Buttery Herb Pull-Apart Rolls

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices. All opinions are my own.

For us, the holidays are really the only time that we get to spend time with the extended family.  I don't have a single relative that lives in the same state that I do.   The majority live in our neighboring state.  Now, we do live in a "border" city, so it's not actually as bad as it seems.  But still, it's a drive that's not always doable on a busy family schedule.

So when the holiday season does roll around, road trips are planned.  Menus are devised.  Phone calls are swapped to see who is bringing what.  I've already mentioned my "Thanksgiving plan".  It involves notebooks with headings and labels and recipes popping out every which way.  Christmas is a scaled down version of that, which usually winds up occupying a few pages at the end of said notebook.  New Year's celebrations take up even less room, as my menu usually consists of only brunch, champagne, and orange juice - plus a pot of something lucky for later in the day.

But back to the larger meal plans.  Our Thanksgiving meal has always been a sit-down.  Our Christmas meal has always been buffet-style.  New Year's is a eat-where-you-are-in-your-jammies thing.  That's just the way we're used to doing things.  And I like it.  But no matter which holiday we're celebrating, there is always bread in some shape or form on the table.  We love our bread.

I'm not talking about stopping by the market and grabbing a few packages of pre-made buns.  Though, if I'm being truthful, that IS the way it went when I was growing up.  I still have a fondness for brown-n-serves and hawaiian rolls.  The difference is, today I make them myself.  I haven't decided what's going to be on the Christmas buffet yet, and I'm leaning towards croissants for our brunch.  But the rolls that wound up in our bread basket for Thanksgiving were amazing.  I made two varieties this year, Honey Wheat Germ Pull-Aparts and Buttery Herb Pull-Aparts.  What?  It was a pull-apart kind of year.

These soft white rolls are beautifully flecked with green both inside and out.  The herbs added a wonderful freshness to the meal.  I have a feeling that they'll be on many more holidays tables to come.

Buttery Herb Pull-Apart Rolls

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 60-90 minutes (mostly unattended)

Cook Time: 24-26 minutes

Keywords: bake bread nut-free soy-free vegetarian herbs Easter Christmas Thanksgiving American

Ingredients (16 rolls)

for the dough:

• 2/3 cup lukewarm water (100°-110° F)
• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
• 2 ounces (56 gram / 4 tablespoons / ½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Parsley Paste
• 1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs Paste
• 2 tablespoons raw sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 ounce (21 gram) instant potato flakes
• 14-3/4 ounce (417 gram) bread flour
• 7 g (2-1/4 teaspoon) instant yeast

to finish:

• 1 ounce (18 gram / 2 tablespoon / 1/4 stick) salted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Parsley paste

Instructions

making the dough:

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

finishing the rolls:

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 a 9-inch square pan and then place the dough balls in 4x4 rows. Cover the pan with plastic wrap 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 the pan into the preheated oven and bake until the rolls are golden and have an internal temperature of 190° F, 24-26 minutes.  While the rolls are baking, melt the butter and stir in the parsley paste; set aside.

Remove pan from oven and generously brush the rolls with melted butter and herb mixture (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:

I like to use a bread machine to do my mixing and rising, especially during the holidays when I have a million other things to do. This can be made by hand or in a mixer, as well.

Once the dough is formed and in pan, you could wrap it tightly with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Set the pan out at room temperature, approximately 2 hours (until puffed and risen), before baking the next day.

You can freeze the partially risen dough in advance, if you like. Allow dough balls to rise about 1/2 - 3/4 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.