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Homemade Knotted Rolls
Buttery, fluffy homemade rolls tied in knot and brushed with butter. The perfect knotted rolls recipe!
It is officially Easter weekend and Easter dinner isn’t complete without a basket of warm, buttery homemade rolls. My Mom is the bread master and she always had homemade rolls on hand for all occasions.
When I was creating my BEST DINNER ROLLS RECIPE, I poured through all of my hundreds of old, cherished cookbooks. I can’t believe how many church cookbooks my Mom collected over the years! I did a lot of research on how to make homemade knotted rolls and conducted a crazy amount of recipe testing. These knotted rolls come out perfect — fluffy and buttery!
These Homemade Knotted Rolls are similar to my best dinner rolls recipe, but I changed a few things. Since we are rolling the bread dough out, we are upping the flour amount for easier rolling and knotting. I am also increasing the first rise time to ensure light and fluffy rolls. However, once you make your knotted rolls, the second rise time is shorter so the knots don’t lose their shape as the rolls puff up.
There are so many ways you can shape your roll dough to change it up. All you need is this classic roll recipe and you are ready to go! This homemade knotted rolling out the dough in a rectangle and cover with salted, softened butter. Next, you fold the dough into thirds and then slice into 1-inch strips. Once you have your strips, tie a knot with the dough and place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
How to make the Best Knotted Rolls:
- Let the YEAST PROOF. The key is to use very warm water (about 110 degrees). If it is too hot, it can kill the yeast. If it is too cold, the yeast won’t proof. Adding sugar to the yeast helps it proof even faster because yeast loves sugar. Let the yeast proof for at least 5 minutes. Make sure the yeast is still working by testing it out. You will know the yeast is working when it starts to bubble and form a creamy foam on the surface.
- Use BUTTER and EGGS. The butter and eggs are what adds richness to the homemade rolls dough. Warm up the butter and milk before adding it to the dough.
- Use a STAND MIXER if possible for easy kneading. This bread recipe is easiest with a stand mixer such as a Bosch. This is a huge time saver as you knead the rolls for 5 minutes in the mixer. If you don’t own a stand mixer, you can knead the bread dough by hand. Watch for the dough to start pulling away from the sides. You still want the dough to be slightly sticky but begin to pull away from the sides.
- Let RISE until DOUBLE in size. Cover the bowl with a cloth to prevent it from drying out. This can be done in a warm place. If you want the dough to rise faster, place the dough covered in a warm oven. Set the oven to 200 degrees, turn it off, and then place the dough in the oven and let it rise until double in size. This expedites the rising process and cuts the time in half.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle, brush with softened butter, then fold into thirds, and then cut into 1-inch strips. After you cut it into strips, tie a knot with the dough and place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- BAKE until GOLDEN BROWN. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake until light golden brown. Remove from oven and spread butter over the top of rolls to give moisture and shine.
The Best Dinner Rolls Recipe
Soft French Bread Recipe
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Knotted Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Yeast
- 1/4 cup Warm Water (about 110 degrees and slightly warm to the touch)
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Whole Milk (warmed)
- 3 large Eggs
- 5 to 5 1/4 cups Flour (plus more if too sticky)
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 4 to 8 Tablespoons Butter (softened)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon of sugar and set aside to proof. Let the yeast bubble and form for at least 5-10 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, heat butter, sugar, and milk over medium-low heat until melted and warmed. You don't want this mixture to be too hot or to boil, but just warmed enough for the butter to melt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer or a large bowl, add flour and salt. Add eggs and proofed yeast. Once the milk mixture has cooled to just a warm temperature, add milk to the bowl. Mix for 5-7 minutes. Watch for the dough to start to come off the sides of the bowl. Add 1-3 Tablespoons of flour, if needed.
- Cover the bowl and set aside to rise in a warm place until double in size, about 2 hours.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle. Spread 4 Tablespoons of softened butter all of the dough. Then fold into thirds (so they are layered on top of each other). Cut into 1-inch strips. Then tie the strips into a knot. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Allow some room for the rolls to expand a little.
- Let rise for 30-45 minutes. While raising, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 14-17 minutes or until a light golden brown color. Brush rolls with the remaining 4 Tablespoons of softened butter. Serve warm or store in an air-tight container.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Everyone loved this when I made them for dinner. So buttery and soft.
Can these be frozen after they are shaped. Then let them thaw and the second rise the day you want to bake them?
So light and fluffy! Made these for Sunday dinner and they turned out fantastic.
Hello Melissa
I love bread, Oh my heavens, I love bread. I’m going to try making these tomorrow for my Easter Dinner. They look so good and not that hard to make. Thank you so much Doll for the recipe.
Happy Easter to you and your family. Blessings.
Donna