Buttery Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
An enriched, honey-sweetened dough baked shoulder to shoulder in a pan so the sides stay soft, brushed with butter the moment it comes out.
- Serves
- 12 rolls
- Prep
- 25 min (plus 2 hr rise)
- Cook
- 20 min
- Written
Method
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Whisk the yeast and honey into the warm milk and let stand until foamy on top, about 5 minutes.
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Beat in the butter and egg, then work in the flour and salt until a shaggy dough forms.
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Knead on a floured counter until smooth and tacky but not sticky, about 8 minutes.
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Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
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Punch down the dough, divide into 12 pieces, and roll each into a tight, smooth ball.
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Arrange the balls in a buttered 9x13 pan, sides just touching, cover, and let rise until puffy and pressed up against each other, about 45 minutes.
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Heat the oven to 375°F.
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Bake until deeply golden on top and the rolls sound hollow when tapped, 18 to 20 minutes.
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Brush with melted butter and a pinch of flaky salt the moment they come out of the oven.
Notes
Crowding the rolls together in the pan is what keeps them soft-sided — the ones in the middle steam each other instead of forming a crust, so you get shatter on top and pull-apart give everywhere else. Give them the full second rise before they go in the oven; underproofed rolls bake up dense and tear ragged instead of pulling clean.
They hold up well made a day ahead through the shaped, unbaked stage — cover the pan and refrigerate overnight, then let it sit out an hour to finish rising before baking. Good with anything that has gravy worth mopping, which in this larder means the pot roast or the Thanksgiving table alongside the green bean casserole.