Fluffy Vegan Dinner Rolls (Tangzhong Milk Bread Style)
Inspired by classic milk bread, these vegan dinner rolls are buttery soft and unbelievably fluffy. With a simple tangzhong (flour paste) to lock in moisture, they're surprisingly easy to make and guaranteed to impress.
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Servings: 15 rolls
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Equipment
- stand mixer
- Bench scraper
- 9x13" Baking pan
- pastry brush
Ingredients
Tangzhong (Flour Paste)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 1/3 cup bread flour
Dough
- 1 cup lukewarm soy milk (about 110°F) or other plant milk
- 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (2 standard packets)
- tangzhong from above
- 6 tablespoons softened vegan butter
- 5 cups bread flour plus more for kneading
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
- vegetable oil to grease the bowl and the baking dish
Vegan Egg Wash (optional)
- 1 tablespoon soy milk
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
To Finish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter
- flaky salt
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Make the tangzhong: Whisk together 1/3 cup water, 1/2 cup soy milk, and 1/3 cup bread flour in a small pan. Make sure to break up any lumps of flour. Heat the pan over medium, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of wallpaper paste. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Proof yeast: Add the 1 cup lukewarm soy milk to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk in the 4 ½ teaspoons yeast and allow to proof for ~5 minutes, or until foamy.
- Mix the dough: Into the stand mixer bowl, add the cooled tangzhong, softened butter, 5 cups bread flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoons fine salt. Mix together on medium speed with the paddle attachment until the ingredients come together in a shaggy dough.
- Knead dough: Swap out the paddle attachment for the dough hook. Knead 8-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be clearing the sides of the bowl. If it is excessively wet or sticky, add in extra flour about 2 tablespoons at a time, until the correct texture is achieved. For each addition, mix until the flour fully incorporates before adding more. If kneading by hand, it may take a few extra minutes.
First Rise
- First rise: Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Drizzle a little vegetable oil in the mixing bowl and place the dough ball inside. Give it a flip to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap, a damp kitchen towel, or a plate and place the bowl in a warm spot to rise for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. If your environment is chilly, it can take up to 2 hours.
Shape & Final Rise
- Prep: Grease a 9x13” baking dish, or two (2) 9” round cake pans with softened butter or vegetable oil.
- Divide the dough: Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. (I don't recommend flouring your work surface because the surface of the dough needs to stay tacky to shape the rolls properly.) Divide into 15 pieces for large rolls or 20 pieces for regular rolls.
- Shape the rolls: Shape each piece of dough into a ball. (It doesn't need to be precise.) Roll the dough out into an oval, then fold the long sides over one another like a letter. Then roll from the short end so each piece is a compact log. (For more clarity, you can check out the Visual Guide in the blog post — the shaping section.)Alternatively, you can simply shape each roll into a ball. You can do so by tucking the edges of the dough under itself to form a rough ball. Pinch the seams together on the bottom, then place the dough seam-side down on the table. Cup your hand over the dough and roll it in small circles to create tension and smooth out the surface.
- Final rise: Transfer the shaped rolls into the greased baking dish(es). Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out, and leave them in a warm spot to rise for 60 to 75 minutes, until very puffy. When poked, the dough should bounce back very slowly, leaving a small indentation. If it springs back immediately, it needs to rise longer. Make sure to give them ample rise time, as this is key to super fluffy, squishy rolls.
Bake
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F during the last 10-15 minutes minutes before the rolls are done with their final rise. Position the rack in the middle.
- "Egg" wash: Optionally, brush with a vegan egg wash mixture: 1 tablespoon milk whisked together with 1 teaspoon maple syrup.
- Bake: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until deep golden brown. If the rolls appear to be browning a little too fast, you can loosely tent with aluminum foil during the last 10 or so minutes of cook time. The internal temperature should be around 200°F.
- Cool and enjoy: Remove from the oven. Allow the rolls to cool for at least 15 minutes before enjoying. (Bread continues to cook after it comes out of the oven. The rolls can be a little gummy without at least a few minutes to cool first.) Optionally, brush with a little melted butter for some extra shine and sprinkle with flaky salt.
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