I made these for a dinner party and Thanksgiving this year and everyone loved them.
They are really pretty and they taste great. The dough is very forgiving and fun to work with. I love that you can make them all the way to forming, then freeze on a baking sheet and then bake right from the freezer! They rise up and get puffy during baking. Love it!
1- 1/14 ounce package active dry yeast
½ c. sugar
7 ½ to 8 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
12 T. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for brushing
2 c. whole milk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 T. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1- 1/14 ounce package active dry yeast
½ c. sugar
7 ½ to 8 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
12 T. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for brushing
2 c. whole milk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 T. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- Measure out ½ c. warm water and check the temperature. It should be between 110 and 120 degrees or a comfortable bathwater temperature. Sprinkle the yeast into a large bowl, add the warm water and whisk in the sugar. Let sit 2 minutes then gently stir in 1 cup flour. Set aside near the stove while you prepare the dough.
- To make the dough, mix the melted butter and milk in a mixer with the hook attachment on low speed.
- Add eggs and mix until incorporated.
- Add 6 ½ cups flour and 1 T. salt.
- Mix until the dough forms a ball about 3 minutes, adding up to ½ c. more flour if the dough is wet and sticky. If you don’t have a mixer with a dough hook, mix in the flour with a spoon. When it is too hard to mix with the spoon, scrape the dough mixture onto a floured work surface and knead in flour until you have a soft but firm dough.
- To let it rise, brush a large bowl with softened butter. Transfer the dough to the bowl and brush very lightly with oil or spray lightly with Pam, cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place. (I use the oven. I turn it on 200 degrees for about 1 minute, then I turn it OFF and place the bread in it. This is a very long rising time so I check the oven often and if it’s cool I turn it on to 200 degrees again and OFF again.)
- Let rise for 2 to 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in volume (It took me 3 hours).
- Preheat the oven to 374 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust a clean flat surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Flour your hands; gently press the dough into a 16-by-8inch (this is not a typo) rectangle, about ½ to ¾ inch thick (pat…don’t use a rolling pin).
- To cut the dough, turn the short side toward you. Cut the dough in ½ lengthwise with a floured knife.
- Then slice crosswise into 12 strips.
- Shape the dough by folding each strip of dough unevenly 2/3rd over. Then flip the 1/3rd overhang to meet the 2/3rs fold. Turn seem side town. Place on the baking pan in 3 close rows. Leave 1 inch between the rows lengthwise. Do NOT rise again.
- Place rolls seam side down on the prepared baking sheet in 3 tightly packed rows. (If making in advance, wrap the baking sheet tightly in plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 weeks.)
- Bake the rolls until the rolls are bursting at the seams and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. They will rise and bake into 3 pretty loaves. If frozen, bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees , then 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
- Remove from the oven and brush with softened butter.
- Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately or let cool and cover with plastic.
