Why are my rolls coming out so dense?

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!

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!!