Thanksgiving Trial Run: No-Knead Rolls

Last weekend I did something I never thought I'd do: I bought skinny jeans. I've been hating them from afar for months now, secretly wanting to kick the person who thought it'd be cool to bring tapered-leg jeans back in style. When none of your pants fit, though, you can be swayed to make very impulsive purchases.

I had store credit. The jeans fit. I bought them. I wore them to work. And then I debated all day whether I felt hip in my skinny jeans or like it was 1992 all over again.

Although I was willing to wear snug-fitting jeans in public, I wasn't quite ready to do so in ballet flats and my tapered ankles for all the world to see. The wedding boots had to do. The truth is, there's a chance I subconsciously wanted skinny jeans because I found a new pair of boots I'd really like Santa to leave under my tree. In fact, I think these jeans would look perfect with those boots.

Yes, sometimes I like to torture myself. And that's exactly why I made these rolls. They're going to be perfect on our Thanksgiving buffet - perfectly torturous for those who shouldn't be consuming carbohydrates.

No-Knead Rolls

Adapted from Real Simple, November 2011

2 cups warm water

1 (.75 ounce) package active dry yeast (The original recipe says to use two .25-ounce packages. I only just realized this. I used one regular ol' .75-ounce package and everything was fine.)

2 large eggs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5-6 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for shaping the dough

1 tablespoon olive oil

Place 2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F) in a large bowl; sprinkle with the yeast and let stand until foamy, 4-5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs, 4 tablespoons butter, the sugar and the salt. Add the flour in one cup at a time until a sticky dough forms. (I stirred in only 5 1/4 cups of flour. You may need to use more.)

Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. Punch the dough down. With floured hands, form the dough into 16-20 balls and place in the prepared pan. 

Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 30-40 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and brush the rolls with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Bake until the rolls are golden brown, 18-22 minutes. (If the rolls brown too quickly, tent with foil.)

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy!