BEIJOS EATS | DECEMBER 11,2023
homemade festive holiday rolls.
Today, we are getting festive with some easy and simple homemade dinner rolls but adding a holiday touch to it with fresh herbs and a sweet honey butter topping. Dinner rolls are an essential side for any holiday menu. So why not jazz them up! We have said it, and will say it again and again. It’s all in the details. You can take this idea, and twist it around to fit any holiday. Plus, giving you a couple tricks of the trade when it comes to making homemade rolls. They can be super easy, but if you don’t do it often, a little freak out here and there is normal- if we can do it, you can do it! Toss out the store-bought, and make these lovely ladies yourself.
*photography by Dayna Studios
My dough isn’t rising or not at all?
This is where if you’re new to baking especially bread items like rolls, you want to always make sure that your yeast is fresh and not old. A couple things to check!
yeast. Look at the date on your yeast. If its past, it will most likely not bubble and get foamy. If you are unsure, just buy a fresh batch. I like to keep mine in the fridge, this helps with its shelf life.
When you add in your yeast with your warm water and sugar, if it doesn’t foam up, it’s old. Go get some fresh yeast.
house temps. Now, if it was new yeast, and foamed up in the 1st steps, then maybe your house is too cold. I like to always put mine to rise in the oven with just the light on. But, don’t forget to take it out before pre-heating your oven.
My dough is still really sticky?
Just a bit more flour and that should help it out. It will still have a stick to it, but still feel smooth and not stick to your hands at all.
Don’t get the milk too hot. The optimal temperature for milk is around 100 degrees F. Any hotter and you could be ruining the yeast. If your yeast doesn’t get foamy, it’s either your milk may be too hot or its old yeast. It should be just warm to the touch.
Holiday Rosemary Honey Sea Salt Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Whole milk
- 1 4 oz unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp Granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp Active dry yeast
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tbsp Fresh rosemary minced
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 3 cups Bread flour
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 6 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp Honey
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- Fresh herbs dill, parsley, rosemary
- Whole pink peppercorn
Instructions
- To make the dough: In a small saucepan, warm the milk and butter to 100 °F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the sugar and yeast. Pour the milk/butter mixture over the yeast and sugar and let it rest for 5 minutes until the yeast is foamy. If your yeast does not get foamy, it may be too old to use. Add the eggs and flour to the bowl and mix on low. As the dough comes together, sprinkle in the salt. Mix on low for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm location until doubled in size.
- Grease a large rimmed baking sheet (13X18) or two smaller baking sheets (8×12), if making both flavors. Punch the dough down and portion the dough into 24 pieces. The easiest way to do this is to weigh the dough, take the total weight and divide it by 24. This ensures even-sized pieces that bake at the same rate. Roll each piece into a ball and place it on the greased baking sheet one inch apart. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size and the rolls are touching.
- To make the honey butter: melt butter and combine with honey until well mixed. Cool slightly until the mixture has thickened.
- Preheat an oven to 375 °F. Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and gently, but liberally, brush with honey butter. Lay out your fresh herbs on top of the honey butter to create a festive holiday look, and add flaky sea salt after. Bake for 15 minutes until the rolls are golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let the rolls cool before serving.
