We’re doing the restaurant route with friends again this year. It’s sure to be a decadent, relaxing treat, but we already know we’ll miss the leftovers — maybe the best thing about Thanksgiving? So, Laura and I are going to cook a mini-Thanksgiving of our own favorites sometime this weekend. We don’t mind turkey twice in one week, so long as it’s dark meat. And since it’s just the two of us, we’ll probably just ask our butcher to save us a couple of thighs. (Bonus: turkey parts are much easier to roast than the whole bird.) Laura will make a pumpkin pie, and, as always, I’ll be making my grandmother’s stuffing recipe. Traditional cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, and of course, Parker House Style Rolls will be on the menu too; scroll down for links to the recipe, and nine others. Happy Thanksgiving!
For Thanksgiving last year, my wife, Laura, and I went out to eat with friends — a first for us. It was lovely, liberating, and delicious. But this year we wanted to bring it back home. After all, what is Thanksgiving without the leftovers? And, more seriously, we’ve been empty nesters for a couple of years now, so with family scattered, and still feeling the aftereffects of the pandemic and a stressful election season, we crave the comforts of home cooking. I’ll be making the turkey, gravy — and doing my stuffing recipe, of course. Laura will make the cranberry sauce and one of her killer pies. Our friends will bring the other fixings. All that’s left is the bread! To continue the theme of comfort, this year I’m making soft, Parker House–style rolls, an American classic. You can use any of my doughs, but I’ll be using lightly enriched challah dough (see below) from the New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day to get the soft, pillowy texture everyone loves, yet a roll that’s firm enough for soaking up gravy and making leftover turkey sandwiches. (See how I came back around to leftovers?) If you’re feeling adventurous, try mixing fresh herbs (like thyme or tarragon) into the dough and/or adding seeds to the top (like sesame or pumpkin) before baking.
Wishing you all a happy and delicious Thanksgiving, and lots of leftovers. (For other Thanksgiving bread and stuffing ideas, click here.)
Ingredients: makes 4 1/4 pounds of dough, about 24 three-ounce buns
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water (you can weigh water–14 ounces/400 grams)
1 tablespoon Instant, Active Dry, or Quick-Rise yeast (1 packet)
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or other coarse salt (if you have a salty palate, you can increase up to 1.5 tablespoons)
4 large eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (6 ounces/170 grams) honey
8 tablespoons (1 stick–4 ounces/115 grams) unsalted butter, melted (or substitute 1/2-cup of any vegetable oil, including olive oil)
7 cups all-purpose flour (35 ounces/990 grams)
Egg wash for painting top of buns (one egg mixed with a tablespoon water, milk, or cream)
Butter for greasing the baking pans and spreading over the top
Instructions: the dough
Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter (or oil) with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or lidded (not airtight) food container.
Mix in the flour, using a heavy-duty stand mixer (with the dough hook), a Danish, dough whisk, or a wooden spoon, until all of the flour is incorporated.
Cover (not airtight), and allow to sit at room temperature for about two hours, or until about doubled. Dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold, especially for this particular recipe. Refrigerate and use over the next 5 days.
Shaping and baking the rolls
Prepare two 9-inch baking pans with butter.
Lightly flour the surface of the dough and break off (or snip with kitchen scissors) 3-ounce balls of dough (about the size of a small peach). Shape them gently with minimal flour, taking care not to incorporate much flour into the balls. Place them in the prepared pans and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
Allow the buns to rest about 60-90 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees
Paint the tops of the buns lightly with egg wash using a pastry brush. Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size. They should be golden brown.
While still hot, brush the tops with butter to keep the crust soft…
