Christmas dinner was a bit smaller this year, but that doesn’t mean you cannot go all out with helping prepare a fantastic side for dinner.
This year I contributed to the people within my bubble by making garlic rosemary dinner rolls. The recipe comes from the blog cookingclassy.com, but I decided to make it with minced garlic kneaded into the rosemary dough, with roast paprika, garlic, and sumac-seasoned salt. Instead of brushing the top of the rolled dough with egg whites, I whisked a whole egg for the brushed coating that turned the rolls golden brown.
Garlic Rosemary Dinner Rolls
2¼ tsp. dry yeast
2½ Tbsp. sugar
½ cup warm water
¾ cup warm milk
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, soft
3½ Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
1½ tsp. sumac-seasoned salt
pinch of black pepper (optional)
3½ cups flour
1 Tbsp. olive oil
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, sugar, and warm water at slow to medium-slow speed with an electric mixer. Switch out the whisk attachment for a paddle, and combine the milk, softened butter, rosemary, chopped garlic, one egg, seasoned salt, and pepper and blend until smooth.
When blended, add 2 cups of flour and mix on medium-slow speed until combined. Replace the paddle with a dough hook, and add the remainder of the flour into the mixing cycle. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, and mix until the dough thickens.
Put plastic wrap over the large mixing bowl, and place in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes. While waiting for the dough to set, put some flour onto a large cutting board and a rolling pin so the dough doesn’t stick to them. Preheat the oven to 350°.
Take the dough out of the fridge, knead, and roll out the dough to release the air bubbles for five to eight minutes. Distribute the dough into 13 two-inch balls. Form the dough balls by rolling the dough in a circular motion in your hands. Make sure to use as much flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
Place the dough balls into a baking dish coated in olive oil. Cover the baking dish with plastic, and let them sit for 45 minutes at room temperature. Whisk the remaining egg. Brush the top of the rolls with one coat of egg, and cook for 25 minutes, until the tops turn brown.
Serve the garlic rosemary rolls warm. The dinner rolls have a strong rosemary flavor, and are excellent with butter or jam.
