These soft and fluffy Honey Butter Dinner Rolls are a delicious way to complete your Thanksgiving feast! They're made with 7 simple ingredients, all of which are probably already in your pantry!
In the stainless steel bowl of your Ankarsrum mixer, whisk together the warmed whole milk (100ºF-100ºF), 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, and instant yeast. Let it sit covered with the Ankarsrum bowl cover for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture is foamy in appearance.
Add the dough roller and dough scraper attachments to your Ankarsrum mixer, then set it to knead on low speed until the dough is soft and smooth (about 5-7 minutes).
Remove the dough and set it to the side while you spray the interior of the stainless steel bowl with either baking spray or cooking spray (my preference is baking spray). Put the dough ball back in, then spray the top with baking spray.
Cover with the Ankarsrum bowl cover again, and let the dough rise for 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. For reference, my dough took about 2 hours to double in size during testing.
Deflate the dough by gently punching it in the center. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll out to a rectangular shape about 8" x 12" in size, then cut the dough into 12 somewhat equally sized pieces (or you can weigh each piece of dough if you prefer). For reference, I cut mine out using a 3-column x 4-row grid.
Take one piece of cut dough and fold the sides and ends underneath, pinching them together. Then turn it over, sealed side down, onto a clean surface, and shape it into a round ball using your cupped hand moving in a clockwise circular motion.
Transfer onto a greased quarter-size baking sheet (I used baking spray, but you can use olive oil spray). Cover again with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again at room temperature for another 30-45 minutes or until they have doubled in size.
When ready preheat your oven to 350ºF. I found my rolls baked best at the 2nd level rack position (just above the center/middle position) inside my oven.
Generously brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash, then bake for 25-28 minutes at 350ºF.
1 large Egg, 1 tablespoon Water
Remove from the oven and, if desired, brush on some honey butter onto the tops of the rolls.
3 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, 1 tablespoon Honey
Notes
Warming the milk. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. This takes about 1-2 minutes tops, and it's best to use a cooking thermometer.
Storing. The rolls can be kept in a sealed bag or container for 2-3 days at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Reheating. To reheat from the refrigerator, I use my toaster oven's toaster setting (typically toasting the rolls for 6-7 minutes on a low setting), but you can also bake them for 8-10 minutes at 350ºF.