recipe that asks for patience only in small amounts and delivers something soft and real, worthy of setting next to a pot of dal on a Tuesday when continuing is the whole point.

No-Fuss Rolls

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one standard packet)
  • 1 cup warm water (105–110°F)
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil (such as vegetable or canola)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)

Instructions

  1. Activate the yeast. Combine warm water and sugar in a large bowl and sprinkle yeast over the top. Stir gently and let stand 5 minutes until the mixture is foamy and fragrant.
  2. Build the dough. Add salt and oil to the yeast mixture. Add flour one cup at a time, stirring after each addition, until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  3. Knead. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4–5 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should spring back lightly when poked.
  4. Shape the rolls. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball by cupping your hand over it and moving in a circular motion against the work surface. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking pan, spacing them evenly.
  5. Rest. Cover the pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rolls rest in a warm spot for 15 minutes. They will puff slightly but not double — this is a quick rise, not a long one.
  6. Bake. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake rolls 12–15 minutes until the tops are golden and the rolls sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Watch closely after the 12-minute mark.
  7. Finish. Remove from oven and brush tops immediately with melted butter. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 130 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 23g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 195mg

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Priya Krishnamurthy
About the cook who shared this
Priya Krishnamurthy
Week 388 of Priya’s 30-year story · Edison, New Jersey
Priya is a pharmacist, wife, and mom of two in Edison, New Jersey — the town she grew up in, surrounded by the sights and smells of her mother's South Indian kitchen. These days, she splits her time between the hospital pharmacy, school pickups, and her own kitchen, where she cooks nearly every night. Her style is a blend of the Tamil recipes her mother taught her and the American comfort food her kids actually want to eat. She writes about the beautiful mess of balancing two cultures on one plate — and she wants you to know that ordering pizza is also an act of love.
Visit Priya’s profile → All 416 recipes from her kitchen

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