French Bread Rolls

I want to make more homemade bread, and I am so glad I picked this recipe. I also wanted something I could do without sugar. This is phenomenal. Such a great texture and flavor. Recipe courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 rolls

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups warm water
• 3⁄4 tablespoon instant yeast (I used active dry yeast) or 1  tablespoon active dry yeast (I used active dry yeast)
• 2  tablespoons granulated sugar (I used honey) or 2  tablespoons honey (I used honey)
• 2  tablespoons canola oil, vegetable oil (I used olive oil) or 2  tablespoons olive oil (I used olive oil)
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 3 1⁄2-4  cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a large bowl by hand, combine the warm water, instant yeast, sugar, oil, salt, and 2 cups of the flour. If you are using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, let the yeast proof in the warm water and sugar for about 3 to 5 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly before adding the oil, salt, and flour.
2. Begin mixing, and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Begin kneading the bread dough for 4 to minutes in a stand mixer (7 to 9 minutes by hand).
3. The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch. After a few minutes of kneading, stop the mixer and grab a small piece of dough to test if it needs more flour or not. It might leave a little bit of a sticky residue on your fingers, but if you can roll it into a small bowl without it sticking all over your hands, it is good to go. If not, gradually add a bit more flour.
4. Lightly grease a container or large bowl with nonstick cooking spray, and place the kneaded dough in the container. (I used olive oil in my bowl instead).
5. Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap or a large tea towel (I used a towel). Let the dough rise until it has doubled. This usually takes about an hour, depending on the warmth of the kitchen.
6. Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased countertop.
7. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 2.75 ounces each), and form the dough into round balls.
8. Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan or on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or lightly greased. (I used a muffin tin) Space the rolls about 1/2 to 1 inch apart.
9. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap or a towel taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or the rolls will flatten while rising. (I used a towel and didn't have this issue) Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down.
10. Let the rolls rise until very puffy and doubled, about 4 minutes to an hour.
11. Preheat oven to 400. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.
12. Immediately pull out of oven and brush with butter (optional--I skipped this step and didn't miss).