Rosemary & Garlic Skillet Rolls
This is a recipe that I posted last year and since Thanksgiving is this weekend, I thought you should try these delicious dinner rolls to share with your family!
I made these dinner buns on Thanksgiving Sunday and contemplated not taking them to my Mother-in-law's house...greedy, yes...but I couldn't stop eating them! I thought about calling them "Damn Good" skillet rolls or "Melt in your Mouth, Billowy Clouds of Goodness" rolls or even "I'm Laying Off the Carbs but Gonna Eat Them All" rolls...whatever you want to call them, they put the scrump in scrump-didly-umptious!
To make these "Damn Good" rolls, you will need flour, salt, granulated sugar, quick-rise yeast, shortening (or butter), milk, water, butter (for brushing the tops), rosemary (fresh or dried), garlic powder, sea salt for sprinkling over top (optional) and a cast iron skillet or any baking pan.
In the bowl of your stand mixer (with the dough hook attachment), add 2 cups of all purpose flour (if you don't have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl with hand held electric beaters)
Next, add 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tsp. of salt and stir to combine.
Add 1/4 cup of shortening (such as "Crisco") or you can use butter.
...then, using a pastry blender "cut" the shortening into the flour mixture until crumbly.
Next, add in 1 packet of quick-rise yeast (1 packet = 2 1/4 tsp's if you have a jar of yeast)
This is the yeast that you want (also comes in packets as I mentioned above).
Next, pour in 1/2 cup of very warm water and 1/2 cup of very warm milk (about 120 degrees F)
Using a fork, quickly stir the liquid into the flour mixture...
...add in 1 beaten egg, stirring until all is combined.
Next, dump in another 1-1/4 cups of all purpose flour...
Using the dough hook, mix dough on medium speed for about 5 minutes (the dough will be fairly sticky).
Turn dough out on to a floured surface...
...then knead by hand for another few minutes,
...until the dough is smooth,
Place your ball of dough into a greased (I used olive oil) bowl, turning dough once so the greased side is facing up.
Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, dry place for about 1 hour...if your house is cold and you need to wear a toque indoors, a good place to let your dough rise is in the oven with just the oven light on ( the light will produce enough heat to let the yeast do it's thing).
Your dough is ready when you poke your finger into the top and the hole does not close back in.
At this point, "punch down" dough and turn out onto a floured surface...Using a sharp knife, cut in half...
...then into fourths,
...then, finally cut each strip into 4 fairly even pieces.
Form each dough chunk into balls ( I tuck all edges underneath to form a smooth little dough ball)...on another note, I have wrists like a lumberjack...not very dainty!
Place dough balls close together into a greased cast iron skillet or baking pan ...I greased my skillet with shortening (you can also use olive oil).
Next, melt about 1/4 cup of butter and stir in about 3/4 tsp. of garlic powder (you can add in as much garlic as you like, depending on how much you care about halitosis)...brush tops with about half of the butter mixture, reserving the rest for later.
Toss some coarsely chopped fresh or dried rosemary over top (again, as much as you like depending on your taste)...
...then, sprinkle on a couple pinches of sea salt which is optional but if I'm eating white bread with shortening and butter, I might as well finish off my arteries with salt too!
Again, cover and let rise in a warm dry place for about 30 minutes...good God...get a load of my wrist...surely, it's the camera angle?! Lol!
After the second rising, uncover and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes (if your oven tends to be "fast or hot", bake rolls at 375 degrees).
During the last few minutes of the baking time, I brush the rolls with more butter/garlic mixture and put back into the oven...
...until golden brown.
These rolls bake up tender and soft...
...and are perfect for slathering with butter, fresh from the oven and scarfing down before dinner!
This recipe looks like a lot of steps but they are quite easy to make...and definitely worth it...just don't blame me when your pants are singin' tight after a few pans of these rolls!
Rosemary & Garlic Skillet Rolls
3-1/4 cups all purpose flour (divided)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup of shortening (such as "Crisco") or you can use butter
2-1/4 tsp's quick-rise yeast
1/2 cup very warm water (120 degrees F)
1/2 cup very warm milk (120 degrees F)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter (for brushing tops)
about 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
coarsely chopped fresh or dried rosemary...enough to suit your taste
sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tsp. salt...stir together.
2. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening (or butter) until crumbly...add in the yeast and stir until all is mixed together.
3. Next, pour in the warm liquids, stirring with a fork until combined, then add in the beaten egg (again, stirring until all is incorporated).
4. Using the dough hook attachment (at medium speed) mix dough, adding in the remaining 1-1/4 cups of flour until a dough ball is formed..."knead" with the dough hook for about 5 minutes (dough will be fairly sticky).
5. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for about 5 minutes until dough is smooth. Put into a greased bowl, turning once then cover and let rise for 1 hour.
6. Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface and cut dough in half, then fourths, then cut each strip into 4 fairly even chunks...form each chunk into dough balls and place in a greased skillet or pan.
7. Melt the butter and stir in the powdered garlic until combined and brush the tops with half of the mixture. Sprinkle rosemary and a couple pinches of sea salt over top and cover again to let rise for 30 minutes.
8. Bake at 400 degrees (375 degrees if your oven tends to be "hot") for about 20 minutes...brush with the rest of the butter mixture during the last few minutes of baking, then put back into the oven until golden brown...Serve warm...enjoy!
* makes about 16 small dinner rolls
* oven temperatures vary...watch rolls carefully toward the end of baking time.