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These just may be the softest rolls you ever make.
Ingredients
Makes 15 rolls
Step 1
Place 5 Tbsp. butter in a medium bowl. Cook remaining 5 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until butter foams, then turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in garlic; scrape butter mixture and all those toasty milk solids at the bottom of the pan into bowl with butter pieces. Reserve saucepan. Stir until all the butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Let sit, stirring occasionally, until butter is room temperature and solidified, 15–20 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, whisk 1/4 cup milk, 3 Tbsp. flour, and 1/4 cup water in reserved saucepan until smooth, then set over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until it becomes a very stiff paste resembling mashed potatoes, about 2 minutes. Scrape into the bowl of a stand mixer; reserve saucepan.
Step 3
Gently heat remaining 1/2 cup milk in reserved saucepan over low (it should be warm to the touch but not steaming hot). Remove from heat and let sit 1 minute. Add yeast and whisk until dissolved. Let mixture sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, brush bottom and sides of a 13x9" baking dish with 2 Tbsp. garlic butter; set aside. Set aside another 2 Tbsp. garlic butter in a small bowl for brushing over baked rolls.
Step 5
Add yeast mixture, sugar, 1 egg, and remaining 2 1/4 cups flour to paste in mixer bowl. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Add kosher salt, increase speed to medium, and continue mixing until dough forms a smooth single mass, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low again and add remaining garlic butter a tablespoonful at a time, waiting until incorporated before adding more. Once all of the garlic butter has been added, increase mixer speed back to medium and mix dough until very soft, smooth, and supple, another 8–10 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl; form dough into a ball and place in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free spot until doubled in size, 45–60 minutes.
Step 6
Punch down dough and knead several times to deflate, then turn out onto a clean work surface. To form the rolls, divide dough into 15 equal pieces (about 1 1/2 oz. each). Working one at a time and keeping other pieces covered in plastic, fold edges of dough underneath, pinching bottom to seal. Turn 90° and fold and pinch again. Repeat process until you have created a smooth sphere with no seams except at the bottom.
Step 7
Place ball on work surface and rest the side of your hand next to it so your palm and fingers are cupped around it. Drag the ball toward you, using friction against the work surface to create tension and stretch the surface of the dough into a smooth, taut dome. This shaping method tightens the gluten over the surface so the rolls rise evenly upward and outward instead of slumping into amorphous blobs. Repeat with remaining balls of dough and place in prepared pan in a 5x3 grid, spacing evenly apart.
Step 8
Loosely cover pan with plastic wrap and let rolls rise in a warm draft-free spot until doubled in size and touching, 35–45 minutes (to test, poke one with an oiled finger; dough should spring back but leave a slight indentation).
Step 9
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Beat remaining egg in another small bowl until yolks and whites are incorporated and no streaks remain. Gently brush tops of rolls with egg, then sprinkle with sea salt.
Step 10
Bake rolls until they are deep golden brown, 20–25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and brush warm rolls with reserved 2 Tbsp. garlic butter; let cool in pan 10 minutes.
Step 11
Slide an offset spatula around sides and underneath rolls to loosen, then invert onto rack and turn right side up. Let cool at least another 15 minutes before serving.
Do Ahead
Step 12
Dough can be formed into rolls (do not let rise) 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Let rise before baking; this may take around 3 hours.
Leave a Review
Reviews (9)
Back to TopStep 2 is all about the tangzhong method. It makes the rolls softer and last longer. See the King Arthur Baking website for more details. Do not leave out this step as it makes the difference in the texture of these great rolls.
Anonymous
Washington
1/21/2022
I really didn't understand the need for step 2, and I hate using my stand mixer. So I made these the old fashioned way, adding the melted butter all at once, not doing step 2, just adding flour enough to make the soft dough and kneading by hand. Very simple, but did use the method stated for forming the rolls. They might be better following the recipe exactly using all steps as outlined, but I can't really imagine how! These rolls came out so scrumptious, we love them!!! This recipe is a keeper!!!
bjbjgg
Phoenix, AZ
12/15/2021
Labor intensive, so plan accordingly. Totally worth it. My sister-in-law asked for the recipe a year later.
Sam
NC
10/28/2021
We have brought a triple batch of these rolls to Thanksgiving for the past two years--making so many makes the labor intensive directions feel a little more worth it. Everyone loves them, but the highest compliment came from my sister, who started pelvic thrusting into the air after eating one.
balessk
Tyler, TX
4/17/2019
These rolls were amazing!!! Such a hit at Thanksgiving. They were layered with flavor and so soft. The only alteration I made was with the yeast. It didn't seem to activate when I added the yeast to the milk, so I redid it and added the warm milk to the yeast in a bowl. I'm so glad I tried this recipe. This will be a must have for every holiday!
Anonymous
Albert Lea, MN
11/25/2018
These turned out fantastic. So soft and fluffy and with great flavor. These are my official Thanksgiving rolls from now on.
brittneym
Portland
11/23/2018
really need a video to demonstrate shaping of the rolls - pinching, folding, dragging - all very unclear. I ended up with amorphous blobs
petra28
mmmm
12/10/2017
These are excellent. Rolls are beautiful and richly flavored. They are soft but I wouldn't describe them as the softest (they don't need to be with that flavor). The dough is odd to work with and you may need to switch from a dough hook to a paddle to combine the components. I used salted butter, which worked for me but I like that extra salty flavor. Warning that these are rather labor intensive for dinner rolls so you may want to factor that in when planning a large meal. Excellent attention to detail by the author in describing the dough forming process.
rich_pearse
Boston, MA
11/24/2017
Incredible rolls. I bake bread quite a bit, and this one turned out great. I used King Arthor bread flour, and wish I had cooked to 30 min, instead of 25. This was a test run for thanksgiving, so I think I got it dialed in.
mharrelson
Atlanta
11/17/2017