Why did my rolls fail? NYT Fast and Easy Yeast Rolls

[Anonymous]

Has anyone made the NYT Fast and Easy Yeast Rolls? I tried them yesterday 3 times. First time I followed the recipe exactly and they never seemed to rise and the dough felt very heavy. I assumed my yeast was bad (strange, it was new, but ok). Went out and bought brand new yeast and this time I added the milk to the yeast first to make sure it was alive. It wasn’t. Third time I used different milk, too, and it seemed to work, and I made the rolls, but they came out tasteless and rather dry. Thankfully I tried one last night and realized they were bad so I tossed them and went out to buy Pillsbury biscuits in a can.
Anyway, has anyone made these and had success? My one thought was maybe my milk was too hot but I use a Thermapen instant read thermometer and get it spot on the recommended temp — 110 before adding it to the yeast.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know. I made these ones and the recipe is similar: less butter but more milk with different instructions. They came out perfect first try.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-dinner-rolls/

[Anonymous]

Hard to tell without ingredients and recipe. If I had to guess:

If bland, add more salt and butter. Top with egg wash before baking and sprinkle with sale immediately after baking. I top off hot rolls with a little bit of butter (and sometimes honey too).

If too dense: Lots of potential pitfalls here -

you may have had not enough flour or too much flour.

You may have not have proofed long enough. It should at least double in size after the first proof. Do not over knead before breaking out into rolls for second proof. When I can, I proof my dough in the oven (either no temp setting or my oven has a proof setting) and cover with a towel that’s been soaked in boiling water and then wrung out.

Temperature for ingredients: if there’s a melted butter component, you have to let it cool so it’s also not more than 105/110 (I use 105 as my top end but I don’t think that would’ve ruined your yeast).

Temperature yesterday: was quite cold so you may have needed more proof time than the recipe called for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone made the NYT Fast and Easy Yeast Rolls? I tried them yesterday 3 times. First time I followed the recipe exactly and they never seemed to rise and the dough felt very heavy. I assumed my yeast was bad (strange, it was new, but ok). Went out and bought brand new yeast and this time I added the milk to the yeast first to make sure it was alive. It wasn’t. Third time I used different milk, too, and it seemed to work, and I made the rolls, but they came out tasteless and rather dry. Thankfully I tried one last night and realized they were bad so I tossed them and went out to buy Pillsbury biscuits in a can.
Anyway, has anyone made these and had success? My one thought was maybe my milk was too hot but I use a Thermapen instant read thermometer and get it spot on the recommended temp — 110 before adding it to the yeast.

What did the commenters say? NYT recipes aren't actually recipes, they're more like a sketch or an idea of a dish they envision might work but almost universally fail if you actually follow them word for word. You HAVE to read the comments as NYT relies on the readership to take those skeleton drafts and do the trials and testing to get it to work.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. I wonder if I over kneaded. I usually use the mixer to knead dough but I was following the recipe exactly. I’m going to try the Sally’s Baking Addiction recipe and see how they turn out.

[Anonymous]

Did you proof your yeast? Your milk or whatever fluid you were using may have been too hot (killed the yeast) or too cold (less activity, so less vigorous). Possibly, you used a different kind of yeast than called for (traditional vs. Instant), or your room where you were rising was too cold. I use a lot of yeast and *very* rarely have ever found it to be “dead” when handled properly, even in situations where it was well after expiry.

[Anonymous]

I made the King Arthur Parker House rolls and they came out good

[Anonymous]

You can't test yeast with milk alone -- use a little liquid, VERY slightly warmed, plus a little sugar and flour, and see if the resulting sludge gets foamy.

[Anonymous]

I always make these. They are great and very easy. https://www.washingtonian.com/2009/09/23/recipe-sleuth-art-and-souls-skillet-bread/

[Anonymous]

I hate working with yeast. More than half the time the yeast doesn't foam when I proof it. I use the right temperature water and sugar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate working with yeast. More than half the time the yeast doesn't foam when I proof it. I use the right temperature water and sugar.

On the plus side, now you know which element of meals to outsource!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't test yeast with milk alone -- use a little liquid, VERY slightly warmed, plus a little sugar and flour, and see if the resulting sludge gets foamy.

Did not know this — thanks! I think my New Year’s resolution is to bake more bread— of different types. (OP, btw).

[Anonymous]

It may be the first cold weather. Your kitchen temperature may have been too low or there was a draft. This can really slow the yeast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't test yeast with milk alone -- use a little liquid, VERY slightly warmed, plus a little sugar and flour, and see if the resulting sludge gets foamy.

Did not know this — thanks! I think my New Year’s resolution is to bake more bread— of different types. (OP, btw).

You should start by making this. https://www.saltfatacidheat.com/fat/ligurian-focaccia It's VERY good. I usually infuse my olive oil with garlic ahead of time, to make a garlicky focaccia.

If it helps you any, I'm a pretty experienced bread baker, and I totally failed with two batches of brioche this time around. I think I know what went wrong (the kitchen/dough was too warm), and since we're entering cold season, I'm determined to do it again, get it to turn out well, and consistently. Just need to stock up on eggs and butter.