How to Easily Shape Bread Rolls

You only need to know a couple of secrets to make your bakery products look as if they were made by the chef from a luxury patisserie.

We at 5-Minute Crafts want to tell you about how to make beautiful bread shapes quickly and easily.

Shaping process

Shaping bread rolls is not a difficult process — if you take into account all the nuances, you’ll be able to do it easily.

• If the dough is very sticky, place it into the fridge for 15 minutes. It should become slightly cool to the touch and have a dense consistency. It eases the shaping and saves flour — you’ll need less of it for use on the working surface.
• Use a knife to work with a soft dough. It will help minimize the sticking of the dough to the fingers.

Instructions:

1. Cut the dough into pieces. Cover the working surface with flour and place the dough onto it. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and gently roll it out until it forms a square and is about 1.5 in thick. Cut the dough into equal-size pieces (you can find the exact amount in the recipe). You can dip your hands in the flour to ease the process of shaping the bread.

2. Start shaping the dough rolls. Roll it over the work surface, gently pressing against it. The dough should be slightly sticky and stick a little to the countertop. If it starts to squeeze back, continue rolling it using circular movements. Make sure it takes the shape of an elongated oval.

3. Give the dough the final shape. We are going to talk about this next.

Round buns

• Divide the dough into several balls of the same size, no more than 2 inches in diameter.
• Shape them with circular motions.
• Give them their final shape.
• Take into account that dough balls will increase in size during baking.

Crescent rolls

• Cut squares that are similar in size and shape, 5-6 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick.
• Cut them in half.
• Roll each half as shown in the picture.
• Make a crescent shape.

Knots

• Divide the dough into several balls not more than 2 inches in diameter.
• Make small ropes from them.
• Tie a knot as shown in the picture above.
• Bake according to the recipe.

Bagels

• Divide the dough into equal circles 3-4 inches in diameter.
• Pierce the center of the dough with your finger.
• Widen the hole to make the shape of the doughnut.
• Bake according to the recipe.