Danette's Buttery Salted Pull-Apart Thanksgiving Rolls

I always have to double these…at least. They are pretty much everyone’s favorite part of Thanksgiving. What makes them unique is when you take them out of the oven, you brush them with butter, then sprinkle them with coarse salt. The salt makes them HEAVENLY. We also love dipping them in the Garlic Cream Sauce (found in the SAUCES section of this blog). We love having leftover of these rolls, but they never last longer than a day!

INGREDIENTS

One 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast (or 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup sugar
7 1/2 to 8 cups flour, plus more for dusting
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for brushing
2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

BLOOM THE YEAST:
Measure out 1/2 cup warm water and check the temperature - it should be between 110-120 degrees (comfortable bathwater temp). Sprinkle the yeast into a large bowl, add the warm water and whisk in the sugar. Let sit 1 minute (it should bubble and froth slightly to show you the yeast is alive), then gently stir in 1 cup flour. Set aside near the stove while you prepare the dough.

MAKE THE DOUGH:
Mix the melted butter and milk in a mixer with the hook attachment on low speed. Add the eggs and mix until blended. Scrape in the yeast mixture and mix until incorporated. Add 6 1/2 cups flour and 1 tablespoon salt; mix until the dough forms a ball, 2 to 3 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if the dough is too wet and sticky. The dough should gather around the hook and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

LET IT RISE:
Brush a large bowl with softened butter. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The dough should double in volume. If you have an oven with a “Proof” setting you can cut this time in half.

SHAPE THE DOUGH:
Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Dust a clean flat surface with flour and turn the dough onto it. Flour your hands; gently press the dough into a 16-by-8 inch rectangle, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (don’t use a rolling pin).

CUT THE DOUGH:
With the short side in front of you, cut the dough in half lengthwise with a floured knife (or a pizza cutter is much faster). Then slice crosswise into 12 strips…so at this point you should have 24 strips of dough to work with.

SHAPE THE DOUGH:
One at a time, fold each strip of dough unevenly in half so the top part slightly overlaps the bottom half, then tuck the overhang underneath. Place the rolls seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet in 3 tightly packed rows, staggering the rolls ever so slightly (I find staggering them a little ensures the ones in the middle get cooked and aren’t left doughy when the end ones are done). Leave only an inch or two between the rows so the rolls rise up together in the oven (IF MAKING IN ADVANCE, WRAP THE BAKING SHEET TIGHTLY IN PLASTIC WRAP AND FREEZE UP TO 3 WEEKS.)

BAKE THE ROLLS:
Bake until the rolls are bursting at the seams and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. (IF FROZEN, BAKE 25 MINUTES AT 325, THEN 10 MINUTES AT 375.) Remove from the oven and brush with softened butter. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately. It’s fun to serve these in one long row on a wood serving platter so guests can pull them apart.