Simon & Garfunkel Pull Apart Rolls

Simon & Garfunkel Pull Apart Rolls

aka Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Rolls!

Cold weather makes me want to bake bread.  Cold weather gives me an excuse to bake bread.  There, that’s more like it.  I made these lovely rolls over the holidays.  They can be made ahead of time and held before the second rise to pop in the oven just before dinner or they are good reheated a second time.  These will make you look really good and help you make new friends.  I promise.

In a large mixer bowl, combine milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand about 5-7 minutes.

Let the yeast sit with the milk and sugar for a few minutes.  It’s important that your milk is at least 100º but not hotter than 110º.  You want it to be warm enough to wake up the yeast but not so warm it kills it–that would be disappointing when you have yourself all ready for hot rolls….

Add salt, herbs, 2 eggs and melted butter. Using a dough hook, mix on low until blended.  I used parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme just cause I like to call them Simon & Garfunkel Rolls…. Cut the herbs up nice and fine. Or not…mine look pretty chunky.

Gradually sprinkle in 5 cups of flour.  Mix on medium until dough is smooth and stretchy and pulling away from the inside of the bowl, about 10 minutes.  Add just enough of the extra flour, if needed, so dough is only slightly tacky.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Your dough will then be beautiful, like this.

Punch dough down.  On a large, lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a rectangle about 30″ x 9″. Using a sharp knife or a pastry cutter, cut the edges to look straight.

Brush with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.

On the 9″ shorter side, cut dough into 6 long strips, each 1 1/2” wide.  Stack the strips on top of each other and then cut stack in half crosswise. With a serrated knife, gently cut each stack into 10 portions, creating 20 stacks, one for each roll.

Brush muffin cups with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Place each stack, cut edges up, in a muffin cup so you see all layers.

There should be 6 layers in each cup. Don’t count my layers, looks like mine are not all perfect!

At this point you may loosely wrap and freeze or refrigerate to bake at a later time.  But who does that when you are this close to hot rolls! IF you have that kind of restraint, then see adjusted roll rise time below.

Let rise at room temp, loosely covered, until puffy and almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes. If rolls have chilled in refrigerator, rise will be about 1 hour.  If you froze them, rise time could be two hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°.  Beat remaining egg, then gently brush over tops and sides of rolls.  Sprinkle with salt.

Bake rolls until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing.  Slather with butter if you dare and enjoy!  These will go nicely with Black Bean Chili that I’m making tomorrow….

Here’s the whole recipe!

Simon and Garfunkel Pull-Apart Rolls

Makes 20 rolls in a regular sized muffin pan

1 1/2 cups warm milk (100-110°)

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one of those little envelopes)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 cup finely minced fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme)

2 eggs, room temp

1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled

5 cups flour (+1/4 cup more, if needed)

2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons good quality salt, such as sea salt or Maldon flakes

In a large mixer bowl, combine milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand about 5-7 minutes. Add salt, herbs, 2 eggs and melted butter. Using a dough hook, mix on low until blended.

Gradually sprinkle in 5 cups of flour. Mix on medium until dough is smooth and stretchy and pulling away from the inside of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Add just enough of the extra flour, if needed, so dough is only slightly tacky. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Punch dough down. On a large, lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a rectangle about 30″ x 9″.  Brush with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Using a sharp knife or a pastry cutter, cut the edges to look straight. On the 9″, shorter side, cut dough into 6 long strips, each 1 1/2” wide. Stack the strips on top of each other and then cut stack in half crosswise. With a serrated knife, gently cut each stack into 10 portions, creating 20 stacks, one for each roll.  Brush muffin cups with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Place each stack, cut edges up, in a muffin cup so you see all layers. (You may loosely wrap at this stage and refrigerate or freeze to bake later. See adjusted roll rise time below.)

Let rise at room temp, loosely covered, until puffy and almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes. (If rolls have chilled in refrigerator, rise will be about 1 hour. If frozen, rise time could be about 2 hours.) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Beat remaining egg, then gently brush over tops and sides of rolls. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake rolls until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing.