Basic & Best – Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls

Thanksgiving traditions mean family & comfort to many people. The food served is a huge part of the tradition and rolls with dinner is pretty standard fare. Eric grew up eating Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. As he likes to tell the story, no matter who was put in charge of them, they were always burned. I grew up with Stroehmann Brown ‘n Serve Dinner Rolls. I’ve always loved bread in all forms and looked forward to the rolls at Thanksgiving (along with the other side dishes) way more than the turkey!

Over the years of my married life, I’ve experimented with baking different varieties of rolls to serve with the feast. While I lean towards the sweet potato or garlic parmesan crescent rolls, the rest of the family prefers the basic brown & serve rolls from the red & white checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. My copy of that book was a birthday present from my future sister-in-law long ago. It was one of my very first cookbooks, if not the first. And I still go back to it for many of our favorite recipes, including these rolls. Using the bread maker to prepare the dough simplifies the task and putting them together ahead of time then freezing them until the big event allows for more time to enjoy the people gathered for the feast!

Brown & Serve Rolls

Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls

Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, Ninth Edition)  Makes 24 rolls

brown & serve rolls (3)Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon dry active yeast

 

Add the ingredients to the pan of the bread maker in the order required by the manufacturer and program the machine for the dough setting.

Can't beat a bread maker for getting the dough perfect every time!

Can’t beat a bread maker for producing perfect dough every time!

When the dough is ready, divide it in half and roll each half into 36 1-inch balls. Place 3 balls into each of 24 lightly greased muffin cups.

Roll the dough into little balls.

Roll the dough into little balls.

Cover the tins with a clean cloth & set them in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. Bake them in a 350º oven for 6-8 minutes, until they are just set but not browned. Remove the rolls from the tins and allow them to cool. Freeze them in a single layer in freezer-weight plastic bags.

The first baking firms them up enough to withstand freezing & thawing.

The first baking firms them up enough to withstand freezing & thawing.

To serve, take out the desired number of rolls and thaw them at room temperature for 15 – 30 minutes. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet and bake them in a 400º oven for 8-10 minutes, until they are golden brown. Keep them warm until they are served.

The perfect dinner roll!

The perfect dinner roll!

Traditions are what Thanksgiving is all about!  ~Linda

Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, Ninth Edition)  Makes 24 rolls

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon dry active yeast

Add the ingredients to the pan of the bread maker in the order required by the manufacturer and program the machine for the dough setting. When the dough is ready, divide it in half and roll each half into 36 1-inch balls. Place 3 balls into each of 24 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover the tins with a clean cloth & set them in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. Bake them in a 350º oven for 6-8 minutes, until they are just set but not browned. Remove the rolls from the tins and allow them to cool. Freeze them in a single layer in freezer-weight plastic bags.

To serve, take out the desired number of rolls and thaw them at room temperature for 15 – 30 minutes. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet and bake them in a 400º oven for 8-10 minutes, until they are golden brown. Keep them warm until they are served.