Everything Thanksgiving, I go a bit hard on the menu planning, but I’m always plagued with the thought of “is it extra enough?” and “it’s Thanksgiving, so who is going to stray from the classics?” But I feel like these bay leaf butter rolls are at once both classic and extra, so for this Thanksgiving menu, I feel like my work is done. Will they be forever keepers and ones to repeat? I hope so, and I know at least on my table, they absolutely will be. Please note, this is a new and improved version of a recipe from 2023, for the old recipe, scroll to below the recipe box!
Now here’s what you can expect with these bay leaf butter dinner rolls:
- They’re big, a good portion for one person, but you can size them up or down as you prefer!
- They are fluffy and moist and buttery – the trifecta of dinner roll! And yes, it took a lot of trial and error to get them to the right bay leaf butter bread level for that.
- I will suggest you use a stand mixer, but you can accomplish this bread by hand. It will just take kneading… a lot of kneading.
- I’ve included a swirl in the center, which concentrates the herby, seedy flavor of these rolls in a way that’s wonderfully everything-bagel-reminiscent, but with a hint of the holidays!
As with any dinner roll, the saltiness and buttery-ness are a major factor. I want them to taste buttered even before they’re buttered if that makes sense. It’s all in the dedication to my favorite salted butters, and I insist on letting them shine.
These rolls have butter in the dough, butter brushed on top, and to round it out, yes, I encourage you to serve it with butter. They end up tasting like an everything bagel meets butter…meets Christmas. And in a world where rolls can tend to be a little dry and sad, making sure they were as soft and nearly moist as could be was my HIGHEST priority.
The shaping of this bay leaf butter bread is super simple. I always recommend getting a scale to help portion your dough (you’ll also need one for the baking of the bread… so just, get a scale).
But when the dough is still pliable, I like to portion it into 12 pieces, depending on the size of your egg, this should make each piece 88 grams.
I try to handle the dough as little as possible, stretching them into a long rectangle that is four inches long, and then placing them down on my work surface.
From there, I add a heaping tablespoon of my seedy swirl mixture, spread that evenly, and then roll it up! I like to tuck in the edges so that none of the filling escapes.
This makes a wonderful swirl in your dough, while also letting it keep a super delicate and fluffy texture.
Bay leaf butter (for this Bay Leaf Butter Bread!) is butter that has been slowly steeped with bay leaves, then gently brought up to a brown butter level of toastiness. It captures all that earthy, peppery flavor of a bay leaf, and concentrates it into your butter. In this updated version of the recipe, I like to make a small amount of this steeped butter and use it in lieu of egg wash.
While egg wash gives a glossy finish, I find this gives the rolls more depth of flavor, especially when you are looking for those nice, holiday-friendly flavor notes!
Absolutely, the bay leaf butter bread works very well with flax egg, vegan milk and vegan butter. They might not be as tender, and you will see some flax flecks in them, but these can be made plant-based!
You absolutely can, but you will need to portion it the same day you make the dough. Once the rolls are portioned, you can put them in the freezer which will halt the proofing. When you take them out and thaw them, you can continue the recipe as normal. Another option is to do a slow proof in the fridge, where instead of letting them rise for an hour, you will pop them in the fridge and let them rise for 12 hours, which is a great thing to do if you want to make them a day ahead!
These rolls are freezer-friendly! You can freeze them for up to 6 months. To reheat, simply spray with water using a spray bottle, then pop them in an oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, or until warm.
And that’s everything for the Bay Leaf Butter Bread!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Bay Leaf Butter Rolls
These buttery-soft, extra golden rolls are topped with bay leaf brown butter and swirled with a mixture that I can only describe as everything-bagel-meets-the-holidays. It’s a wonderfully festive dinner roll, and the herby, cozy flavor takes them from your average roll and makes them perfect for the holidays.
Equipment
-
1 Stand mixer
-
1 bench scraper
-
1 9″x13″ baking dish
-
1 sheet parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk 234 grams / 8 ounces
- 1/2 cup water 117 grams / 4 ounces
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 55 grams / 1.9 ounces
- 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast 7 grams / 0.25 ounces
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour 530 grams / 19 ounces
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt 12 grams / 0.4 ounces
- 1/4 cup salted butter, cubed 57 grams / 2 ounces
For the seedy swirl
- 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 6 tablespoons everything but the bagel seasoning or 2 tablespoons each of garlic flakes, white sesame seeds and onion flakes, 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds and 2 teaspoons of flaky salt
- 1 large egg
For the bay leaf brown butter
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons salted butter 28 grams / 1 ounce
Instructions
-
Whisk together the 234 grams of milk and 117 grams of water. Either on the stove or in the microwave, bring it up to 110°F-115°F.
-
Whisk in 55 grams of sugar until it dissolves. Evenly sprinkle 7 grams of yeast over the top and whisk that in as well. Let this sit for five minutes or until foamy. Then whisk in the egg.
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 530 grams of flour and 12 grams of salt. Pour in the yeast mixture. Using the hook attachment, being to mix on medium speed.
-
Add 57 grams of butter a few pieces at a time, allowing it to mix into the dough before adding the next pieces. Mix the dough for a total of 8-9 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Test the gluten by taking a golf ball-sized piece of dough and stretching it apart with your fingers. If it stretches thin enough that you can see light shine through it, but doesn’t break, that means it’s ready to rest.
-
Cover the bowl with a lint-free towel. Leave in a dry, warm place to proof for one hour or until double in size.
-
Once the dough has doubled in size, lightly flour your hands and gently punch out any excess air. Gently move the dough to a smooth surface. Flour it if you prefer, but I find the dough is strong enough that I do not need to.
-
Using a scale, portion the dough into 12 equal pieces, 88 grams each.
-
Stretch each piece into a rectangle that is four inches long.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the seedy swirl.
-
Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the seedy swirl mixture into the center of each roll and spread it into an even layer. There should be a small amount of the seed mixture left, just leave that in the bowl.
-
Gently roll up each roll, then pinch in the sides and tuck them under the roll to hide the swirl. Place these on a 9 by 13-inch parchment-lined baking sheet.
-
Cover and proof for another 45 minutes to an hour, or until 50% bigger in size.
-
Set a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
-
Set a small sauté pan over medium-low heat and add two bay leaves and 28 grams of butter. Let the butter melt, fizz and foam, allowing it to brown with the bay leaves, about 3-4 minutes. Pour the butter into the bowl with the remaining seed mixture and give it a mix.
-
When the rolls are proofed, brush an even layer of the bay leaf butter on top of them, some seeds will come along, which we love!
-
Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes at 375°F, or until golden.
-
Serve warm!
Notes
Use the same gluten test listed in the instructions above to know when your dough is ready to proof!
Watch the recipe version from 2023 here
The video is the recipe version from 2023. The full recipe is written below.
Bay Leaf Butter Rolls
These buttery-soft, extra golden rolls are topped with bay leaf brown butter and swirled with a mixture that I can only describe as everything-bagel-meets-the-holidays. It’s a wonderfully festive dinner roll, and the herby, cozy flavor takes them from your average roll and makes them perfect for the holidays.
Equipment
-
1 Stand mixer
-
1 bench scraper
-
1 9″x13″ baking dish
-
1 sheet parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk 234 grams / 8 ounces
- 1/2 cup water 117 grams / 4 ounces
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 55 grams / 1.9 ounces
- 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast 7 grams / 0.25 ounces
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour 530 grams / 19 ounces
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt 12 grams / 0.4 ounces
- 1/4 cup salted butter, cubed 57 grams / 2 ounces
For the seedy swirl
- 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 6 tablespoons everything but the bagel seasoning or 2 tablespoons each of garlic flakes, white sesame seeds and onion flakes, 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds and 2 teaspoons of flaky salt
- 1 large egg
For the bay leaf brown butter
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons salted butter 28 grams / 1 ounce
Instructions
-
Whisk together the 234 grams of milk and 117 grams of water. Either on the stove or in the microwave, bring it up to 110°F-115°F.
-
Whisk in 55 grams of sugar until it dissolves. Evenly sprinkle 7 grams of yeast over the top and whisk that in as well. Let this sit for five minutes or until foamy. Then whisk in the egg.
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 530 grams of flour and 12 grams of salt. Pour in the yeast mixture. Using the hook attachment, being to mix on medium speed.
-
Add 57 grams of butter a few pieces at a time, allowing it to mix into the dough before adding the next pieces. Mix the dough for a total of 8-9 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Test the gluten by taking a golf ball-sized piece of dough and stretching it apart with your fingers. If it stretches thin enough that you can see light shine through it, but doesn’t break, that means it’s ready to rest.
-
Cover the bowl with a lint-free towel. Leave in a dry, warm place to proof for one hour or until double in size.
-
Once the dough has doubled in size, lightly flour your hands and gently punch out any excess air. Gently move the dough to a smooth surface. Flour it if you prefer, but I find the dough is strong enough that I do not need to.
-
Using a scale, portion the dough into 12 equal pieces, 88 grams each.
-
Stretch each piece into a rectangle that is four inches long.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the seedy swirl.
-
Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the seedy swirl mixture into the center of each roll and spread it into an even layer. There should be a small amount of the seed mixture left, just leave that in the bowl.
-
Gently roll up each roll, then pinch in the sides and tuck them under the roll to hide the swirl. Place these on a 9 by 13-inch parchment-lined baking sheet.
-
Cover and proof for another 45 minutes to an hour, or until 50% bigger in size.
-
Set a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
-
Set a small sauté pan over medium-low heat and add two bay leaves and 28 grams of butter. Let the butter melt, fizz and foam, allowing it to brown with the bay leaves, about 3-4 minutes. Pour the butter into the bowl with the remaining seed mixture and give it a mix.
-
When the rolls are proofed, brush an even layer of the bay leaf butter on top of them, some seeds will come along, which we love!
-
Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes at 375°F, or until golden.
-
Serve warm!
Notes
Use the same gluten test listed in the instructions above to know when your dough is ready to proof!
