ROLLS! I am not the first person to say this, and I doubt I will be the last, but dammit if bread is not the most important of all the thanksgiving sides. And that bread? It’s gotta be a roll. A loaf of bread on a thanksgiving table is just….strange.
A buttery little nugget of tender bread is exactly what’s required for general noshing, dunking into gravy and making various miniature sandwiches throughout the meal. Please tell me I’m not the only person who does that.
These rolls are exactly the kind of traditional-but-not thing that I think belongs on every Thanksgiving table, unless you have a really talented older member of the family who just slam-dunks a totally traditional menu every year. Otherwise, if you’re just a bunch of misfits (and really, aren’t we all) I think it’s great to add a little twist to every item.
But I’m talking a tiny twist; a tiny, genius twist. Enter, browned butter on your parker house rolls. Just that little extra step, cooking the butter for an extra couple of minutes, adds the most deliciously nutty, savoury edge to what is already a beautifully light yeast roll. Once you’ve made a tiny stuffing-cranberry-turkey-potato sandwich in one of these, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
xx Sarah.
- 1 + ½ sticks (150g) butter
- 3½ cups (525g) flour
- 1 tbsp dried instant yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (250ml) warm water
- Place the butter into a large saucepan (bigger than you think) and turn on a medium heat. Melt the butter, and then continue to cook until it foams up and turns a dark golden brown colour - it will take on a nutty smell.
- Pour the browned butter into a jug straight away (otherwise it might overcook), and set it aside.
- Place all the remaining ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and bring together with the dough hook into a dry dough.
- Measure out ⅓ cup of the browned butter and, working on a low speed, slowly stream the butter into the dough. Continue mixing until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces, and roll them out into oval shapes, brushing them liberally with the remaining browned butter, and then fold them over and place onto a lined baking sheet.
- Set them aside to rise for 20 minutes, and turn the oven on to 450F/220C.
- Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes or until browned and risen. While the rolls are still warm, brush liberally with the remaining browned butter. Serve warm.
Most definitely have to have rolls at Thanksgiving. And browned butter….oh my gawd!
I’ll have to admit that I usually don’t make rolls for Thanksgiving. A friend’s mother brings them from time to time (Lynn’s Hot Buns). But these seem easy enough. And tasty!! Need to give this a try. Can they be made in advance?
Absolutely! You could make these up entirely in advance, freeze them and then just reheat on the day and give them a final brush of butter.
You’re not the only person. My ratio of bread eating to the main dish is always about 9:1. These look yummy.
Rolls on rolls on rolls! Lurrrrve these!
oh my gosh, you are killing me. These are incredible.
BROWNED BUTTER ROLLS! Whyyy have I never thought of this?? Lovinggggg these
These look like a must-have for thanksgiving… need something to soak up all the gravy and leftover bits!
AMEN to the rolls requirement, sister. I already baked mine for Thanksgiving this year but I think I’m going to have to go rogue and make these, too. One cannot have too much bread at Thanksgiving, after all.
Definitely not! Bread fo’ life.
You’re killing me! They look absolutely amazing!
Rolls are OBVIOUSLY a must, for sandwich-making purposes, yes, but also for general stuffing-your-face purposes. Love the brown butter twist!