Buttery Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls

Sometimes I see something and immediately know that it will be in my kitchen in a matter of days. Maybe even hours. That was exactly the case when I saw these rolls over at Karen's place. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my family would love them. I knew they should make their way onto my Thanksgiving menu. So they did.

They were touted everything from "awesome", to "the best", to "mmmmm". And then I was told I should have made two batches. Also, they must be on the menu every year from here on out.

See. I know what they like.

The thing is, these rolls are the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Gorgeously burnished with butter. Soft and fluffy. Plus, if you cut them in half and layer some leftovers inside - they make a great sandwich roll!

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 1½ - 2½ hours (largely unatt

Cook Time: 24 minutes

Keywords: bake bread Christmas Easter Thanksgiving American

Ingredients (16 rolls)

dough:

⅔ c. lukewarm water (100°-110° F)
½ c. lukewarm milk
2 oz. (56 g / 4 Tbs. / ½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1½ tsp. fine sea salt
¾ oz. (21 g) instant potato flakes
¾ oz. (21 g) nonfat dry milk
14¾ oz. (417 g) bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
7 g (~2¼ tsp.) instant yeast

to finish:

~2 oz. (56 g / 4 Tbs. / ½ stick) salted butter, melted

Instructions

in bread machine:

Place all ingredients into bread machine in order listed (or in order specified in your manufacturers instructions) and press dough cycle.

in stand mixer:

Place all of the dough ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer that is fitted with the dough hook attachment. Turn on low until all of the ingredients are just combined. Turn up the speed to medium and knead until you have a soft dough, ~7 minutes.

by hand:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until ingredients are all combined and too hard to work with the spoon. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is soft and pliable, ~10 minutes or so.

next step - mixer or hand kneading:

Form dough into a ball and place into a well-oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and set aside until doubled, ~60-90 minutes.

finishing - all methods:

Turn dough out of machine or bowl onto a lightly floured work surface; press gently to deflate.

Divide dough into 16 even pieces (~1.8 oz. / ~52 g each) and form them into balls.

Grease two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans and then place 8 rolls in each pan, spacing them evenly apart. Cover the pans with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towels and allow to rise at room temperature until the dough is puffy and the individual pieces are touching each other, ~60-90 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350° F during last 15-20 minutes of rise time.

Slide both pans into the preheated oven and bake until the rolls are golden and have an internal temperature of 190° F, ~24 minutes.

Remove pans from oven and generously brush the rolls with melted butter (you might have a little left after brushing). Let sit for 2-3 minutes, and then carefully remove them from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Eat warm or at room temperature. Store, tightly wrapped at room temperature for 2-3 days. Place on a baking tray and reheat for a few minutes if making in advance.

note:

You can freeze the partially risen dough in advance, if you like. Allow dough balls to rise about ½-¾ of the way and then slide the pans into the freezer. Once frozen solid, turn the dough out of the pan and slide it into a freezer-safe zippered baggie. The night before you want to bake them, place the frozen dough back into a greased pan, cover the pan with greased plastic wrap, and allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the pan from the refrigerator about an hour or so before you're ready to bake them. Preheat oven and bake as normal.

adapted from Karen's Kitchen Stories