Old-Fashioned Pull-Apart Rolls

Three days until school starts!! It finally feels like it is almost here for real, because we went school shopping yesterday! Bought bushels of school supplies, a few school clothes for Joe, school shoes for both boys (and me, I couldn't resist!!) then searched around for the school supplies Walmart was out of (#2 pencils?? Seriously??) Still can't find 2 red correcting pencils, I think I'll have to go to an actual office supplies store for those. Grr. Joe is so excited he can't contain himself, he keeps carrying his new pencil case around. It's empty, but it doesn't matter. I'm also learning that my boys have two very distinct styles. Stephen loves color. The more colors he can cram into his clothes, the better! Brighter is better too. Brown and grey are unacceptable, especially grey. Joe, on the other hand, would have an entire wardrobe of black and green if I let him. He goes for simpler clothes, and may I say, has a pretty cool sense of style already. He looks so grown up in his school clothes!! He's also getting awfully long feet... it's looking more and more like he's going to be tall!! I would love to have two six-foot-tall boys... with lots of six-foot-tall friends to feed... Fingers crossed!

Old-Fashioned Pull-Apart Rolls (from Babble.com)
Printable Recipe

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp active dry yeast
3 TB nonfat dry milk
2 TB sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm milk

melted butter, for brushing on top

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (except the melted butter) and stir until you have a soft dough. Knead — using your hands, a stand mixer, or a bread machine set on the dough cycle — until you have a soft, smooth dough, about 8 minutes.

Set the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a clean dishtowel and let it rise for an hour or so, until doubled. Gently deflate the dough by knocking it down with your hands, and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface.

Divide the dough into 12-16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball by gently stretching the top down around the sides, and tucking under.

The original recipe says to place the rolls in 2 round baking pans, but I liked them best baked in a 9x13 baking dish (greased well). Cover again and let rise another hour, until they’re crowded against one another and quite puffy. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Uncover the buns and bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until golden brown on top and the edges of the center bun spring back lightly when you touch it. Remove the buns from the oven and brush with the melted butter. Serve warm.

I've been looking for a nice, fluffy, chewy, buttery roll recipe for months now. My favorite rolls of all time are my Butterhorn Rolls, but I don't always feel like taking 12 hours to make my rolls! These come together in about 3 hours, and are awfully simple. Perfect for your average weeknight dinner!

They turned out fabulously buttery, so pillowy soft and just chewy enough... Delicious plain, and fabulous with some soft butter and honey! We snacked on the leftovers for the next few days, yum!

We liked them so much I've made them three times already! AND used them as buns for a recipe I'm sharing next week. Stay tuned! These are staying in our rotation of favorites, no question.