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**hum**
Timer rings, are you listenin’?
On the tray, turkey’s glistenin’
A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight,
Thinkin’ ’bout a big batch of buns…
Seriously, I think I need to clear space on a shelf for a Grammy for that ditty, don't you? Wait 'til you hear my rendition of "Baby Got Butter" a.k.a. "I Like Big Buns."
Other hits include the reggae classic "No Gravy, No Cry;" and let's not leave out the kiddies with " The Stuffing and the Buns Go Round and Round."
Hey, my feeling is when you're happy enough, you should sing it out; and if it's food that is making you so happy, sing about the food.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year to be happy as we surround ourselves with friends and family. It's a busy and hectic time of year here at King Arthur Flour, but we definitely try to take time to let our co-workers and customers know how much they mean to us.
One way that I try to give back is to plan out a recipe or two that I know customers have been requesting via the Baker's Hotline, emails, Facebook, etc. This year in the kitchen I worked on bringing a few vegetarian options to the table for main dishes, and this recipe for a really big batch of buns.
I've been making different versions of this recipe for years now; it's definitely a holiday staple at our house. It makes a whopping 24 buxom buns, enough to fill a half sheet pan, or four 8" round pans. My husband always loves to know that after dinner there will be plenty of rolls left to make turkey sandwiches for lunch on Black Friday. And my daughter would rather have a second roll than a second piece of pie. That is definitely worth singing about, in my book.
Another reason to belt out your best Broadway version of "It's Raining Rolls?" These beauties are on the table in just about an hour, start to finish. "Hallelujah, it's rainin' rolls!"
Let's make a Big Batch of Quick Dinner Rolls.
You can mix up this dough by hand, or in your stand mixer. In your work bowl, place:
1/2 cup (113g) water, lukewarm
2 cups (454g) milk, warm (100°F to 110°F)
3 tablespoons (43g) butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons (21g) sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons (28g) yeast, instant preferred
Mix well and let set for about 5 minutes, until nice and foamy.
Using the paddle attachment on your mixer, blend in 5 cups (600g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. You'll have a loose, wet dough at this point but it should be quite smooth.
Add an additional 1 to 2 cups flour 1/2 cup (60g) at a time until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Once the dough starts to come together in a mass, switch over to your dough hook to start to develop the structure of the dough.
After about 5 minutes of kneading, give your dough the "doorbell" test. Lightly flour your finger and press into the dough just like you would to ring a doorbell. Just a quick "ding," not a prolonged "bzzzzzzzzz". The dough should spring back and fill in the indentation of your finger quickly. If not, knead a little longer and try again.
** If you're baking the buns today, preheat the oven to 350°F. **
Once the dough is well kneaded, round it into a ball and set it on the counter with your bowl inverted over the top. This makes a handy-dandy little proofing place. You can go the traditional plastic wrap route, but your dough will only be rising about 15 minutes so I try not to waste the wrap on such a short rise.
To test to see if your dough is sufficiently risen, you'll be using your finger again but this time you'll be doing a "poke" test. Flour your finger, and press into the dough up to your first knuckle. This time, you're looking for the indentation to stay in the dough when you pull your finger out.
Pat the dough out to a rough rectangle, about 1/2" thick. Cut into 4 long strips, then cut each strip into 6 small squares. Voilà, 24 buns in the making.
Roll your dough into 24 buns and pan up the way that works best for you. Here I've used 4 bake and give pans, with 6 buns each.
If you're baking now, let the buns rise for about 15 minutes until they're full and round. Remember, they still need a little room to grow in the oven, so don't let them go overboard.
Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden browned and fragrant. Serve warm with plenty of fresh butter and gallons of gravy.
If you're planning to freeze the buns, only let them rise for about 10 minutes on the counter. Then, wrap well in freezer-safe bags, or a double layer of bread bags. Seal well and place in the freezer for up to 4 weeks.
To bake after freezing, remove the wrapped buns from the freezer the night before you want to bake them and let them thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake at 350°F, adding about 5 to 10 extra minutes to the baking time to account for the chilled dough.
Here's how I do these rolls at home. A half sheet pan lined with parchment paper holds one batch of rolls perfectly.
I know, at this point you're expecting me to burst into song one more time, but I'm sorry, I just can't do it.
Why? I'm too busy eating rolls! So, now it's your turn to sing about food. Share your best food song, real or made up, in our comments section.
Please bake, rate, and review our recipe for Big Batch Quick Dinner Rolls.
Looking for other great roll recipes? Check out these favorites: Dark & Soft Restaurant Dinner Rolls , Ham and Cheese Buns, Honey Whole Wheat Rolls.
March 29, 2024 at 10:27am
My rolls stuck to the parchment paper! Ugh, I thought parchment was supposed to prevent sticking!
March 30, 2024 at 4:17pm
In reply to My rolls stuck to the… by Dorothy (not verified)
Hi Dorothy, we're so sorry to hear that your rolls stuck to your parchment paper! If the baked good you're making doesn't have much fat in it, it won't hurt to spray the parchment paper lightly with baking spray, which is often a precaution I take with rolls and bread.
November 25, 2023 at 10:27am
What size are your take and bake pans for your baking g batch rolls?
November 25, 2023 at 12:06pm
In reply to What size are your take and… by Joyce (not verified)
Hi Joyce. We like to use 8 or 9 inch wide round pans with this recipe. Happy Baking!
November 20, 2023 at 5:43pm
2.5 tablespoons of yeast is not 28 grams of yeast - far less
November 24, 2023 at 4:16pm
In reply to 2.5 tablespoons of yeast is… by leslie l haas (not verified)
Hi Leslie, you are correct. On our Ingredient Weight Chart we list a tablespoon of instant yeast as weighing 9g. That would mean that 2.5 tablespoons of yeast weights 22.5g. I will pass along your observation to our recipe team.
November 17, 2023 at 8:32pm
My friend and i were excited to try these but got to giggling and laughing at the songs you created, we joined in and created a few of our own...so we didnt get them done, but we did have a glass of wine, and will try again tomorrow...
November 7, 2023 at 1:05pm
Can I use bread flour in this recipe? It's all I have at the moment.
November 10, 2023 at 4:52pm
In reply to Can I use bread flour in… by Lori Cofelice (not verified)
Hi Lori, yes, you could certainly substitute our Bread flour for the Unbleached All-Purpose flour called for in this recipe, which should result in some beautiful and high-rising rolls. However, because Bread flour is higher in protein it will develop a little more gluten and will also absorb more liquid. In order to adjust for the higher absorption of this flour, you'll likely need to add about 2 teaspoons (10g) extra water per each cup of Bread flour substituted. That would be about 60g additional liquid. Add as necessary to develop a soft, supple dough. You'll also want to be careful how you measure the flour. Bread flour weights the same as Unbleached All-Purpose, but if you're measuring by cups, it will be extra important to try not to add additional flour to the recipe. If you don't have a scale, we recommend this method of measuring flour by volume.
November 6, 2023 at 5:41pm
If your bakers want uniform rolls, we weigh our dough out to 65 grams then roll as directed. You can get 12 in a 9-inch aluminum cake pan.
Pagination