Southern Butter Rolls

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •9x13-inch baking pan or two 9-inch round cake pans
• •Pastry brush
• •Kitchen towel or plastic wrap
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake up the yeast

   Pour the warm milk into a large mixing bowl. It should feel like bathwater on your wrist, around 110°F. Too hot and you kill the yeast. Too cold and it sleeps through the party. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface and add one tablespoon of the sugar. Let it sit undisturbed for ten minutes until it blooms into a foamy, fragrant head. This tells you the yeast is alive and ready to work.

   If your yeast does not foam after ten minutes, start over with fresh yeast. There is no saving dead yeast, and flat rolls are nobody's friend.
2. 2

   Build the dough

   Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and half a cup of melted butter into the yeast mixture. The buttermilk adds tenderness and a subtle tang that makes these rolls special. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three additions, stirring with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. It will look rough and sticky. That is exactly right.

3. 3

   Knead until silky

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for eight to ten minutes. Push the dough away with the heel of your hand, fold it back over itself, give it a quarter turn, and repeat. The dough transforms from sticky and rough to smooth and elastic. When you poke it with your finger, it should spring back slowly. You will feel the change in your hands before you see it.

   Resist adding too much flour during kneading. A slightly tacky dough makes tender rolls. Too much flour makes them dense and tough.
4. 4

   First rise

   Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a buttered bowl, turning once to coat all sides. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free spot. Let it rise until doubled in size, about one and a half hours. My grandmother Evangeline would set her dough bowl on top of the stove with the oven warming below. Find your warm spot.

5. 5

   Shape the rolls

   Punch down the risen dough with your fist to release the gas. Turn it onto a clean surface and divide into twenty-four equal pieces. A kitchen scale helps here, but eyeballing works fine if you have done it before. Roll each piece into a smooth ball by cupping your hand over the dough and moving in a circular motion on the counter. The friction pulls the surface tight and creates that beautiful round shape.

6. 6

   Arrange and brush

   Generously butter a 9x13-inch baking pan or two 9-inch round cake pans. Arrange the dough balls in rows, leaving about half an inch between each one. They will grow together as they rise, which is what you want. Brush the tops generously with melted butter. Do not be shy. This first butter brushing starts building those golden, flavorful tops.

7. 7

   Second rise

   Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let the rolls rise in a warm place for forty-five minutes to one hour. They should puff up until they touch each other and look pillowy and soft. When you press gently with your finger, the indentation should fill back slowly. If it springs back fast, give them more time.

8. 8

   Bake until golden

   Preheat your oven to 375°F during the last fifteen minutes of rising. Bake the rolls for eighteen to twenty-two minutes until the tops are deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F. The kitchen will smell like Sunday dinner at your grandmother's house. The rolls should sound slightly hollow when you tap the top.

9. 9

   Final butter blessing

   The moment the rolls come out of the oven, brush them generously with the remaining melted butter. Watch it soak into the golden tops and pool in the crevices between rolls. This final brushing is not optional. It is what makes these rolls glisten and taste like love. Let them cool for five minutes in the pan, then serve warm.

   For extra richness, add a pinch of flaky sea salt over the final butter brushing. The salt makes everything taste more like itself.

Chef Tips

• •Temperature matters more than you think. Cold ingredients make sluggish yeast. Set your eggs and buttermilk on the counter an hour before you start, and warm that milk gently.
• •The dough should feel like your earlobe when properly kneaded: soft, smooth, and just slightly tacky. If it feels like modeling clay, you have added too much flour.
• •For make-ahead rolls, shape them in the pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Pull them out two hours before baking to come to room temperature and finish rising.
• •Use good butter. This is not the time for margarine or bargain brands. The flavor of these rolls depends entirely on the quality of your butter.

Advance Preparation

• •Shaped rolls can be refrigerated overnight before the second rise. Remove from refrigerator two hours before baking to allow them to rise fully.
• •Baked rolls freeze beautifully for up to two months. Reheat wrapped in foil at 350°F for ten minutes, then brush with fresh melted butter.
• •Dough can be made through the first rise, punched down, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. The slow cold rise develops more flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 43g)