FOR THE ROUX

1. Whisk together the flour & water in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened (the whisk will leave a visible trail as it moves through the roux)
2. Remove from the heat & allow to cool until no longer hot, reserve

FOR THE REST

1. While the roux cools, add sugar, salt & butter to a small dish
2. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is very hot, but not boiling & then pour over the butter, sugar & salt mixture, stir until the butter melts, reserve
3. Add flour, cream of tartar & yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer & use a handheld whisk to combine
4. Add the milk, sugar & butter mixture, the beaten eggs & the roux and mix on low speed with the beater attachment until the ingredients are well combined – raise the mixer to medium & mix for about 5 minutes
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl large enough for the dough to rise double its size & cover with a damp towel if you are going to make the rolls same day & set in a warm, draft free location until doubled (about 1 hour)
6. *or if you want to bake at another time, cover the dough with a greased piece of plastic wrap & place the dough in the refrigerator until baking day (dough can store up to 5 days in refrigerator)
7. Once dough is risen (for same day bread) when you are ready to bake from refrigerated dough, grease an 8″ baking pan, punch down the dough & on a floured work surface, divide the dough into 8 pieces (mine weighed about 100g each). Shape into rounds by first flattening the piece of dough into a disk, then pull the edges toward the center of the dish, securing the edges together by pressing between your thumb & forefinger. Turn the dough over so that the gathered edges are on the bottom & coax the roll into a round shape. Place each roll into the prepared baking pan as you go, when you are finished with all the rolls, cover with a damp towel or greased plastic wrap & allow to rise in a warm, draft free location until almost doubled, about 30 minutes for same day dough or 1 – 1 1/2 hours for refrigerated dough
8. Pre-heat oven to 350f degrees, uncover the rolls, brush with egg wash & bake on the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes
9. Remove from the oven & place baking pan on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes before serving