Overnight Rolls
Don’t you love fresh homemade rolls!?! I know I do! When we used to live by family I would get put on “roll duty” for big family dinners and I’ve made hundreds through out the years! Homemade rolls can be time consuming however and sometimes the timing for rolls can be unpredictable, I can’t tell you how many of those dinners we started late because the rolls were just finishing up….well worth the wait but still a wait! They are also best fresh out of the oven so how do you find the perfect balance between time and freshness? Especially if you are hosting! These overnight rolls will solve your problems!
They come together quickly the night before. They also don’t require a double knead because they will slowly rise in the refrigerator overnight which stretches the gluten out really nicely and makes for a soft and delicate roll texture! When you are ready to bake them they will rise in a warm oven for 45 minutes and can be baked in 20 minutes! They can also be frozen on a sheet of parchment paper before they rise and once they are frozen, placed into a zip top bag and be pulled out to rise when you need them!
What you need
Makes about 20 standard sized rolls, 15 large rolls
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
5 cup flour, possibly more if dough is sticky
Egg Wash
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Mix the warm water (think the temperature you would bathe a baby in). Add yeast and let sit for 3 minutes. Add the sugar and stir. Add salt, eggs and melted butter. Add the flour stirring after each cup. The last cup add a little at a time until it is incorporated into the dough and the dough forms a not super sticky dough ball. You can add more flour if the dough still feels sticky or less if the dough feel tough without adding all of the flour. *Anytime you are working with eggs the liquid can vary slightly so adjust flour amounts accordingly.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes, if kneading it by hand or 5-7 minutes with an electric mixer dough hook. You want the dough to feel smooth and the gluten to feel activated so it will feel a little like chewed bubblegum. Let the dough rest 5 minutes. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Helpful hint for forming perfectly shaped rolls – take a small piece of dough, push dough in the center and gather together the dough on the bottom then roll into a ball between your hands. You will notice you will have a gathered “bunched up” dough spot on the bottom, to make the “bunched up” dough spot on the roll disappear, slide it across your palm gently so you don’t smash the ball and it should smooth out the “bottom bunch”.
- *If you are freezing these for later, Lay them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper and don’t let the roll balls touch. Once frozen, place in zip top bags. They will be good for a few months in your freezer. When it’s time to pull them out, defrost overnight in a greased baking dish, allowing room for the dough to rise. In the morning, brush with egg wash then lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm oven for 45 minutes then bake at 350 F. for 18-20 minutes. Or allow to rise straight out of the freezer for a few hours until the dough doubles in size them bake for 18-20 minutes.
- If you are making them the next morning. Place the rolled dough balls into a greased baking dish, allowing room for them to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. In the morning or when you are ready to bake them, brush tops with an egg wash made of 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon water and let them rise loosely covered with plastic wrap in a warm oven for 45 minutes then preheat oven to 350 F. and bake for 18-20 minutes or until rolls look golden on top and look sufficiently baked.
Overnight Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon Tablespoon plus 1yeast
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1/3 cup Melted Butter
- 5 cup Flour possibly more if dough is sticky
- Egg Wash:
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tablespoon Water
Instructions
- Mix the warm water (think the temperature you would bathe a baby in). Add yeast and let sit for 3 minutes. Add the sugar and stir. Add salt, eggs and melted butter. Add the flour stirring after each cup. The last cup add a little at a time until it is incorporated into the dough and the dough forms a not super sticky dough ball. You can add more flour if the dough still feels sticky or less if the dough feel tough without adding all of the flour. *Anytime you are working with eggs the liquid can vary slightly so adjust flour amounts accordingly. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, if kneading it by hand or 5-7 minutes with an electric mixer dough hook. You want the dough to feel smooth and the gluten to feel activated so it will feel a little like chewed bubblegum. Let the dough rest 5 minutes. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Helpful hint for forming perfectly shaped rolls - take a small piece of dough, push dough in the center and gather together the dough on the bottom then roll into a ball between your hands. You will notice you will have a gathered "bunched up" dough spot on the bottom, to make the "bunched up" dough spot on the roll disappear, slide it across your palm gently so you don't smash the ball and it should smooth out the "bottom bunch". *If you are freezing these for later, Lay them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper and don't let the roll balls touch. Once frozen, place in zip top bags. They will be good for a few months in your freezer. When it's time to pull them out, defrost overnight in a greased baking dish, allowing room for the dough to rise. In the morning, brush with egg wash then lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm oven for 45 minutes then bake at 350 F. for 18-20 minutes. Or allow to rise straight out of the oven for a few hours until the dough doubles in size them bake for 18-20 minutes. If you are making them the next morning. Place the rolled dough balls into a greased baking dish, allowing room for them to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. In the morning or when you are ready to bake them, brush tops with an egg wash made of 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon water and let them rise loosely covered with plastic wrap in a warm oven for 45 minutes then preheat oven to 350 F. and bake for 18-20 minutes or until rolls look golden on top and look sufficiently baked.