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–+ servings
a sheet tray with proofing soft rye buns in rings, glazed with molasses egg wash and topped with everything bagel seasoning.

Soft Rye Sandwich Rolls

Alewyfe
These homemade deli rye sandwich rolls are pillow-soft, easy to bake, and packed with dark rye flavor! These bake up into soft flavorful rye rolls with a hint of onion tang and savory caraway seeds, and deep richness from cocoa and molasses.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Proofing Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Baking Basics, Bread, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American, Central European, Contemporary
YIELD 12 large rolls
Calories 180 kcal

Equipment

  • stand mixer (optional)
  • half-sheet pans
  • parchment paper or silicone baking mats

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp dried onion powder (not onion salt. substitute: dried onion flakes)
  • 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ cups dark rye or pumpernickel flour
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 2 tsp instant yeast (substitute active dry yeast)
  • 2 tsp kosher salt

molasses egg wash & optional garnish

  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tbsp water
  • sesame, caraway, or poppy seeds, or bagel seasoning optional

Instructions
 

soak dried onion & measure dry ingredients:

  • Add the dried onion powder or flakes to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
  • Pour over the boiling or hot water, and let the mixture soak and cool to lukewarm, or 77-100F (25-38C) if you want to be more exact. Make sure the liquid has cooled sufficiently before adding the yeast in the next step, and that if you are using onion flakes, that they have softened.

proof yeast & mix wet ingredients:

  • If you are using active dry yeast (or fresh yeast, though that's hard to find) you'll want to proof your yeast by dissolving it in liquid before adding the dry ingredients.
  • Add the molasses and yeast, and let sit a few minutes until the yeast is soft and slightly foamy. If you are using instant yeast, you can skip this step and add it with the dry ingredients.
  • Add the canola (or other vegetable oil) to the bowl.

add dry ingredients:

  • While the onion and hot water mixture is cooling, measure out the flours, vital wheat gluten, cocoa powder, salt, and caraway seeds (if you're using them) into another medium mixing bowl, and stir or whisk them to combine.
  • Once the liquid ingredients are mixed, add the dry ingredients in two or three additions to the liquid ingredients.

mix dough:

  • To mix by hand: Use a dough whisk or sturdy spoon to incorporate all the dry ingredient into the wet, and then knead the dough gently in the bowl with wet or oiled hands, or use your bowl scraper to lift and fold the dough until it comes together. It will be somewhat sticky and wet.
  • To use a stand mixer: Fit the dough hook on your mixer. Stop and scrape down the sides and horn of the bowl with a spatula or bowl scraper, and mix on low-medium speed until the dough comes together.
  • This is a rather soft and wet dough, but you can add a few additional tablespoons of flour to get the dough to come together. It will not form a solid ball, and will still cling to the sides of the bowl while you are kneading it. It will get easier to work after the first rise, so don't add too much flour now trying to get a firm dough.

first rise:

  • Place the dough into an oiled bowl or proofing container and cover.
  • Let rise until almost doubled. This will vary with temperature (of the dough and of the room), but should be about 30-40 minutes.

punch down:

  • Use your bowl scraper to give the dough a fold in the bowl to punch it down and deflate it.
  • This will build strength in the dough, and re-energizes the yeast by removing built-up CO2.

second rise:

  • Cover the dough again, and let it rise until roughly doubled a second time, another 30-40 minutes.
  • The dough should hold an indentation when poked rather than springing back, or deflating completely.

portion dough:

  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured clean surface.
  • Using a bench scraper, cut or pinch the dough into roll-sized portions. If I am using baking rings to separate the rolls, I portion this into 11 rolls per batch, as that's how many of these 4" rings fit onto a half-sheet pan, but otherwise I portion them into 12 rolls.
  • Cover the portioned dough with plastic wrap, a well-floured tea towel, or a baking couche.
  • Let the dough rest for a few minutes to relax before shaping.

shape dough:

  • Prepare your baking pans to proof the rolls before shaping. You can use nonstick pans, or line your sheet trays with parchment or silicone baking liners. For cloverleaf rolls, butter or spray a muffin tin thoroughly.
  • To shape simple round rolls that will keep their shape, take a piece of dough, and gently squeeze the outer cover of the roll taut, using your thumbs to tuck the dough from the outer layers into the center of the roll. You want to gently stretch the outer covering of dough, aligning the gluten strands to make a structure that will support the dough into a smooth ball as it rises.
  • One way to picture this motion is like folding socks into a ball, rolling and tucking them into the center. While this is not nice for the elastic of your socks, but this stretching builds strength in the gluten when you do this for your dough.
  • Lay the shaped rolls with the smooth, stretched side up, and the tucked side down. Place them a few inches apart, with or without baking rings, for separate rolls, or closer together or almost touching for soft-sided squared off rolls.
  • To make hot dog or sausage rolls, you can simply snake the balls of dough out into long rolls, or if you are familiar with tucking and shaping baguette dough, do this to flatten, then roll and tuck the dough into small little cigar-shaped loaves. You can bake these almost touching on the sides for softer sided rolls, or separately with more space between them for buns that are crustier on the sides.
  • For cloverleaf rolls, divide each roll into three or four small balls, then place them together into a well-buttered muffin tin.

glaze rolls & garnish:

  • Brush the shaped rolls with a mixture of molasses and water, with or without a beaten egg added.
  • Adding an egg to the glaze will make the rolls glossier and shinier, but you can leave it out and use just molasses-water if you prefer to avoid egg (allergies or dietary reasons).
  • If you like, after brushing the rolls with glaze, garnish them with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, caraway seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning.

proof rolls:

  • Loosely cover the pans with plastic wrap (or place the trays in a proofing box if you have one).
  • Let the rolls rise in a warm place until they are light and almost doubled in size. The dough should still be elastic, and somewhat springy if gently prodded.
  • This last rise will take between 35 minutes to an hour (less time in a warmer kitchen, more time in a cold room).

bake & cool:

  • Preheat your oven to 375℉.
  • Bake the rolls on a rack in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • The rolls will be golden brown. If you want to be sure they are done, check the internal temperature with a thermometer- they should be at least 190℉ in the center.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.02gSodium: 392mgPotassium: 130mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 2mg
Keyword baking, bread basket, breakfast sandwich, budget-friendly recipes, burger bun, comfort food, cozy, deli rye, deli sandwiches, dinner rolls, game-day food, hobbit food, savory baking, sliders, yeast breads
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