Soft Dinner Rolls

Dinner rolls are the crown jewel of the holiday table. Warm, soft and buttery, they’re perfect for swiping up gravy or as the foundation for a layered bite of everything else on the plate. Our version of this classic recipe is from our chef/partner Jennifer Latham. Jen notes that this dough is a little sticky, but that makes the rolls extra fluffy and soft. Don’t worry too much about making the rolls perfectly shaped and use as much flour as needed on your hands while shaping. And be sure to brush the rolls with melted butter just before and after baking for an extra special touch.

Sponge

1/2 cup (120 g) warm low-fat milk

1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons, 7g) active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups (200 g) bread flour

Dough

All the sponge from above

1/4 cup (60g) warm low-fat milk

2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar

2 large (110 g) eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons (7 g) kosher salt

1 1/2 Cups (200g) bread flour

1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cut into about 4 tablespoon-sized pieces, room temperature

Rolls

2 tablespoons melted butter

Flaky sea salt

For the sponge:

Place 1/2 cup warm milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir well with a spatula and let stand for about two minutes. Add the 1 1/2 cups bread flour. Mix until well combined (alternately, mix by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula). Cover bowl and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour and a half.

For the dough:

Add 1/4 cup warm milk, sugar, eggs and salt to the bowl with the sponge in it. Stir until the sponge is broken up a bit and the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Add the additional 1 1/2 cups of bread flour. Mix in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook on medium speed for 1 minute, then use a spatula or a bowl scraper to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the flour is incorporated. Mix about 8-9 minutes more, until the dough is smooth and pulling away from the sides.

Add the room temperature butter one tablespoon at a time, incorporating each addition fully.

Cover bowl and let rest in a warm spot for 1 hour, until risen significantly. Gently fold the dough over itself a few times and press down to deflate slightly. Cover bowl and let rest again for about 30 minutes, until the dough has again risen significantly. It should be airy and full of bubbles.

For the rolls:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush the bottom and sides of an Everyday Pan with some of the melted butter.

Scoop the dough out of the bowl and onto a clean, floured work surface. Cut into 16 equal pieces (each piece should weigh about 50 grams). Roll each piece into a ball and place the balls evenly distanced in the pan, about 3/4-inch apart (they will continue to rise). Cover pan and place in a warm spot until rolls are almost doubled in size again, about 30 minutes.

Brush the tops of the rolls lightly with the melted butter. Place in preheated oven and bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top but still light-colored on the sides, about 15-17 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately brush again with melted butter. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each roll, if desired. Let cool slightly, then serve warm.