Crusty Italian Rolls

4.67 from 6 votes

You'll love these hard rolls! They're firm, brown and crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. You can use them for dinner rolls, sandwiches or sliders.

Prep Time3

Cook Time22

Total Time3 22

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: Makes 8 rolls

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Mamma C

Equipment

stand mixer

Ingredients

Dough

3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour (Measure by scooping the flour into the cup, then leveling it off with a knife.)
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (see notes if using active dry yeast)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ¼ cups warm water

Egg Wash:

1 egg (optional)

Instructions

Add the flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil and warm water to the bowl of a stand mixer, if you have one. Otherwise, use a large mixing bowl.
If using a stand mixer with dough hooks, start the machine on "stir" for one minute. Then switch to a low speed (speed 2 on a Kitchenaid mixer) to knead the dough for six minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and come together.
If kneading by hand, stir with a spoon, then knead the dough on a clean, floured work surface for at least six minutes.
When you are done kneading, grease the mixing bowl with cooking spray (you can use the same bowl without cleaning it first.) Place the ball of dough in the greased bowl and roll it around to coat it a bit with the oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for two hours at room temperature.
After two hours, peel back the plastic and gently punch down the dough. On a floured work surface, cut the dough in half with a straight-edged knife or dough cutter. Then cut those halves in half again until there are four pieces. Cut each of the dough pieces in half once more, until there are eight pieces of dough.
Roll each piece of dough into a ball (between your hands or roll it on a clean, unfloured surface). Pull the dough tautly across the domed top and pinch the bottom closed, then roll to smooth it.
Place the dough balls on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (or grease the pan with cooking spray). Cover the balls of dough lightly with a lint-free towel and let them rise for another 40 minutes.
When the dough balls have about 20 minutes left to rise, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Make a steam bath so the rolls will be crispier. Fill a 9x13 metal pan or cast iron pan halfway with hot water. (Avoid using a glass pan, if possible, because it could shatter.) Wearing oven mitts, place the pan with the hot water on the bottom rack of your oven.
When the dough balls are done rising, beat the egg in a mug or small bowl. Brush the dough balls with the beaten egg. (You'll probably have some of the beaten egg left over and can discard it.) Place the pan with the rolls on the middle rack of the oven. Bake them initially for 10 minutes at 425 F.
Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F, and bake the rolls for 12 minutes more, or until nicely browned. To check if they're done, remove the pan from the oven, and wearing gloves, flip over a roll. Take off one glove and tap the underside of the bun with your fingertips. If it sounds hollow, the rolls are done. If not, bake them a little more.
Cool the baked rolls on a wire rack until they're no longer hot, then serve with butter, dipping oil or use them for sandwiches.
Store the Italian rolls at room temperature, wrapped in plastic and then placed in a brown bag. They're best eaten by the next day or so for freshness but can stay out for a few days. For maximum freshness, freeze leftover rolls in a zip-top freezer bag the first day, once they've cooled off.

Notes

This recipe makes eight dinner-sized rolls. They're perfect for sliders or a moderately sized sandwich. If you wish, you could make four large sandwich rolls instead.

Using active dry yeast

If using active dry yeast, you'll need to proof it first to activate it. In a small mixing bowl, mix ¼ cup warm water with the yeast and ½ teaspoon of sugar. Wait about 10 minutes, until the mixture foams and bubbles. (If your yeast doesn't foam and bubble during that time, the yeast won't work, so you'll need to buy fresher yeast.) Add the activated yeast to the mixing bowl with 1 cup of warm water, 1 ½ teaspoons of sugar, and the flour, salt and olive oil. Then proceed with the recipe.

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