Name: Buttery Yeast Rolls
Total time: 180 min
Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface; 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt; 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided; 2.25 teaspoons active dry yeast (from 1 [¼-oz.] envelope); .25 cup warm water; 1 cup whole buttermilk, at room temperature; 2 large eggs, divided; .25 cup plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, divided; 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Have you shied away from making homemade yeast rolls because you thought it was too hard? All that kneading and tossing flour have you confused? Bread-baking isn't all that difficult, and with a few professional tips, you can fill your house with the wonderful aroma of yeast bread baking in the oven. This yeast dinner roll recipe will change your mind and show you how easy and satisfying it is to make homemade bread. This recipe uses your heavy duty stand mixer; you don't have to add extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking to your surface like you would if kneading by hand, so ultimately the rolls are more tender and moister. Just use a small amount of extra flour for shaping – just enough to prevent the bread dough from sticking to your counter surface. To freeze leftover bread or an entire pan of baked rolls, cool completely after baking, then wrap securely in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Warm them as needed. Go beyond the classic honey/butter combo and use these rolls to make slider sandwiches with leftover turkey/ham or breakfast sandwiches with egg and cheese.

Anna Theoktisto

Published on October 9, 2020

Active Time:

25 mins

Rise Time:

1 hrs 30 mins

Stand Time:

50 mins

Bake Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs

Yield:

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (from 1 [¼-oz.] envelope)
¼ cup warm water
1 cup whole buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, divided
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Directions

Place flour, kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of the granulated sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Dissolve yeast and remaining 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add yeast mixture, buttermilk, 1 egg, and ¼ cup of the butter to flour mixture. Beat on low speed until dough just comes together, about 2 minutes. Remove paddle attachment from mixer; affix a dough hook attachment. Increase mixer speed to medium; beat dough until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. Transfer dough to a large bowl lightly coated with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place (74°F to 80°F) until dough doubles in size, about 1 ½ hours.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough evenly into 15 (2-ounce) pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-inch-long rope.
Shape each rope into a spiral, with the tip of rope in spiral center sticking up slightly. Tuck outer tip of spiral under, and pinch to bottom edge of dough to seal
Arrange rolls 3 inches apart on 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Lightly coat tops of rolls with cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let stand at room temperature until rolls nearly double in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover rolls. Beat remaining egg in a small bowl; brush over rolls. Bake until rolls are golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
Microwave remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small microwavable bowl on HIGH until melted, about 20 seconds. Brush warm rolls evenly with melted butter, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Try These Twists

Twisted Rolls with Everything-Bagel Seasoning
Proceed with Step 1 as directed. Proceed with Step 2, dividing dough evenly into 10 (3-ounce) pieces (each a little larger than an egg). Roll each piece into a 14-inch-long rope. Skip Step 3. Fold each rope in half so both ends point in 1 direction. Working with 1 rope at a time, wrap strands of rope around each other to create a twist shape; pinch ends together to seal. Proceed with Step 4 as directed. Skip Steps 5 and 6; instead, preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together 2 tsp. each poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and dried onion flakes and ½ tsp. flaky sea salt in a bowl. Uncover rolls. Beat 1 large egg in a bowl; brush over rolls. Sprinkle seed mixture over rolls. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Brush warm rolls evenly with 2 tablespoons melted butter.

Knot Rolls with Herb Rolls
Proceed with Steps 1 and 2 as directed. Skip Step 3. Shape each rope into a loop, with both ends pointing down. Carefully stretch and pull one of the ends through the loop, making a pretzel shape. Tuck the ends under, making a knot. Proceed with Steps 4 and 5 as directed. Skip Step 6. Instead, stir together ½ cup softened butter, 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary, and ¼ tsp. black pepper in a small bowl until combined. Spread warm rolls evenly with herbed butter.