Julie Clark
Updated:
Brown and Serve Rolls Recipe
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Serve fresh rolls at short notice with this Homemade Brown and Serve Rolls recipe. They’re soft and fluffy with a golden brown top.
Thanksgiving is such a busy holiday. But it’s also one of the best! In our family, Thanksgiving is a way to connect with our family and give thanks for how much we are blessed with. One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is sitting down at the table and enjoying a feast together.
A Thanksgiving key item is my soft rolls. A soft, fluffy roll on my plate will make my Thanksgiving Day dinner! If you are really busy during the holiday season you may use brown and serve rolls. Today we’re sharing a homemade brown and serve rolls recipe. It’s the best of both worlds!
Why you’ll love brown and serve rolls:
- Homemade rolls that you don’t have to take the time to make the day of Thanksgiving.
- Classic Amish recipe from our favorite cookbook.
- Bake your rolls halfway, then freeze and bake the rest of the way when you need them.
- Soft, fluffy and golden brown!
Working with Yeast
If you’re unsure about making your very own yeast rolls, let me assure you. I used to not be that comfortable using yeast either. What type of yeast is best? How do I know how warm enough to make the water so the yeast will activate but yet cool enough so it won’t die?
We used active dry yeast for this recipe. Be sure to read the back of your yeast packet and add the yeast according to the instructions. Every type of yeast is different!
Use a thermometer to test the water to make sure your yeast will work. For this recipe, the water should be anywhere from 110 to 115º Fahrenheit. If the yeast is activating correctly, it will get bubbly and frothy and start dissolving.
Before You Begin
Here are 4 tips to remember when making brown and serve rolls.
- Because of the yeast, this dough needs to rise 3 times. I know it seems like a lot of time, but that’s what makes these rolls fluffy and delicious. You need that rising time to get that perfect homemade bread flavor. Plan ahead!
- If you only have salted butter, lower the salt to 1 ¼ teaspoons.
- Bread flour works great, but you can use all purpose flour if you’d like. Bread flour gives a sturdy structure, while all-purpose flour leads to softer rolls.
- We used a stand mixer to knead the dough. You can use your hands if you’d like. Just don’t add too much flour while kneading. The dough should be slightly tacky to touch.
How to Make Brown and Serve Rolls
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes until the yeast is frothy and activated.
- Heat the milk in the microwave for about 1 and a half minutes, until it is hot. Add the sugar and melted butter and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes until it is 110-115º Fahrenheit). Add this to the yeast mixture.
- Add 2 cups of flour and mix until it makes a very soft batter. Cover and allow this to rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
- Add the salt and another 2 ½ cups flour so that it makes a soft dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes by hand or 5 minutes on low speed using the dough hook on your stand mixer.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise in a warm place until nearly double, about 30 minutes.
- Punch dough down and on a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 24 equal portions. Roll each portion into smooth balls. Place the rolls in a greased cake pan and allow them to rise until nearly double, about another 20-30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 275ºF. Bake for 20 minutes. The rolls should not be browned but will be fully cooked through. Allow the rolls to cool on wire racks, then freeze them in plastic bags in the amounts that you’d like.
- When you are ready to bake the rolls, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 45 minutes. Bake the rolls at 400º Fahrenheit for 8-12 minutes. Brush with melted butter to soften the tops.
What if my rolls shriveled?
They key to not ending up with shriveled brown and serve rolls is to cook them correctly the first time. If the rolls are not done when you pre-bake them, they will shrivel as they cool. Cook them through (ours took a full 20 minutes). Then they’ll bake up beautifully golden brown the second time.
If you choose to make larger rolls (making less than 24 rolls), you’ll have to bake them longer during that initial bake.
And there you have it! The ultimate homemade rolls! You or your guests won’t notice that they’ve been in the freezer for a few days or weeks. Soft, fluffy…They’re simply perfection.
You may also love our apple butter cinnamon rolls, mashed potato rolls and pumpkin dinner rolls.
Brown and Serve Rolls Recipe
Serve fresh rolls at short notice with this Homemade Brown and Serve Rolls recipe. They're soft and fluffy with a golden brown top.
Servings 24
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rise Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast 7 grams
- 1/4 cup warm water 2 ounces
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 12 grams
- 1 1/2 cups 2% milk 12 ounces
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar 60 grams
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) 84 grams
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 7 grams
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose flour)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes until the yeast is frothy and activated. 1 package active dry yeast, ¼ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Heat the milk in the microwave for about 1 and a half minutes, until it is hot. Add the sugar and butter and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes until it is 110-115º Fahrenheit). Add this to the yeast mixture. 1 ½ cups 2% milk, 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add 2 cups of flour and mix until it makes a very soft batter. Cover and allow this to rise for 1 hour in a warm place. 4 ½ cups bread flour
- Add the salt and another 2 ½ cups of flour so that it makes a soft dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes by hand or 5 minutes using the dough hook on your stand mixer. 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover it. Allow it to rise in a warm place until nearly double, about 30 minutes.
- Punch dough down and divide it into 24 equal portions. Roll into smooth balls. Place the rolls in a greased pan and allow them to rise until nearly double, about another 20-30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 275ºF. Bake for 20 minutes. The rolls should not be browned but will be fully cooked through. Allow the rolls to cool, then freeze them in zippered bags in the amounts that you'd like.
- When you are ready to bake the rolls, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for 45 minutes. Bake the rolls at 400º Fahrenheit for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the rolls. Brush the tops with melted butter to soften them, if desired.
- If you'd like, you can bake these rolls immediately instead of freezing them. If you'd like to do this, just bake them at 375º Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes.
Notes
- Add herbs if you’d like. Garlic, rosemary, a touch of poultry seasoning all would make great variations.
- Instead of traditional dough balls, make cloverleaf rolls. For this shape, each roll will be 3 small dough balls, risen together in muffins tins, then baked, so that they easily tear apart.
Nutrition
Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 323mg | Potassium: 47mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 110IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1.1mg
From your notes, what volume would you recommend for each of the spices?
FYI, I’ve converted all measurements to metric weights….grams.
Total weight = 1162 grams, therefore each roll is 48 g.
Thank you
The rolls were still very doughy and began to fall after baking 275 for 20 minutes. Also….Baked some immediately at 375 for 15 minutes and bottoms were too brown. Please advise. Thank you
I made 3 batches for thanksgiving and I don’t know if I will make these again. They take a very long time to make and they taste more like a biscuit then a roll. They are doughy instead of airy.
I made the brown and serve rolls. The dough was way too wet to handle, so I added about a cup and a half of flour. I had no idea what each roll was supposed to weigh so I kept them around 2 ounces. I didn’t know how far apart they should be placed, so I put them right next to each other, not crammed, but a hair apart. After 20 minutes @ 275 there were NOT done and started to fall, so I put them back in for another 10 minutes. They were pretty good in the end, but… Read more »
Can these be left in the refrigerator for a few days before baking, or is freezing them a must? FYI, the grams conversion for flour may not be accurate to how you measure a cup of flour. I got a VERY wet dough when cooking by weight.
I mixed them all by hand. They taste great