Salted Honey Dinner Rolls

1. Stage

Make the tangzhong:  In a small saucepan, add the flour, milk, and honey, and set it over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until it thickens and looks like smooth mashed potatoes , about 2 minutes 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Scrape the tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

2. Stage

Add remaining dough ingredients:  To the tangzhong, add the cold milk, egg, flour, yeast, salt, and butter. The cold milk and egg will cool down the tangzhong, so no need to cool it down before adding the rest of the ingredients.

3. Stage

Knead the dough:  Knead the dough on medium speed—that’s a #4 on my KitchenAid— for no less than 10 minutes , until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and it’s no longer sticky. Resist the urge to add more flour. The dough will become stiff, smooth, and wrap itself around the hook after it’s kneaded.

4. Stage

Let the dough rise:  Pull the dough off the hook with your hands, form it into a ball, and place it back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, until it doubles in size.  Overnight rise option : Right after you knead it, pop the bowl with the dough into the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake the rolls, proceed with the recipe.

5. Stage

Meanwhile, prepare the pan:  Lightly grease a 9x13-inch metal pan with butter and line it with parchment paper .

6. Stage

Shape the rolls: Dump the risen dough onto a clean kitchen counter and divide it into 15 equal pieces—about 82 grams each. The dough won’t be sticky and will be easy to work with. To shape each roll: Flatten a piece of dough using the palm of your hands. Pull the outer edges up and over the center, all around. Pinch the pulled-up edges together and flip the dough over so that the smooth side is facing up. Cup your hands around it to shape it into a ball. Transfer it into the prepared pan and shape the remaining pieces. Distribute them evenly in the pan 3x5 with some room between each roll.

7. Stage

Let the dough rise, again:  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The rolls will rise to touch each other, but not quite double in size. If you let your dough rise overnight in the fridge, it’ll take longer for the dough to rise, about 2 hours total.

8. Stage

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F: Place the oven rack in the center.

9. Stage

Make the egg wash:  Whisk the egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the tops of the rolls with it.

10. Stage

Bake the rolls:  Bake the rolls until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a roll in the middle of the pan should read 190°F or higher.

11. Stage

Meanwhile, make the honey butter:  In a small saucepan, add the butter and honey. Set it over low heat and stir until the butter is fully melted.  As soon as you take the rolls out of the oven, brush the top with the honey butter and sprinkle flaky salt on top. Serve the rolls warm.  Store leftovers in a zip top bag or a tightly lidded container for up to four days on your kitchen counter—they’ll remain soft and fluffy. It’s not magic, it’s the tangzhong!  Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!