Hard Rolls

Everyone likes a good sandwich roll; it can be the finishing touch for a great sandwich. Last Saturday night, I decided to make Sloppy Joes, and while doing so, try out a new recipe I'd found for Hard Rolls. This is adapted from my newer Fanny Farmer Cookbook (early 1990s vintage).

HARD ROLLS

1-1/2 cups warm water
6 tsp yeast
3-1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
3 tsp gluten powder
1-1/2 tsp salt

Pour the warm water into your bread machine bucket or mixing bowl, and sprinkle the yeast over it. Add the remaining ingredients in the order given, and let the bread machine run through the first mixing cycle only, or stir together the ingredients to form a ball, then knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic, or, with a Kitchenaid mixer, use the dough hook to mix the ingredients at the lowest speed for about 10 minutes. (Dang, that's a lot of options for the mixing.) Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then divide into 16 pieces for small rolls, or 8 pieces for large rolls. Form each piece into a ball, then place on a greased baking tray on which you've sprinkled cornmeal; flatten each roll as you place it on the tray. Allow the rolls to rise until they've doubled in bulk, then brush with cold water and put in a preheated 450F oven for 15 minutes. Important: To get the proper hard roll texture, toss a handful of ice cubes in the bottom of the oven when you put the rolls in.
Fanny Farmer said this recipe would make 18 hard rolls; I guess she likes itty bitty rolls. My 16 were the right size for sliders, and everyone thought they were eating lots of food, since Ryan and Je3ff each ate 4 of them. But for a decent sized sandwich, you'll only want to make 8 rolls.

Note: These were great reheated the next day for lunch, too!