I’ve been very drawn to bread baking lately. I’ve always been a sucker for home made bread and have been through quite a few experiments with it. I’ve tried potato bread, sandwich loaves, french bread, but never found my attempts to be amazingly successful. I think the problem was that I never really learned the tricks to bread making – it turns out the tricks are pretty important.

I recently went to a cookbook swap where I found a gem of a little book called “Great Bread Every Time” – just what I was looking for! It’s given me some great tips on making my own bread and I have ended up with some pretty exciting results since.

I thought these dinner rolls would be a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving table. They are light and flaky and just slightly sweet. These rolls are definitely best served hot out of the oven and slathered with butter or used to soak up gravy and cranberry sauce. Mmm – I am so excited for Thanksgiving! I know that baking rolls from scratch does take some extra time, but it’s definitely worth it and on thanksgiving what’s a little extra time in the kitchen?

Flaky Dinner Rolls
Adapted from Great Bread Every Time

Makes 18 rolls

2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup very warm water (water should be slightly warmer than a baby’s bottle)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup milk, scalded
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
5 cups flour

In a small glass bowl, pour 1/2 cup warm. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, but do not stir. Slowly sprinkle 2 tablespoons yeast into the water, making sure each particle gets wet. Again, do not stir, if not all of the yeast is wet tap the side of the bowl lightly until all the yeast is wet. Leave mixture in a warm spot for 10 minutes until the yeast is thick and foamy. If the yeast doesn’t get thick and foamy throw out the mixture and try again (try adjusting the water temperature or using newer yeast).

Meanwhile, add the following ingredients to a large bowl in this order, stirring well between each addition: 1/2 cup cooled milk, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 eggs, the proofed yeast, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup cooled, melted butter. Add remaining flour slowly, 1 cup at a time to retain a soft dough. Mix until the dough come together in a ball (you may want to use your hands near the end).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic: 10- 12 minutes (Set a timer, you don’t want to under or over knead!) If the dough becomes sticky, lightly powder the bottom with flour. If you’re unsure of how to knead here is a great tutorial.

Place the dough in a bowl greased with butter, turn to grease top, place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise until doubled: 1 1/2 hours. Because my kitchen is rarely warm enough for rising I use this fool-proof method: Place bowl uncovered in your oven (the oven must be off), boil 2 cups of water in a pan and place the boiling water on the rack below your bowl of dough, turn on the oven light. These elements should make the perfect environment for your dough to rise.

When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a clean surface and knead for 2 minutes to release the large bubbles. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes (this will make it easier to shape). Roll the dough out into an 18 inch rope and cut it into 18 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place it in a muffin tin. Set the muffin tins in a warm, draft free spot and allow to rise until double: 30 minutes.

Bake in oven at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until just golden on top. Remove from tins immediately after baking, brush with melted butter. Serve warm.