Bread rolls
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK words and measures (hob, grams, gas marks); the US version uses stove, cups and °F. · US version of this page
Real bread: mixing, kneading, proving and shaping – and the science of yeast.
- Makes 8
- About 2 hr 30 min
- Oven
- Best for: KS3 (ages 11–14)
- Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 500 g strong white bread flour – contains gluten
- 7 g fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 300 ml hand-warm water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Need a different amount? Use the recipe scaler.
Equipment
- digital scales
- measuring jug
- large mixing bowl
- clean tea towel or cling film
- baking tray
- oven gloves
- cooling rack
Safety first
- Wash your hands for 20 seconds.
- Clean and flour the work surface before kneading.
- Ask about allergies: bread flour contains gluten.
Allergens: Cereals containing gluten. Always read every label and ask about allergies before anyone cooks or tastes.
Method
- Put the flour in the bowl. Add the yeast on one side and the salt on the other (salt can slow yeast down if they touch). Add the oil and most of the water and mix into a soft dough, adding the rest of the water if it is dry.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface: push it away with the heel of your hand, fold it back and turn it. Keep going until it is smooth and stretchy.
- Put the dough back in the bowl, cover it and leave it somewhere warm until it has doubled in size.
- Knock the air out, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces (weigh them if you like) and roll each into a smooth ball. Put them on the tray with space between them.
- Cover loosely and leave to prove again. An adult heats the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan, gas 7).
- An adult puts the tray in the oven. Bake for 15–20 minutes until golden. Tap the bottom of a roll: it should sound hollow.
- An adult takes them out with oven gloves. Cool on a rack.
What this recipe teaches
Mixing, Kneading and shaping dough, Proving dough, Using an oven safely. Steps marked “Adult” are done by an adult or closely supervised.
Try the interactive lesson
Step by step: a quick safety check, questions marked by Classfern, timers for each cooking step, then an honest look at how it went – a teacher or parent judges the cooking, and learners rate their own work. Photos of the finished dish stay at home.
Use the code your teacher gave you – never your name. Progress is kept on this device.