The Best Dinner Rolls of Daniel’s Life

((For real.  He said that.  I didn’t make it up.  The world needs to know =) ))

This is it!  Crunch time.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner and yours truly will be contributing to the feast this year.  Starting with my favorite thing:

Bread…duh.

(What?  Were you expecting turkey?)

Listen, I know I don’t need to tell you this, but bread is great.

Dinner rolls should taste like something.  Not too much something, they are in a supporting role after all, but a great roll could easily elevate a meal to the next level.  Forget tasteless, cardboard filler…this is not a side to neglect!

The task:  light, fluffy, tasty, simple, excellent gravy sopper.

Mission accomplished.

The secret’s in the butter y’all.

We’re going to use all of that…don’t worry about it.

Oh and yeast…you know how I feel about yeast.

Those little guys are such miracle workers.  I can’t get over it.  I know they can be scary but they don’t have to be!  All they need is some time and respect.  A little warmth changes their temperament dramatically.  I can relate.  Keep the little buggers warm, (not hot!), give them some time and they’ll  come through every time.  That means you need to be patient. If the recipe tells you to let it get frothy….let it get frothy.

At some point in this process, your life will look something like this (minus the ugly plastic yellow bowl from the dollar bin at Target…):

That, my friends, is soupy grossness.  Don’t panic!  With more flour and more loving you’ll make your way to this:

Nothing makes me happier.

After it doubles in size you need to shape your rolls.

There’s a technique here…tuck and roll.  You want to form a nice smooth skin.  Use the table to pull the dough tight.

Tuck one side under with your thumb…

..then drrraaaggg it along the table to pull it tight.

Or you could try this technique.  Do whatever it takes to get a smooth skin!

Honey wash to make sure they get perfectly golden brown…also because honey is delicious.

A second rise before they go in the oven relaxes that taut skin and makes sure they’ll be light and fluffy.

Not just for turkey!

((Potato soup recipe coming soon!))

Good enough to make someone say “this is the best blankity blank of my life.” What an awesome thing to hear.

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

P.S.  I would bet a lot of money that a bit of orange zest in the dough and a simple powdered sugar/milk glaze would make these instant sweet bun treats.  Just saying.

Parker House Rolls

So here’s the deal.  These rolls are classic.  I didn’t change the recipe enough to claim it as my own and frankly…I wouldn’t dare mess with such a reliably delicious recipe.

My only alterations:

-Buttermilk in place of the milk.

-Honey wash before baking. (Make honey wash by thinning honey with juuuust enough water to make it easy to brush on a roll.)

Click here for the recipe.  Happy baking!