Sweet Easter Bread Rolls
Sweet, fluffy, moist rolls with classic yeast Easter bread dough.
Ingredients
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 packets active dry yeast
- 4 large eggs + 1 for egg wash
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 9 cups flour
Instructions
- Warm the milk, about 2 minutes in a microwave. In a large bowl, mix the warm milk with the sugar and salt, stirring to dissolve.
- When the mixture is warm to the touch but not hot (about 110 degrees F), stir in the yeast. Allow the yeast to proof until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
- Next, stir the soft butter and eggs into the milk mixture. Incorporate the flour, one cup at a time. Stir each cup of flour into the mixture with a spatula until almost combined before adding the next cup.
- As the dough comes together, you will likely have to knead in the last cup of flour with your hands.
- When all the flour has been combined, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, clean counter. Knead the dough for 2-4 minutes or until the dough springs back into place after gently poking the surface.
- Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a damp dish towel. Allow it to rise in a warm area, such as in the oven with just the oven light on. After 30-45 minutes, the dough should have increased in size about 50%.
- Turn the dough back out onto a clean counter, press to sightly flatten and cut into 40 even pieces. Cover the dough pieces with a damp dish towel to keep them from drying out while you prepare each roll.
- To make the rolls, take a piece of dough and with your hands, roll it into a 5-6 inch rope. Cut the rope in half and wind the two halves around each other, forming a spiral.
- Twist the spiral to seal the ends of the rope. Then, roll the dough rope into a ball, like a cinnamon roll. Place the roll on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining dough pieces. Cover the rolls with dish towels and allow to rise for another 30 minutes in a warm place.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water).
- Bake for 10 minutes, then broil the tops for a few seconds to achieve that golden brown easter bread top without overcooking the rolls. Don’t walk away during this step as they only need a few seconds to brown, not burn. This recipe will likely take a few sheet pans to bake all the rolls - baking each pan individually allows you to watch each batch to make sure they are perfectly brown.
- Serve warm, with soft butter for topping!