Butterflake Rolls
These homemade butterflake rolls are just as delicious, flaky, tender, and elegant as the rolls from a fancy bakery!
Who else loves a good dinner roll? I have a wide variety of delicious roll recipes on the blog, but I have to say that butterflake rolls are one of my favorites. There’s a bakery near my sister-in-law’s house that makes the most delicious butterflake rolls, and when we still lived in Utah, I would swing by every chance I got to pick up a bag of delicious, light, buttery rolls. They always seemed too intimidating to make myself, with all of their layers, so I was pretty content to just buy them. And then we moved away from Utah, and I’ve been craving them ever since!
I recently found a recipe for butterflake rolls on Dessert Now Dinner Later, and decided it was high time to give them a try. I used my own tried-and-true roll recipe for the dough, but used Amber’s method for shaping them, and they turned out absolutely fantastic! They were just as light, buttery, and delicious as the rolls from my favorite bakery, and I was thrilled to be able to make them at home! Adding the butter between all of the many layers of dough gives these rolls the perfect flavor and texture. They are totally irresistible!
These rolls do take a little extra time to shape, but it’s well worth it. The recipe makes 24 rolls, so there’s plenty of bread to go around. They may seem complicated, but the whole process is pretty easy and straightforward once you get going. Since it can be a little difficult to describe the steps in words, I took step by step pictures for you, with a description of each step below.
1. After the dough has risen, gently punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
2. Spread the softened butter over two thirds of the dough.
3. Fold the unbuttered third of the dough over to the middle of the dough, then fold the opposite (buttered) third over the top to make three layers of dough.
4. Place the dough on a baking sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm the butter.
5. After the dough has chilled, roll it out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush melted butter down the center half of the rectangle.
6. Fold both sides in toward the middle so the butter is covered.
7. Roll out the dough gently with a rolling pin, then brush one half of the dough with butter.
8. Fold the unbuttered side of the dough over the top so that all of the butter is covered.
9. Roll out the dough just slightly, to about one inch thick. Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut the ends off of the dough, then cut the dough into 24 equal slices.
10. Lay each slice of dough down and flatten it slightly with your hand.
11. Roll the dough up into a cylinder.
12. Place each cylinder of dough into a well of a greased muffin tin and let rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. From there, you’ll just bake the rolls until they are golden brown, then brush them with melted butter. These rolls are so gorgeous, and absolutely delicious too!
Like most rolls, these butterflake rolls are best on the day they’re made, but they will still taste pretty great for 2-3 days (or a little longer if you keep them in the fridge). If you would like to make them in advance, I would suggest baking them, and then freezing them on the day they are made. When you’re ready to serve them, you can thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then warm them in the oven or microwave before serving.
These butterflake rolls have the most delightful flaky and tender texture, and are so buttery and delicious. They’re so light and airy, and I love pulling them apart to spread butter and jam on top. They’re also totally delicious with homemade cinnamon vanilla honey butter. They’re the perfect way to make a dinner party or holiday meal extra special!
Butterflake Rolls
Print Recipe
Ingredients
for the dough:
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/3 cups milk warmed
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 1/2 cups flour more or less as needed
for shaping the rolls:
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup butter melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Let stand until the yeast is foamy. Add the sugar, milk, butter, egg, and salt, and mix until well combined. Mix in two cups of flour. Slowly add the remaining flour a little at a time, and mix until dough is smooth and elastic, and slightly sticky to the touch. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes.
- After the dough has risen, gently punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread the softened butter over two thirds of the dough. Fold the unbuttered third of the dough over to the middle of the dough, then fold the opposite (buttered) third over the top to make three layers of dough. Place the dough on a baking sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm the butter.
- After the dough has chilled, roll it out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush melted butter down the center half of the rectangle. Fold both sides in toward the middle so the butter is covered. Roll out the dough gently with a rolling pin. Brush one half of the dough with butter, then fold the other side over on top. (In total you should use about half of the melted butter, and will use the remaining butter to brush on the hot rolls after they bake.) Roll out the dough just slightly, to about one inch thick. Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut the ends off of the dough, then cut the dough into 24 equal slices.
- Lay each slice of dough down and flatten it slightly with your hand. Roll the dough up into a cylinder. Place each cylinder of dough into a well of a greased muffin tin. Cover gently and let rise 1 1/2 – 2 hours, until the dough is 1/2 inch above the top of the muffin tin. Toward the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown. Brush the rolls with the remaining melted butter. Serve warm.
