French Bread Rolls

Source: "Fine Cooking" This is one of my recently adopted recipes. I prepared it and it is wonderful. The end result are rolls with a crispy crust and soft chewy center. I always add wheat gluten when adding the flour. This produces a superior quality of bread so I am including it in the list of ingredients.

• Ready In: 5 hrs 25 mins
• Yields: 12 rolls

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons dry yeast
• 2  teaspoons sugar
• 2  cups water, 70 degrees
• 1 1⁄4 ounces  nonfat dry milk powder, 1/2 cup
• 6  cups all-purpose flour
• 5  teaspoons wheat gluten
• 1  tablespoon salt
•  black pepper, to taste (I added 1 teaspoon coarse ground.)
• 1  cup  rye flour
•  coarse salt, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in mixer with water.
2. Add melted butter, sugar, dry milk, salt and pepper.
3. Whisk to incorporate.
4. Add 4 cups of flour and mix with dough hook.
5. Add additional flour until dough leaves the side of the bowl.
6. Knead dough by hand with a little flour until it is smooth and elastic Let rise in greased bowl, covered for about 2 hours until doubled.
7. At this point the dough can be refrigerated overnight or for 2 days.
8. Bring to room temperature before shaping.
9. Punch down and let rise until doubled again, about 2 hours.
10. Shape into 3 oz rolls, let rise covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
11. Sprinkle with rye (or all purpose) flour, slash with lame quite deeply, sprinkle with salt.
12. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes (throw 1/4 cup ice water onto bottom of oven as soon as rolls are put in or spray sides of oven with cold water), reduce heat to 400 and bake another 5 minutes.
13. Turn off oven and let rolls sit to crisp for another 5 minutes.
14. Cool at least 20 minutes.
15. Store rolls in plastic bag.
16. To recrisp, put into 400 oven for 5 minutes.