Butter Flake Rolls

I love baking bread and rolls. Plus I love the way your house smells as they are baking. Growing up, my Mom made bread weekly so making bread for me is also wonderfully sentimental bringing back lots of cherished childhood memories. The idea of creating something as delicious as a hot roll fresh out of the oven with just a few simple ingredients is both pleasing and comforting.  This is an Alton Brown recipe and they are the rolls I served with our Thanksgiving meal.

I made these on Thanksgiving morning so was rushing a bit and they don’t look as pretty as I’d like, but they certainly did live up to their name; both buttery and flaky!

Start by spraying a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray (I use PAM Olive oil spray) and set aside.

You should always incorporate eggs that are at room temperature so bring them out about 30 minutes before using. If you forgot to do this you can place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. Or in my case, they sat out for about 10 minutes, but were still a little cool so run them under hot water for a few minutes to warm them up. This really does make a difference in the final product. Warm eggs trap more air which expands as the rolls (or whatever you are making) bake creating a fluffier, lighter final product. When warm they also blend more smoothly with the other ingredients.

Back to the Recipe:

Add 2 egg yolks, 1 package plus 1 tsp. yeast, flour, about 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup warm milk, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for a minute, just to incorporate all ingredients. If you don’t mix on slow the flour will go flying. Change to the dough hook and rest the dough in the bowl for 15 minutes.

Add 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature and mix again on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and you are able to gently pull the dough into a thin sheet that light will pass through; about 8 minutes. Sorry I don’t have photos of this step, but time was getting away from me and I wanted to get these rolls into the oven.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll and shape with your hands to form a large ball. The texture of the dough will be super soft and pliable. Grease a separate bowl liberally with butter and place the dough into the bowl rolling it around so all sides are buttered. Cover and set in a warm, dry place until doubled in size; about 1 hour depending on how warm the space is.

Remove the dough from the bowl and roll into a 12 x 12 inch square; about 1 inch thick. Melt one more Tbsp. of butter and brush onto the top of the dough.

Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 (12 x 1 inch) strips. Stack the strips into 2 stacks of 6 each. Lay the stacks on their sides and cut each stack into 6 (2 inch) wide pieces. Lay each piece on its side into the prepared muffin tin cup. Cover and set aside in a warm, dry place to rise again until doubled in size; about 30 to 40 minutes.

First, I am spatially challenged so had to read this step about 100 times before I ‘got it’. Once you begin cutting the first set of strips it makes better sense. My strips were not perfectly even or equal, which is why my rolls are a little wonky.

Ideally you want each little little 2 inch piece of dough to be even so when the rolls bake they make perfect fan shapes. Next time I’ll use more precision on the cutting.

Place the rolls in a 400 degree preheated oven and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes until tops are golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through the bake time.

Remove from the muffin tin to a cooling rack and cool for a couple of minutes before serving.

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Butter Flake Rolls

Light, fluffy, buttery and delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Warm milk (to about 100 degrees F)
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1+ Yeast, 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp.
• 3 1/2 cups Flour, more for rolling and kneading the dough
• 2 Egg yolks at room temperature
• 2 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 5 Tbsp. Unsalted butter; divided into 4 Tbsp. plus 1 Plus more for buttering the bowl for first rise.

Instructions

• Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray and set aside.
• Place the warm milk, sugar, yeast, flour, egg yolks and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine on low speed for about 1 minute. Change the paddle to dough hook and rest the dough for 15 minutes.
• Add 4 Tbsp. of butter (warmed to room temperature) and mix on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and you are able to gently pull the dough into a thin sheet that light will pass through; about 8 minutes more of mixing.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and using your hands roll and shape to form a large ball. Liberally butter a separate bowl and place the dough into the bowl rolling it around so all surfaces get buttered. Cover and set aside in a warm, dry place until doubled in size; about 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and roll into a 12 x 12 inch square; about 1/2 inch thick. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush onto the top of the dough.
• Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 (12 x 1 inch) strips. Stack the strips into 2 stacks of 6 strips each. Lay the stacks on their sides and cut each stack into 6 (2 inch) wide pieces. Lay each piece on its side into the cups of the prepared muffin tin. Cover and set aside to rise again in a warm, dry place until doubled in size; 30 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the cover and place the rolls in to bake for 8 to 10 minutes until tops are golden brown. Internal temperature should be 200 degrees if you choose to measure. Rotate the pan halfway through cook time.
• Remove the muffin tin to a cooling rack and cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.