Partybrot (German Party Bread)

This was one of the rolls I created for Thanksgiving dinner with my family. It is made with a traditional Parker House Roll recipe, but is shaped and baked differently. These rolls were good, nice and soft with a crustier top and sides.

Partybrot (German Party Bread)
2 1/2 tsp. yeast
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
Egg glaze (1 egg yolk & 1 Tbsp. milk)
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Sprinkle the yeast into 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the remaining milk in a saucepan with the butter and sugar. Stir until the butter melts. Cool until lukewarm, and then beat in the eggs until evenly combined.

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour the dissolved yeast mixture into there. Mix in the flour to form a soft, sticky dough.

Knead the dough until smooth, shiny and elastic, kneading in extra flour 1 Tbsp. at a time if the dough is too sticky. The dough should be soft, not dry, so do not add too much flour.

Put the dough in a buttered bowl, and cover with a dish towel until doubled, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down, and let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 19 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Grease a cake or springform pan (about 9 1/2 inches in diameter) with melted butter. Arrange rolls into the greased pan. Cover with a dish towel, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Brush the top of the rolls with the egg glaze, and sprinkle with seeds. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding. Turn onto a wire rack to cool slightly, and then wrap in a dish towel to keep warm. Serve immediately.