Thanksgiving Recipes: Rolls

Continuing with my Friendsgiving/Turkey Day recap, here's the recipe for the rolls (sorry, no pictures, they were too delicious to take time to photograph):

(Adapted and made from the Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving 2012 Booklet)

Parker House Rolls

Prep time: 20 min  | Inactive prep time: 1 HR 40 min | Cook time: 25 min | Makes 24 Rolls

1.5 cups milk

8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces, plus 2 TBs melted butter (We use Country Crock)

4.5 tsp active dry yeast (for this I used Red Star from the jar)

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra on hand for rolling dough

3 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs kosher salt (I used good ol' Morton table salt)

1.5 tsp. Sea Salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp white (or black) sesame seeds

Combine milk and the 8 Tbs of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted, about 7 min. Remove from heat and let cool to 105-115*F. Add yeast and stir until dissolved. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In a bowl of electric mixer fitted with dough hook, combine 4 cups flour, sugar, and kosher salt and beat on low until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the milk mixture and knead until dough forms a ball., about 1-2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-low and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, 4-5 min. Remove dough from mixer bowl, oil inside of bowl and return dough to the bowl. (I used a paper towel and some olive oil for this). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise for about an hour. 

Divide risen dough in half. Grease a 13x9 pan. On lightly floured work surface, roll each piece of dough into a log 12 inches long. Using a pastry scraper (I used a regular butter knife), divide each log into 12 equal pieces. Using your cupped hands, roll each into a ball. 

Arrange the dough balls into prepped baking pan so there are 4 rows of 6. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 min. In a small bowl, combine the sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and sesame seeds. Preheat oven to 375*F

Remove plastic wrap from pan. Brush tops of rolls with the 2Tbs. of melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt mixture (I used our silicone basting brush from W-S; easily comes apart for quick clean in dishwasher or handwash). Bake the rolls until golden and thermometer reads 190*F, or about 18-20 minutes. Invert the rolls to a wire rack, then turn back right side up to another rack (I skipped this step for transport purposes).