1package quick-acting yeastalso known as instant yeast
1 1/3cupmilkat 105 to 115F degrees
3cupsall purpose flour
3Tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil
1Tablespoonsugar
1teaspoonsalt
1Tablespoonbuttermelted
coarse saltfor topping
Instructions
Dissolve yeast in warm milk with sugar in electric mixer bowl. Stir in 1 cup flour, oil, and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, scraping dough from side of bowl, until soft dough forms.
Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes. Make sure that you cover the dough bowl with a towel when you set it aside to rise in a draft-free place.
Heat oven 400 degrees F. Punch down dough in center and fold over a few times. Prep a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pinch off 1 inch balls of dough and quickly roll in palm of hands. Put 3 balls to one muffin cup, brush with melted butter; sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake until crust is light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Immediately remove from pan. Store loosely covered.
Video
Notes
We use all-purpose flour here, if you want to use whole wheat flour use half wheat flour and half all-purpose. Your rolls could be too dense if you substitute all of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour.
When measuring flour, be sure to use the scoop and sweep method. It's amazing the variation in weight between scooping with your measuring cup and scooping into your measuring cup. Too much flour can result in dry, crumbly rolls.
Quick acting yeast is the way to go with these rolls. I use SAF Instant Yeast, but any brand of quick rise or instant will work fine. Quick acting yeast absorbs water quicker than regular dry yeast, making the rise time faster. This is also known as rapid-rise, quick-rise, and fast-rise yeast.