If I have a food achilles heel, it would be carbs. I love me some carbs. They love me too, especially in my gut and thighs. Jerks. I treat them well. Why can’t they extend me the same courtesy? 🙂 I am honestly trying to be much more mindful of my carb intake. Some days are better than others, but at least I’m trying.
One thing I adore is homemade bread. I tell myself bread is super hard to make. Otherwise, I’d be cranking out fresh bread every day. It’s such a huge temptation for me. Cookies. Meh. Sure, I like them but don’t obsess over them. But bread. Soft, chewy homemade bread. That is the stuff Tanya’s dreams are made of.
So I have learned to only make bread for special occasions, like Thanksgiving. I love dipping my dinner roll into gravy or slathering a heaping spoonful of apple butter on a steaming hot bun. Heaven!
Now making homemade bread isn’t that complicated, but it does take time with all the proofing. Plus, you have to do battle with all the other dishes that need the oven too on Thanksgiving. So here’s my solution: freeze your homemade dinner rolls.
Some of you may cry foul because the bread isn’t “fresh”. No argument. But for your sanity, it may be a much welcome compromise. Plus, if you previously bought bakery dinner rolls, they are reheated too, since it’s unlikely you picked up a fresh-baked batch on Thanksgiving morning. These guys really do freeze and reheat beautifully. Truth be told, I don’t like keeping any in the freezer because they are too tempting for this carb-loving gal.
Thanksgiving is just a couple weeks away (gulp), so do yourself a huge favor. Make these now and wow your guests on Thanksgiving. They will never know you made these in advance and it will be one less thing you have to worry about on the big day. Well, in fairness, you may have to worry about running out of them. 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in warm water (about 110 degrees). Let stand about 5-10 minutes until bubbly.
- In a small microwaveable dish, add milk and butter. Microwave in 20 second increments until temperature is 115 degrees and butter has softened.
- In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, salt, 1 cup of flour, yeast mixture and milk/butter mixture in a bowl. Beat thoroughly.
- Add 1 cup of flour and egg and beat for 2 minutes on high.
- Add 2 cups of flour and stir into dough. Knead until dough is still soft but not sticky. Place in a greased a bowl, lightly rub some oil over the dough, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Punch dough down. Flour a large piece of parchment paper or your counter top. Press dough into a rectangle shape with your hands on a large piece of floured parchment paper. Using a pizza cutter cut into 15 pieces. Shape each piece into a roll. Place in a greased 9×13 dish. Cover and let rise until doubled.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately rub melted butter over the tops of the dinner rolls.
Notes
You can help the rolls rise quickly by placing them in an oven that has been heated for 2 minutes at 350 degree then turned off. I did this but removed the buns while the oven preheated to 350 degrees when it was time to bake the rolls.
Your rolls will likely be lighter than mine. I got distracted and let them bake longer than necessary. 🙂
To freeze, separate rolls and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Freeze for a couple hours. Then place rolls in a freezer ziploc bag. Store for 2-3 weeks in the freezer. Thaw and reheat in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil.
And to all your carb lovers, like me, you’re welcome. 🙂 Enjoy!
Tanya
I still haven’t tried making my own bread because man I’m totally with you with the carb love! The smell is just overwhelming!
I don’t know why something so tasty has to be so bad for you! It’s unfair. 🙂 The smell is heavenly. It took a lot of willpower not to just dive in and inhale those babies.
Tanya,
If I run away from home can I go live with you? LOL..Girl you are like my twin because I love me some Carbs…breads to be exact!
I was just talking with my sister about Thanksgiving dinner. I have been put in charge of mashed potatoes and rolls…I’m going to tr this recipe for sure…I’ll share a pick with you. 🙂
Okay now for a stupid question…how to I check the water temp? Is there a gadget I need to get?
Thanks!
Cori 🙂
You are always welcome to come live with me, Corina. But I gotta warn you, that means you have to put up with MaxE too. 🙂 He likes to attack toes while you sleep!
Definitely share a picture with me and I got a great mashed potatoes recipe too. You can use a candy thermometer to check the temperature. I’m guessing an instant read meat thermometer may work too. Some go by feel, but I’m not that great. The water should be warm to the touch but not hot. Yeast is like Goldilocks. Too cold and the yeast won’t activate. Too hot and the yeast dies. You can always tell that you have the right temperature because the yeast will bubble and poof up. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions. And don’t get distracted like I did when you make them. 🙂
Heaven…those rolls look like heaven! 🙂
Thanks, Mackenzie! It certainly felt like I was in heaven when I was eating them. 🙂
I keep saying I’m going to make homemade dinner rolls for Thanksgiving instead of buying the old standby, Brown n’ Serves. Maybe this is my year. 🙂
I’m not gonna lie – I like those Brown n’ Serves too. 🙂 But homemade can’t be beat, but it definitely does add some extra work so I understand why so many buy their dinner rolls as there are some really good options. I like that I can make these in advance so I don’t have to really worry about them.