salted maple butter brioche dinner rolls

These poofy, floofy, indescribably tender rolls are an homage to mom’s weekly crescent rolls during my childhood. Except these aren’t crescent rolls. I said an homage, not an exact replica. Sheesh. No need to get offended.

Obviously, as we age childhood blurs into a montage of fast-forwarded memories, but one my brain refuses to neglect is our Saturday dinners. Filet mignon, cheesy broccoli, and crescent rolls. Later on, salmon. Our patio cat, the sweetest little black tabby, would always hop onto the bar counter outside the kitchen window and stare at the oven whenever salmon rotated into our weekly lineup. That old lady was obsessed with fish – she had good taste, I gander.

Anywho, the rolls were always a glad sight, and because I’ve a tendency to forget to save important photo messages on my phone, I probably texted my mom three times to send me that recipe to reference for this riff on dinner rolls. I know a few Thanksgivings as an adult, she whipped up a batch of those old standbys. Sometimes she’d add flax seeds, particularly later in the years of roll-baking since we discovered the benefits of flax in our diets.

These Salted Maple Butter Brioche Dinner Rolls are a tribute, a new Thanksgiving go-to, and perhaps they’ll rolly-polly into your holiday spreads, too.

Brioche Without the “Oh Shit My Hands are Sticky”

Brioche dough is typically hard to master sans an electric mixer, but this dough is made for folks sans fancy machinery. I usually prefer forming dough by hand anyway, since it feels more crafty and more satisfying. Plus, Kitchenaids are damn expensive.

This dough requires no refrigeration, no spiderweb hands from messing with ultra gooey dough, and uses a rather normal amount of rising time. They’re simple to make ahead and bake up soft and golden. The maple butter tastes pretty special when a hint of the flavor arises between each twirling layer of of the spiralized rolls.

Start by proofing a packet of active dry yeast in an emulsion of warm milk and maple syrup. “Warm” translates to lukewarm, a temperature into which you can comfortably (and I emphasized comfortably, some of ya’ll have dragon claws like me that can withstand alarmingly high temps) dip a finger.

After about five minutes, whisk in a lightly beaten egg and some softened butter. With a wooden spoon, stir in 3 cups of flour. You will need more, but after this initial addition, begin incorporating more flour gradually until the dough pulls away from the sides of its bowl and loses some of its stickiness.

Dump the dough onto a clean, floured countertop and, flouring your hands well, knead the bread like your cat does your thigh. Take your time with this, the transformation from gobbledy gook to smooth, round, soft ball of dough is utterly satisfactory. Sprinkle a tablespoon of flour more at a time as you work until the dough is pliable and tacky. Clean the bowl you used prior or grab a new one, oil the bottom, and turn the dough into the oil to coat both sides. Cover and let rise 60 minutes or so, until doubled.

Rollin’ in the Dough

I’m honestly losing track of whether I’ve used a certain witticism before or not. Someone please keep me accountable here. Hashtag #FoulMouthWitticisms

While the dough rises, whip a stick of softened butter with yes, more maple syrup. This is your maple butter. If you didn’t figure that out from the get-go, please read the first sentence again.

When the dough is nice and poofaloof, punch it down and split into two balls. On a floured surface, roll one ball into around a 1/8 inch square. Slice 6 even strips out of the dough. Brush with maple butter, then roll down the long side into a nice compact spiral cylinder. Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish (honestly, a sheetpan would work just fine too) and set the finished rolls inside with a bit of space in between. Repeat with the second slab of dough. Cover again.

Here, you’ve two options. If you’re ready to bake straightaway, follow the steps below. If you’re prepping ahead as mentioned in my Thanksgiving Guide, don’t allow the rolls to rise and instead pop the dish in the fridge. The cool environment retards the yeast activity so they won’t overproof.

If you’re ready to bake, let rise around 30 minutes, and continue forth reading.

The Man with the Golden Roll

Heat the oven to 425. It’s show time, baby. Just hope no Bond villains sweep out of the wordwork to steal your bread.

Uncover the rolls, brush with a bit more maple butter, and sprinkle with salt. Bake 15-18 minutes until browned. Serve these babies warm with more maple butter and alongside all of your favorite cozy Thanksgiving dishes. Or a comforting bowl of Tomato Parmesan Soup.

Everyday-Joe-shmoe tip: dip these rolls in the sauce from the Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Potatoes Au Gratin. Eat them for lunch alongside a quinoa salad for a balanced meal at work. A good dark ale or a cozy Mocha Honey Spice Old Fashioned rounds out a comforting evening at the dining table.

Really, rolls remind me of home, in whatever manifestation, of warm ovens and a wafting aroma of yeast and those rare moments I anticipated routine as a child, and to some extent a blissful unawareness of the woes surrounding me. Nowadays, rolls are just comfort food, accompaniment, impossible to make only a few and fun to share as a result. I imagine you reading this passing a basket of rolls, tucked in a white kitchen towel, around the table as someone else pours the wine.

What a fine ritual, that is.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!