Why are my rolls coming out so dense?

Question

I’ve so far tried the recipe twice. The rolls taste delicious but they are not airy inside and crusty on top. Everyone says it’s the water. I’m going to NY this weekend and bringing home some tap water just to experiment. Any helpful ideas?

Dmucaria · Answer

Thank you. Just came back from Long Island and brought back some Kaiser rolls (and some NY water).  You are right , soft and chewy. I’m going to keep experimenting. After all, fresh homemade rolls are delicious.

HalfPint · Answer

I don't think it's the water. I noticed that the recipe does not have weight measurements. Which makes me a little nervous because: 1) not everyone scoops flour the same way 2) even if you were to convert to weight measures, 1 cup flour from this recipe may not necessarily weight the same as the 1 cup of, say, King Arthur Flour. If the rolls are coming out dense, it might be too much flour or not enough water.

One last word: I grew up in western Connecticut. Kaiser rolls with salted butter were a fixture of my childhood from K-12. The kaiser rolls of my memory were not light and airy but more dense and chewy, with a soft and even crumb (no holes). The tops were not crusty. The entire roll was chewy but light. They made the best sandwiches!

Nancy · Answer

See bakingmad.com for more possible causes - kneading, rise time, type of flour, was dough too dry.Good luck and I hope your detective work leads to better ksiser rolls!!

Why are my rolls coming out so dense?

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