Re: Jeffrey Gerlach's question on boiling the rolls:
I first checked "the bread bible" by Rose Levy Berenbaum (which
suggests boiling bagels before baking for 30 seconds to 2 minutes per
side. She explains that longer boiling produces a thicker crust).
I also went online and found an informative site on the topic.
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/food-science/food-science-why-bagels-are-boiled-086711
It feels very counter-intuitive to most of us to throw bread in
boiling water. The point of most bread baking, after all, is to let
water evaporate and dry out the interior to a certain extent.
Boiling breads like bagels and pretzels effectively sets the crust
before it goes in the oven. The water doesn't actually penetrate very
far into the bread because the starch on the exterior quickly gels
and forms a barrier. Bagels are typically boiled for 30-60 seconds on
each side. The longer the boil, the thicker and chewier crust.
In the oven, the fact that the crust is already set means that the
bagels don't rise nearly as much. This is partly what gives bagels
their signature dense, chewy interiors. (The other part is using
high-protein flour.)
Again, how long the bagel was boiled will affect the interior
texture. A brief boil gives bagels a thin and fairly elastic crust
that will still allow the bagels rise quite a bit in the oven,
resulting in a softer texture. A longer boil and a thicker crust
prevents the bagel from rising very much at all, giving you a very
dense interior.
Ann Greenberg