Thanksgiving Rolls
These Thanksgiving rolls are soft and chewy. They are flavorful and tender. They are simply perfect. Hello turkey and roll leftovers!
If you are a semi-regular reader of this blog, you are probably rolling your eyes that I am declaring undying love for a new roll. I mean, how many roll recipes can one girl need?
At the risk of offending all of my much-loved roll recipes, this new recipe may trump all the others. Really.
These rolls are beyond description. But for you, I’ll try. They are soft and chewy. They are flavorful and tender. They are simply perfect.
If it is any indication how much these rolls have affected my roll-loving person, (and this is no exaggeration, even though I love to exaggerate) I’ve made them nine (yes, nine) times in the last two months.
They are absolutely the best rolls I’ve ever made.
They are definitely going to be the star of our Thanksgiving dinner (and for many dinners thereafter).
Make Ahead Tip:
After shaping and placing on the baking sheet, these rolls can be refrigerated for 24 hours. Simply remove them from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for two to three hours (until warmed and risen) before baking.
Thanksgiving Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 cups (426 g) all-purpose flour, I’ve had great results using half white, half wheat flour, also
- ½ cup instant potato flakes
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Whisk water, oil, sugar, and yeast together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup until the yeast dissolves. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or by hand, mix flour, potato flakes, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt until well combined. Add water mixture in a steady stream with the mixer on low (or stir in by hand) until the dough comes together, about one minute. Knead the dough until it is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 6 minutes (add additional flour if absolutely necessary to make a soft dough that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl while kneading). Knead the dough briefly until it forms a smooth ball.
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about an hour and a half. (For a quicker rising method, before you start making the dough, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. When the oven has reached 200 degrees, turn the oven off. Place the covered bowl in the oven and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.)
- Punch down the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces (divide into quarters and cut each quarter into thirds). Form each piece of dough into a ball by lightly cupping the dough in the palm of your hand and rolling it on an unfloured or ungreased surface in a circular motion until it forms a smooth ball.
- Transfer to a parchment-lined or lightly greased rimmed baking sheet. Cover lightly with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled (about an hour). (Again, you can return to the warm oven and let rise for 20 minutes for a quicker method.) If you are making them the night before, do not let them go through this rise, instead transfer to the refrigerator. Take the rolls out 2 hours before baking to allow them to come to room temperature and rise.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush rolls with lightly beaten egg and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve.
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country
Allyson (and others who have inquired) – there are several reasons rolls may flatten. In my comment to Chris above, I mentioned that if rolls rise too long, they can become “overpuffed” and possibly collapse. Another major reason why rolls can fall is if there isn’t enough flour in the dough. It is a delicate balance between not too much and just enough. When you feel the dough in your fingers, it should be tacky and slightly sticky but not gooey and messy (alternately, it shouldn’t be so stiff you can’t work with it). Hope that helps a little bit!
I, too, am having some problems with some the rolls going flat. Particularly when brushing on the egg, despite trying to be super-gentle. Anyone else have this problem, or just me?
Dear Melanie, I tried these and just loved them. Have posted them in my blog and linked to ur recipe. Thanks so much.
Thanks, Pari!
Chris – hmmmm…I think you may be right – if too much air gets into the dough (i.e. they rise too long) then they may go flat. Also, sometimes if the plastic wrap sticks to the dough – it can deflate the rolls as you pull it off so make sure there is plenty of cooking spray on the plastic. Glad they tasted ok, though!
I made these today and the dough rose fine, but when I took off the plastic wrap on the second rise, they went flat. Maybe I let them rise too long?
Anywho, they tasted great and there are none left!
Hi Melanie, I made this rolls yesterday and they were delicious. I had one problem however: upon going into the oven they looked perfect(well risen etc) but they came out looking rather flat. Could it be because I put them into a fan forced oven?
Love the fajita recipe and will definitely give it a go. Not sure if we can get liquid smoke in Australia though 🙁 Thanks
Christie – I’m not really familiar with fan forced ovens but I’m guessing if there is a great deal of air moving around then, yes, it could probably contribute to the rolls going flat. The only other thing I can think of is if the dough was overly soft (not enough flour), but if that was the case, they probably wouldn’t have risen on the pan, either.
I hope you like the fajitas. If you can’t find liquid smoke, I’d still try them…the other flavors are delicious.
Thanks Melanie. Yes there is a lot of air in the oven, so I think that is my problem. I can turn it off, so I will give them another try.
I have managed to find a store nearby called USA foods who sell the Liqiud smoke, so I will pay them a visit. I am hoping that I will be able to get a few other treats that I remember enjoying on a visit many years ago visiting family in the south! Thanks again, Christie.
Miss Rachel – you could absolutely sub active dry yeast and proof it with the water…I think it would work just fine, although I would up the amount of yeast to 1 tablespoon if using active dry.
I found this post through another bread one… I was wondering, can I sub the instant yeast and proof it with the water and make these rolls, or will it not work that way?
Matt – glad they turned out! Thanks for letting me know.
Melanie,
I ended up just making these rolls the day of and they turned out great! Everyone enjoyed them.
Thank you,
Melanie W. – yes, instant yeast normally does not need to be proofed in water before using – and some people will skip one of the rises when using it, but this particular recipe is more about the method – meaning, the yeast is added to all the other wet ingredients in order for the wet ingredients to be incorporated into the dry ingredients. It isn’t as much about proofing the yeast in water (since the recipe doesn’t call for the yeast to sit until it is foamy and bubbly) as it is about the method. Also, I am one of those that still does both rises for bread and rolls when using instant yeast because I feel that the rising gives the dough better flavor and texture. Hope that helps. Good luck!
Nevermind about the egg…I just saw where it says to brush on top. 🙂
I’m new to making bread/rolls, so these might be silly questions. But I was a bit confused by the recipe…when do you add the egg?? and you say to use instant yeast, but still you add it to water and let it rise twice? From what I learned instant yeast is added to the dry ingredients and you only need to let rise once? I’m in the process of making them right now, so I’ll see if mine turn out!
Matt in Overlook – hmmm…I don’t see why that wouldn’t work but you would definitely want to take the bowl of dough out of the fridge before shaping them into rolls to take the chill off, otherwise the dough will be too stiff to work with. Let me know if you try it this way!
Hi Melanie,
These rolls look great.
I usually make “rifidgerator rolls” (the kind where you leave the dough in a bowl, in the fridge over night, then take out the morning of, form the balls and let them rise before baking).
Do you think I could do that with this roll recipe? I don’t really have room in my fridge for 4 sheet pans.
Thanks!
Melanie, you are so sweet–thank you so much for your help!!!
I will be making these for our Thanksgiving Feast, I am so excited to try them out. Thanks for the great Thanksgiving recipes! 🙂
Hi Bethany – I triple this recipe all the time and when tripling, I use 1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast.
Love your blog! If tripling this recipe, how much yeast do you recommend using?
Veronica – each roll recipe can be really different – you are right, some are sweeter, some a little more chewier. The two roll recipes I have on my blog that may help you are:
The Lion House Rolls (these are soft and slightly sweet):http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2008/12/lion-house-dinner-rolls.html
The Parker House Rolls (these are also easy and sweet and can be made in two hours):http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2009/08/parker-house-rolls.html
My Aunt who loves sweet rolls gave me the Parker House Rolls recipe and they are like little pillows – really good.
Also, I do use an electric mixer with a dough hook and it makes bread and roll making a lot easier, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. I haven’t had one forever and still will occasionally make yeast goods by hand. If your dough is overly sticky, it probably needs more flour, based on humidity or how each person measures it differently. The other trick to getting a really soft roll is to knead it for long enough – this is also why an electric mixer is handy but if you don’t have one, just keep kneading until the dough is very soft and supple. On Monday, I am posting a yeast tutorial that has a step-by-step introduction to yeast and getting a really soft dough. Let me know if you have any other questions!
OK, Melanie. I need some help from the “Queen of Rolls.” (Or didn’t you know that was your official title? lol.) I’ve never been able to make good homemade rolls. I made these and they weren’t what I was looking for, though we ate them all in less than 24 hours (that’s only two people, mind you). I’m looking for a roll that is soft and sweet, like the kind they serve at Golden Corral or Ryans. I don’t know if you have either of those restaurants where you are and you’re not missing a whole lot if you don’t, but they do serve the most delicious rolls. Have you ever posted any rolls that fit this description? I found these to be almost like sourdough, which is not what I want. Also, do you think a stand mixer with dough hooks is necessary to make good rolls? Because making this recipe by hand, the dough was so incredibly sticky that half of it was completely glued to my hands while I worked with it. Eventually I was forced to add 1/4 cup of flour and even then it was incredibly sticky. Despite the wet dough, when I baked them they weren’t soft but almost tough. I’m not very experienced with bread and would appreciate any advice you might have. Thanks!
Shanna – I’m not sure about that. The dough is a bit more elastic than other soft doughs I’ve used before for crescent rolls but it may work, I’ve just never tried it. Let me know if you do!
Do you think there would be any problem with rolling these out to make crescent rolls instead of balls?
Thanks!
Wow, Melanie, you’re so on top of everything! Thanksgiving dinner ideas! So great! These rolls look perfect! I think you should open a restaurant or a bakery. 🙂
I have a favorite favorite dinner roll, but with you extolling these to the heavens, I will try these. Will have to find potato flakes first.
Beckie – you sweet thing, thank you for your comment! I’m glad that you’ve liked many of the recipes…thanks for letting me know!
I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate your detailed instructions which a lot of roll recipes leave out. I can make a mean loaf of bread, but I’ve never quite gotten the hang of rolls!! I’m definitely going to try this recipe.
Can I just tell you how much I LOVE your blog!?!?!? I check it daily and have used SO many of your recipes. I often find myself in a rut when cooking dinner for my family so when that happens, I refer to your blog. I love it (Did I already say that?)
Well now I have to give these a try just to see how they turn out!
I am bookmarking your recipes now. Except for these rolls (for lack of potato flakes) I’m keeping them all! Can’t wait to start cooking!
Splendid Things – no question is a silly question when it comes to yeast, I promise! Yes, you can let your electric mixer do the kneading for you. I have a Bosch and I never knead by hand because it does it all for me. I let it knead in the mixer for a good 3-4 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Hope that helps!
Okay-I’m sold…I have to try my hand at making these sometime before Thanksgiving to see if I can pull it off and THEN offer to bring them to dinner. I love that they can be refrigerated and then baked.
Keep them coming Mel-your Thanksgiving tips are GREAT!!
These actually might be better than mine! Egad!
My Sister’s Kitchen – I’m so, so, so glad you liked these, especially after I raved about them so much!
EmilyCC – your comment CRACKED me up! How cute.
The Double Dipped Life – I hate to say it but in my book, yes these are better, although I’m sure that is a matter of opinion because the Lion House rolls are pretty darn delicious!
Rebecca – I zipped into my pantry to check and this is exactly what my box says, “Betty Crocker Potato Buds Mashed Potatoes 100% Real Potatoes.”
Does that help? Just make sure you aren’t buying any with added ingredients like butter or milk. Just good old fashioned potato flakes (or buds).
Now, wait a minute… are these better than the Lion House rolls?
I just added these to my recipe box! Thanks!
I love reading your roll recipes–they inspired me to make some last week, which I clearly don’t do enough of because my 4 year old said, “Oh, Mom! You’re making bread cookies!”
These must be some phenomenal rolls to be titled the best rolls you ever. I have made and loved several of your roll recipes. One can never have to many bread(carb) related recipes. I can’t wait to try them. -Liz K.
My mom uses potato flakes in her famous homemade bread, it must be a magic ingredient! I’m going to have to give these a go. All of these Thanksgiving posts look fabulous!
I just love you! You make me laugh so hard. I do know of your love for rolls…..so I am FOR SURE going to try this recipe with such a high recommendation from a bread lover (like myself) :-)!
This was the one I was waiting for. I’ve only been subscribed for a few months, but already I’ve caught on to your bread obsession. But I don’t mind, I’m becoming a bit bread-obsessed myself, now that I know it’s really not that hard to make. I will DEFINITELY try this–can’t wait!!!!~Veronica
Melanie~ These do look delicious! I am really a terrible bread maker, so pardon the silly question, but can you do the kneading in the mixing bowl with the dough hook…or does that need to be done my hand? The fact that I am having to ask this is a clear indication as to why my bread usually comes out funky! 🙂
I saw that today’s post was rolls and my first thought was “Of course”. And of course they look perfect. You are a yeast master in my eyes.
these look wonderful! thanks.
Okay, I made these & loved them! I am totally posting them next week for my Thanksgiving Countdown. I agree. They are just amazing and the fact that they can be refrigerated and then baked, awesome!
Melanie, I am having trouble finding potato flakes in my market? Is it the same as mashed potato in a box?