I love making whole grain breads and typically when I make bread that’s the route I go anymore. But for holidays I always make a soft white roll.
If you aren’t experienced with bread making this is a great recipe to start with. White bread is much easier to make than whole grain as well.
These are super soft, buttery, and you can use the dough to make all manner of shapes. Sometimes it’s fun to do a variety of shapes for a holiday meal as well. There are so many you can do, but these are a few easy ones to get you started! My daughters love to help make the bread and it’s a fun thing to get the kids helping with. Don’t worry how perfect they look, they will still taste good!
While these are super easy, they are also some of the best rolls you’ll ever have!
SOFT BUTTERY ROLLS
2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast (or 2 packages)
5-6 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup instant powdered milk (2 T non-instant)
1 egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (plus extra for brushing)
In a small bowl add the sugar and yeast to the warm water. Gently mix and leave to bloom for 5-10 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl if mixing by hand) measure in 3 cups of the flour, the salt, and milk powder.
Whisk to combine well.
Add the egg and melted butter to the bloomed yeast mixture. Pour into the flour and mix until well combined.
Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough starts to pull together.
Lightly flour your counter and scrape dough out. Knead for several minutes. Add flour as needed but don’t be tempted to over flour.
The dough should be slightly sticky.
Place in a greased container and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise for 45 to 60 minutes.
Dough is done rising when it is double in size and when you poke it with a finger it doesn’t bounce back.
For rolls:
Divide dough into 24 for smaller rolls, or 12 for large rolls.
Form each section into a roll by pulling the dough and tucking on the bottom to make a smooth top.
Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and let rise until double in size, approximately 25-30 minutes.
Bake for about 15 minutes (add extra time as needed depending on size of rolls.) Brush with melted butter right when you take out of the oven.
For pan rolls:
Form rolls, place rolls about 1/4 inch apart in a 9 by 13 pan. Rise and bake as above.
For Flowers and Pumpkins:
Shape rolls. After the rise use sharp kitchen scissors to snip 5 times around the edges, cutting all the way through. Bake as usual.
Add a pretzel stick or rod “stem” after baking for pumpkins.
For Bow Knots:
Divide into 24 sections (or 12 for large knots)
Roll into a rope and tie a knot. Place on greased baking sheets and let rise and bake as usual.
For Rosettes:
Follow directions for bow knots, but make an open knot with a hole.
Tuck one end underneath and up into the hole. Tuck the other through the hole from the top side to the bottom.
Raise 25-30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
For Crescent Rolls:
Divide dough into 4 equal sections. Roll each section into a 12 inch circle. Brush with melted butter and cut into 12 pieces.
Starting from wide end roll up and place on greased baking sheet, with the small end tucked underneath.
Raise 25-30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
(If you want large crescents, divide dough into 2 instead of 4 and roll out to an 18 inch circle. Cut and rise and bake as usual, adding a few minutes to the bake time).
For Turkey Rolls:
Make crescent rolls as directed, but instead of rolling up place in greased mini muffin tins with ends on top of pan.
Use scissors to snip 3-4 times to make tail feathers. Raise and bake as usual.
Gobble gobble!
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast (or 2 packages)
- 5-6 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup instant powdered milk (2 T non-instant)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (plus extra for brushing)
Instructions
- In a small bowl add the sugar and yeast to the warm water. Gently mix and leave to bloom for 5-10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl if mixing by hand) measure in 3 cups of the flour, the salt, and milk powder.
- Whisk to combine well.
- Add the egg and melted butter to the bloomed yeast mixture. Pour into the flour and mix until well combined.
- Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough starts to pull together.
- Lightly flour your counter and scrape dough out. Knead for several minutes. Add flour as needed but don't be tempted to over flour.
- The dough should be slightly sticky.
- Place in a greased container and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise for 45 to 60 minutes.
- Dough is done rising when it is double in size and when you poke it with a finger it doesn't bounce back.
For rolls:
- Divide dough into 24 for smaller rolls, or 12 for large rolls.
- Form each section into a roll by pulling the dough and tucking on the bottom to make a smooth top.
- Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and let rise until double in size, approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Bake for about 15 minutes (add extra time as needed depending on size of rolls.) Brush with melted butter right when you take out of the oven.
For pan rolls:
- Form rolls, place rolls about 1/4 inch apart in a 9 by 13 pan. Rise and bake as above.
For Flowers and Pumpkins:
- Shape rolls. After the rise use sharp kitchen scissors to snip 5 times around the edges, cutting all the way through. Bake as usual.
- Add a pretzel stick or rod "stem" after baking for pumpkins.
For Bow Knots:
- Divide into 24 sections (or 12 for large knots)
- Roll into a rope and tie a knot. Place on greased baking sheets and let rise and bake as usual.
For Rosettes:
- Follow directions for bow knots, but make an open knot with a hole.
- Tuck one end underneath and up into the hole. Tuck the other through the hole from the top side to the bottom.
- Raise 25-30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
For Crescent Rolls:
- Divide dough into 4 equal sections. Roll each section into a 12 inch circle. Brush with melted butter and cut into 12 pieces.
- Starting from wide end roll up and place on greased baking sheet, with the small end tucked underneath.
- Raise 25-30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
- (If you want large crescents, divide dough into 2 instead of 4 and roll out to an 18 inch circle. Cut and rise and bake as usual, adding a few minutes to the bake time).
For Turkey Rolls:
- Make crescent rolls as directed, but instead of rolling up place in greased mini muffin tins with ends on top of pan.
- Use scissors to snip 3-4 times to make tail feathers. Raise and bake as usual.
