How To Avoid Dinner Roll Dough That Is Tough To Shape

One of the best things about the holiday season is that it's full of lots of, and more importantly, picturesque meals. And if there's one consistency that comes with all these holiday dinners, it's that your dinner has to be absolutely picture perfect. If you can't Instagram it, what's the point, right? But sometimes, things don't really go as planned. You might have an overcooked turkey that's a little browner than you wanted or a pie with a crust broken beyond repair.

With so many different foods to take a crack at this holiday season, there are bound to be some issues along the way. But that doesn't mean we can't, at least, try when it comes to our holiday dinners. One such essential holiday food item is the trusty dinner roll. There are a lot of different rolls out there for you to choose from, each holding different components and shapes. From crescent rolls to parker house rolls and everything in between, dinner rolls are an essential part of any holiday dinner recipe (via Completely Delicious). But it can get hard to achieve that picture perfect dinner roll you are looking for. Fortunately, there's an easy hack to avoid a dinner roll that is tough to shape.

Surprisingly, there are a lot of dinner rolls mistakes you might be making, like forgetting to cover the dough, which can result in tough dinner rolls. The key to avoiding a tough dinner roll is to make sure it is easily workable. And in order to make this happen, you need to cover the dough that you'll use for later so it doesn't dry out. This will leave the dough with enough moisture to make it more pliable to shape into the perfectly round rolls you were hoping for. Conversely, if the dough is too sticky, the key is to cover your hands with flour while kneading to absorb some of that extra moisture (via Baking Kneads). 

Just remember not to overwork the dough too much, as overhandling can lead to stronger gluten production, resulting in tough dinner rolls, per the Institute of Food Science and Technology. A dinner roll is an essential item in your holiday dinner, and crushing your dinner roll recipe means that you will likely crush the rest of the dinner as well.