By Post-birthday quiet week. Brayden is ninety weeks old. The Bryants arrive in eight days for the twelve-day July visit. The apartment is in the small prep-mode for the visit — the spare bedroom has been reset, the Hampton Inn booking is confirmed, the visit-itinerary is firming up.
The herbed accordion dinner rolls are a decorative yeast-roll project — standard dinner-roll dough (flour, yeast, milk, butter, sugar, salt, egg), rolled flat into a rectangle, brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, thyme), accordion-folded into a stack of layered strips, cut into small slices, baked in a muffin tin at three-seventy-five for twenty minutes until the layered structure has opened into the “accordion” shape during the bake.
The technique question on accordion rolls is the layering-and-cutting. The accordion-fold creates a layered structure that opens during the bake into individual leaves. The cuts need to be perpendicular to the fold-direction, and each cut needs to be the same width (about an inch and a half) so the rolls are uniform.
Sunday I made twelve accordion rolls. They came out of the oven looking like small layered fans. Dustin had three. Brayden had a small piece of plain roll (no butter, no herb).
Herbed Accordion Dinner Rolls
Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 45 min (plus 1 hr 30 min rise time) | Servings: 12 rolls
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
- 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm whole milk (110°F)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. In a large bowl, combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let sit for 5–7 minutes until foamy and fragrant.
- Make the dough. Add the egg and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine. Add 3 cups of flour and the salt, stirring until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- First rise. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Mix the herb butter. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter, rosemary, parsley, garlic powder, and thyme. Set aside.
- Shape the rolls. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 12x10-inch rectangle. Brush the entire surface with the herb butter mixture. Cut the dough lengthwise into 6 equal strips, then stack the strips on top of each other. Cut the stack crosswise into 12 equal pieces. Place each piece cut-side up into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan, fitting them snugly so they fan out like an accordion.
- Second rise. Cover loosely and let rise for 30 minutes, until puffed and touching.
- Bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake rolls for 18–22 minutes, until deep golden brown on top. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately out of the oven.
- Serve. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then pull apart and serve warm.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg