My sister stopped by this weekend to drop off the Electrolux Assistant mixer she had hidden in her basement for the past 5 years. Can you believe someone owning a machine like this and not using it? Craziness.

It wasn’t until she caught me talking to one of our other sisters (I have 5 of ‘em!) about the KitchenAid she had bought that it dawned on her she too had a stand mixer lying around doing nothing particularly useful. Brand new (well, 5 years old, but never been used). With a meat grinder attachment. And she gave it to me. Oh man, did I mention I love my big sis?

In the short time I’ve had this mixer now, I found out that really bad things happen when I get cravings and have a powerful machine like this at my disposal. Bad things in a good way. Bad things in a double batch of rosemary and garlic butter rolls in only two days kind of way. Lord have mercy on my thighs. If this is wrong, I don’t want to be right!

Ingredients:

2 tsp instant yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast)
1 stick butter (soft)
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk
2 tbsp sugar 
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
3 cups flour
1 rosemary sprig
2 garlic cloves
coarse sea salt

Directions:

The yeast. I opted for instant yeast, mainly because it only requires one rise. But active dry yeast works perfectly as well, just keep in mind that the dough has to rise twice then.

First, mix 2/3 stick of butter with 1 cup of milk.

Lightly beat a large room-temperature egg.

Keep 3 cups of flour nearby.

Technically I wouldn’t have to add instant yeast to water. I could just mix it in with the flour. However, I’m a beast of habit and this is what works for me. Dump 2 tsp instant yeast (or 2 + 1/4 tsp active dry yeast) in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of warm water. Not hot, just warm. Stir and let the yeast sit there for 5 minutes.

I’m using the stand mixer, but you can also do this by hand. You’ll need stamina. And a pair of hands that don’t tire easily because you’ll be kneading for 10 minutes straight to get the best, fluffiest dough. If you have a hand mixer with dough hooks, use it until the dough forms to a ball and then work the dough with your hands.

 
Pop the milk & butter mix in the microwave for a minute at full power. It doesn’t have to be hot, just luke-warm. Transfer the yeast water to your mixer bowl. Add 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, pour in the egg and add 1 cup of flour.

Now pour in the milk with butter. The butter will have melted a bit.

Mix until the flour is incorporated before adding another cup of flour. Repeat this process until all the flour is incorporated. As soon as the wet and dry ingredients are combined, turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 5 minutes before starting the kneading process. Unless you’re doing this by hand, then you start kneading straight away and only use extra flour if the dough starts sticking to your hands. The dough will look really sticky at first, but that will resolve itself during kneading as the gluten are developed.

I let the machine knead for 6 to 7 minutes, by the end of which the dough will have formed into a ball. If your dough looks impossibly sticky in the final few minutes, add a tbsp flour at a time. But remember, it should still be sticky to the touch! Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

If you used active dry yeast you now transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, apply some oil to the top of the dough to prevent it from drying out and instead of the 10 minutes I’m giving it now, let it rise for about an hour, until it doubled in size. Proceed with the recipe as listed below after the first rise.

 
Lightly butter a baking tray. Or cast iron skillet if you want to get all fashionably old-fashioned on me.

After 10 minutes I transferred the dough to a lightly floured cutting board. It should be a really supple and slightly sticky dough.

Flatten it with your hand and using a sharp knife divide the dough into 9 pieces. Or 12, if you want them smaller.

In stead of rolling the dough in your hand, you simply fold the sides to the bottom and shape them in the palm of your hand. Transfer them to the baking tray but give them a little room to rise. Cover them with a towel and let them rise for an hour to an hour and a half. Until they doubled in size.

That gives us time to do the compound butter. I love rosemary but don’t like it all burnt and crunchy on top of my rolls. So I put the flavor inside the butter, that way the flavor gets everywhere.

Let’s get all medieval and break out the mortar and pestle. Provided you have one.

In order to get the flavor inside the butter, you have to release some of the oils. Strip the rosemary sprig and add 2 garlic cloves. Now smash the whole shebang, reallly bruise the rosemary. Add the remaining 1/3 stick of butter and lightly mix it. Leave it be for an hour or so, while the dough rises.

Then comes the moment you lift the towel and find this underneath. Can I hear some ahhhh’s and ohhhh‘s, please?

That’s your cue to nuke the flavored butter, this will intensify the flavor and will make it easier to brush on top of the rolls. Give it 30 seconds at full power.

Brush it all over the dough and don’t be shy, they’re not called butter rolls for nothing! I don’t mind a few lonesome rosemary leaves here and there, as long as it’s not too much.

Last but not least, sprinkle a generous amount of coarse sea salt all over them yummy rolls.

Bake them in a preheated oven at 350F (175C) for 20 minutes. Until all puffy and golden brown.

 
The best dinner rolls are not sweet: they’re pillow light, soft, puffy, savory and buttery, all things good. And these rolls are. Oh boy, they are!

Oh, and serve them with home made butter if you really want to make an impression.