Monday, November 29, 2010

Easy and Delicious Refrigerator Dinner Rolls


Holiday dinners do not seem complete without fresh, hot dinner rolls.  There is something about their yeasty fragrance mingling with other holiday aromas that beckon you to the kitchen, enticing and teasing.  They are a promise waiting to be fulfilled.


This no-knead dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to four days and they make some of the lightest, most flavorful, pleasantly sweet,  rolls you've ever tasted.  I have used this recipe for ages and have yet to find one that I like more.  This recipe makes 24 rolls, but you do not have to use the dough all at once, so you can have fresh, hot rolls for several days in a row.

To have ready for your meal, allow time to roll and form the dough and rising time and then time for baking, (generally allowing an hour for rising time, depending on how warm your kitchen is).

I made this recipe twice this past holiday.  For the family holiday, I had taken the dough out 90 minutes beforehand, to form and to raise the dough, but at the end of an hour when the dough needed to go into the oven to bake, the rolls were only three-quarters risen in the pan.  In desperation, I went ahead and baked them anyway, and thanks to the heat of the oven,  the rolls finished rising fully and beautifully. 

The second time I made them, I took the dough out 2 hours ahead of time, formed them, and allowed them to rise.  This time they started to over-rise.  I put the pan of risen rolls back into the refrigerator to slow them down and took them again when it was time to bake.  The rolls did not over proof, and once again, the rolls were gorgeous and light.

The original directions say to use a 9 x 13" pan and make 24 rolls.  However, I found that the middle rolls remained doughy and needed an additional 5-10 minutes of baking time.  I have had much better success using 2" inch high x 9" round cake pans and making 12 rolls in each pan.  I think they would be gorgeous baked into cloverleaf shape in muffin pans as well.

Refrigerator Dinner Rolls
(makes 2 dozen rolls)

1 cup warm water (105* to 115* F)
2 packages active dry yeast (not instant)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may need more or less depending upon humidity)
additional melted butter for brushing on finished rolls, if desired

In a large bowl, combine the water and yeast and let the mixture stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the butter, sugar, eggs and salt. 

Beat in the flour, one cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix.  Cover and refrigerate anywhere from 2 hours or up to 4 days.

Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan.  Turn the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into 24 equal-sized pieces.  Roll each piece into a smooth round ball.  Place balls in even rows in the prepared pan.  Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 375* Fahrenheit.  Place rolls in the oven and bake until they are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Brush the warm rolls with melted butter, if desired.  Break rolls apart to serve.

18 comments:

  1. Amazing bread rolls, would love to try them. With the winter setting here, the yeast plays funny and I lose patience. If you have any tips on that, would love to hear.
    FOODELICIOUS

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  2. Oh..this sounds really easy! Will give a try for the coming holiday :)

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  3. I thank you again for another great recipe. It is great to have fast recipes for this time of year.

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  4. These rolls are so tempting and the recipe looks like an easy one. Great post.

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  5. I totally agree - homemade rolls are a MUST HAVE at holidays. These look absolutely delicious! Can't believe that they came from a no-knead dough!

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  6. They look delicious Katy and I can just see myself filling up on rolls and hardly having the main course!!!

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  7. Tasty n simple....just can't wait to try...thanks a lot for sharing...

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  8. i can't wait to try these, they look fantastic!

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  9. I will shamefully confess that I've never made rolls - I always do bread because I am more sure of myself. These looking meltingly inviting. I shall have to play with this.

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  10. These rolls look most delicious, Katy. I could sink my teeth into one of those right about now. Only way that will happen is if I get myself into the kitchen and start baking:)

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  11. As much as I've baked with yeast since you and Coleen got me past my fears last year I still have yet to bake rolls. This sounds like a good one to try out. We love our bread.

    Miss Katy, I hope you had a Thanksgiving that is as delightful and wonderful as you are!
    ~ingrid

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  12. I absolutely intended to find a roll recipe and make them for Thanksgiving and I never got around to it! Now here it is! (Lucky for me there is lots of holiday cooking still to come!) I like the make ahead feature of this recipe, and they look delicious!!!

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  13. I'm going to give these a try at Christmas. I love the idea of being able to make the dough ahead.

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  14. Yum, Katy, this looks delicious.

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  15. I just realized these are the exact same rolls I made last week. They were absolutely scrumptious. I agree, one of the best roll recipes ever! :) Hard to stop eating them, in fact.

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  16. These are the best rolls I have ever made. Light, wonderful taste. They will be on my holiday table. Thank you!

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  17. I am deee-lighted that you like these! I can't tell you how many times I make this recipe; it's a staple for the holidays for sure, and in between :) Since it's a refrigerator roll and makes a bit of dough, I've even shared the dough with others so they can have fresh, hot homemade rolls without the "trouble" of starting from scratch.

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