Easy Pull Apart Dinner Rolls

The first year I spent Thanksgiving with my husband’s family I was introduced to his Grandma’s pull apart rolls.  So soft, and melt in your mouth good.  The next year I tried to have her show me how she made them and it was a session of “well, I don’t really measure, I just throw stuff in until the dough looks good”.  For any seasoned bread baker, I am sure you understand that technique.  I on the other hand have failed miserably with it!

So with Suzanne by my side in the kitchen and a little tweaking to Maria’s One Hour Dinner Rolls, I finally had a roll that reminded me of Grannie’s.  Soft and slightly sweet, moist, light but not too light, with a little heartiness from wheat.   Melt in your mouth good.

I called my husband on his way home from work and told him to hurry, I had finally mastered “the roll”.  I watched intently while he ate it, looking for that “wow, these are so good” face, and finally it came.  He even went so far as to say they were as good as Grannie’s. Plus I was able to sneak a little wheat in there, and he thought that might have given them an edge!

I was so excited I called Aubrey and asked her to test, which she did and they passed her husband’s taste test as well.  Her hubby knows his bread, so that says something.

Aubrey used her stand mixer, but since mine is in Utah, me and Suzanne had to use our hands (you should have seen her face when I broke the news to her!).  They were still super easy and took about an hour and a half start to finish, and that was without a mixer.

I am going to write the recipe with a novice bread baker in mind, because that is what I am, and that is how I think :)

Don’t have a mixer, no problem!  Just dig in and get your hands dirty.

Yummy Easy Pull Apart Dinner Rolls

• In a large bowl mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar and yeast.
• Heat milk, water, and butter until very warm (120-130°).   It should be a little uncomfortable to put your finger in it, but not scalding.  Add warm liquid to dry ingredients and mix with a whisk for 2 minutes or on medium speed for 2 minutes in a mixer.
• Add 1/4 cup flour and 1 tsp salt. Mix until well combined.  Continue to add remaining 2 cups flour, one cup at a time (after one we had to get our hands dirty), mixing until a soft sticky dough forms.  The dough will seem a little wet.  If it is too sticky to work with, add a little more flour.
• Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface or in your mixer, knead the dough for a couple minutes.  Form into a ball and place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 15 to 30 minutes until it doubles in size.
• Heat oven to 350°
• Punch down and pinch off enough dough to form about one inch balls, rolling between the palms of your hands.  Place 3 balls to a muffin cup, it might be a tight fit.  If not using a non-stick pan be sure to lightly grease or use cooking spray.
• Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 25-30 minutes.
• Cook for 10-13 minutes or until lightly golden on top in a 350° oven.  Brush with butter.

They will look like this before they rise…

And like this before you pop them in the oven.

They are so good, and so easy.  Perfect for Thanksgiving. Please let me know if you try them, it’s always nice to have someone share your excitement!

Thanks to Suzanne, Maria, and Aubrey for helping me finally master the roll!

Looking for more dinner roll recipes?

• Maria’s Famous One Hour Dinner Rolls
• 10 Dinner Roll Recipes You Can’t Go Wrong With

Tagged as: baking, thanksgiving