Soft, buttery buns are a holiday essential. Make these ahead of time, get them out of the freezer on Thanksgiving, and you’re good to go. Save one for a turkey sandwich the next day!
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We have a saying at home: OHIO – Only Handle It Once. In the run up to Christmas, you can bake these buns, freeze them, and stash them in the freezer ahead of time, and you’ll be stress-free on the freeway to unwind.
The secret to the best dinner rolls
The secret of melt-in-your-mouth dinner rolls? Lots of butter, eggs and potato flakes.
Eggs and butter add richness, and potato flakes — a substitute for mashed potatoes used to make old-fashioned potato bread — add a tenderness. The starch in the potatoes attracts and holds water, which in turn creates a bun with exceptional durability.
The dough is soft and smooth, almost sticky and a dream to work with.
If you’ve never seen potato flakes, fear not. They’re not too hard to find at the average grocery store. Of course you can also buy them online – like almost everything else.
Back when I was baking bread for a restaurant (imagine a giant stand mixer big enough for a toddler to play in), we made hundreds of rolls and loaves of bread to serve and sell. I’ve more or less replicated my big batch method here.
We always weighed our ingredients at the restaurant, but even with accurate weight measurements, the right amount of flour can vary depending on the brand of flour and the moisture in the flour itself, so there may be a bit of tinkering involved at the end of the mixing. You may need to add about a tablespoon more flour to the dough, but it should still be sticky.
How you measure each cup can also produce inconsistent results. For the best results, I suggest you use the fluff and scoop measurement method:
- Shake the flour into the can.
- Spoon it into the measuring cup.
- Level it with the scrape of a knife.
Measure out all the flour before you start so you don’t lose track of how much you’ve added as you mix the batter. Be flexible at the end of the mixing as you may need to add a tablespoon or two more flour if the dough is too sticky. Don’t worry – it’s not complicated!
How to Freeze and Reheat Your Buns
I like to freeze the buns in packages of six to eight buns so I can take out as many as I want without having to defrost an entire tray.
Cool the buns completely and wrap tightly in foil to the desired amount. Slide the foil wrappers into plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to a month. (The buns can become frosted and freezer burned after a month.)
When you’re ready to reheat them, preheat the oven to 300oF. Remove a packet from the freezer, place on the baking sheet and open the foil to expose the buns to allow air to circulate around them. Heat them for about 10 minutes or until they are quite hot.
Ways to end your roles
Plain is good, but yes, you can guild the lily! Here are some toppings to play around with.
- For shiny rollsbrush them gently with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) before going into the oven.
- To decorate them: Sprinkle with herbs, coarse salt, or poppy seeds after applying the egg wash if you like.
- For extra butter buns: When it’s Thanksgiving, we need more butter, right? Brush the tops with melted butter. A bit of flaky sea salt would do the same thing.
Now skip ahead to the day after Thanksgiving. Don’t you just want a turkey sandwich on one of these babies? i know i will I make two batches.
More ideas for your bread basket
- cheese pastry
- potato bread
- Homemade light rye bread
- Parker house rolls
- Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread
Make-ahead dinner rolls
Instant yeast, also packaged as rapid riser yeast, is a slightly different strain of yeast than regular active dry yeast. It is dried and ground into smaller particles than its original cousin and its main benefit is that it does not need to be dissolved in water and ‘tested’ before use. It can be used interchangeably with active dry yeast.
If using standard dry yeast, first soak it in water according to package directions.
ingredients
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4 cups (480 grams) all-purpose flour, measured in a bowl using the fluff and scoop method, plus more for dusting
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2/3 cup (40 grams) instant mashed potatoes, plain or unflavored
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1 packet (2 1/2 teaspoons) instant yeast
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1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
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1 1/2 teaspoons salt
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2 large eggs
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1 1/4 cups (296 ml) whole milk
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4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
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1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil for the bowl
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About 3 tablespoons melted butter for brushing over reheated buns
special equipment
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blender
method
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Mix dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, on low speed with the paddle attachment, stir together 2 cups flour, potato flakes, yeast, sugar, and salt until combined. Add eggs and milk and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
Add the butter in tablespoon-sized pieces on medium speed and beat until incorporated. This takes about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix in 1 1/2 cups more flour on low speed. The batter will be thick and smooth.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and switch to the dough hook. Set the mixer to low speed and gradually add 1/2 cup more flour.
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Knead the dough:
Continue kneading the dough on low speed for 10 minutes or until it cleans the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but not so sticky that it is difficult to shape into rolls.
If very sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
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Let the dough rise:
Pour the dough out of the bowl and shape into a ball. Drizzle the oil in the bottom of the bowl. Place the ball back in the bowl and turn to coat with oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size and dough is firm but fingertips leave an impression in the dough.
How to make dough rise quicklyCONTINUE READING:
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Shape rolls:
Place the dough on a lightly floured countertop and use a rolling pin to roll out into a 12-inch square of even thickness. This will ensure that your buns are all roughly the same size. Using a chef’s knife or pizza cutter, cut the square into 16 equal pieces of dough.
For each piece of dough, fold the edges toward the center and pinch the loose ends into a ball. Turn the dough over so the seam side is facing down.
Move it to an unfloured part of your work surface (to use the board’s traction to shape the buns). Place your hands over the dough and twist the roll, using your cupped fingers and palm of your hand, to make a round, taut roll.
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Rising Buns:
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Place the rolls on the sheet, about 1 inch apart, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the buns rise for 1 hour or until they have risen and look puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Note: For rolls that “kiss”, place 4 pieces in a row on the baking sheet. Spread them a little further apart for separate buns.
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Bake buns:
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Lift them off the baking sheet and place them on a wire rack to cool. To serve immediately, brush with melted butter (optional) or freeze (unbuttered) and reheat as desired.
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Freezing Buns:
For packs of 6 or 8, wrap the cooled, baked buns tightly in foil. Slide the foil wrappers into plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to a month. (The buns can become frosted and freezer burned after a month.)
Note: A 1-gallon freezer bag will comfortably hold a 6-pack of buns, while a 2-gallon bag will hold 2 8-packs.
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Warm up buns:
Remove the foil wrappers from the freezer bags and open the wrappers to allow air to circulate. Place them in their open foil packets on a baking sheet and heat in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes. Brush with melted butter, to taste.
