Salted Butterflake Rolls

By Sohla El-Waylly

Updated Nov. 14, 2024

Salted Butterflake Rolls
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Total Time
7 hours 40 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 35 minutes, plus at least 6 hours’ resting and proofing
Rating
5(124)
Comments
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Level up your dinner roll game with these retro, buttery pull-apart rolls. The key to butterflake rolls are their unique shape, so feel free to make this using your favorite enriched bread dough recipe. The dough is rolled out, slathered with salted butter then cut into strips that are stacked before cutting again. You’re left with a little deck of dough slabs all enrobed in butter. They fan open when baked so the fluffy layers are easily pulled apart, ready for sopping up gravy or even more butter. Customize the rolls by stirring grated garlic, finely chopped herbs or spices into the salted butter.

Featured in: You Know What You Need? A Fried Chicken Thanksgiving.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 rolls
  • 6tablespoons/84 grams salted butter, melted and cooled, for the pan and for brushing the dough, plus more butter for serving
  • 1recipe All-Purpose Enriched Bread dough, prepared through step 6
  • All-purpose flour, for rolling
  • 1large egg
  • Flaky salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

106 calories; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 2 grams protein; 168 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Brush a standard muffin tin with butter (the top and the cups).

  2. Step 2

    Divide the chilled dough into two equal halves (about 550 grams each). Lightly dust a work surface with flour, then, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll one portion of dough into a ¼-inch-thick square about 11 inches wide. Brush generously with butter.

  3. Step 3

    Using a sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise into 6 even strips. Stack the strips, then cut crosswise into 6 portions (each portion will look like a square biscuit). Place each portion into a buttered muffin cup, cut side up, then repeat with the remaining dough.

  4. Step 4

    Use your fingers to lightly splatter some water across the rolls and loosely cover with plastic. Let rise at room temperature until very puffy and nearly doubled in size, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

  5. Step 5

    Meanwhile, set the rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, make an egg wash by thoroughly whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Evenly brush the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake the rolls until browned, 18 to 22 minutes. While hot, brush with remaining melted butter. Serve with additional salted butter and salt.

Tip
  • The rolls, stored airtight, will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days, or can be frozen up to 1 month. Thaw, if necessary, then toast lightly to revive.

Ratings

5 out of 5
124 user ratings
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Comments

Louise Thompson

Hol-ee Cow!!! This is the best new bread-y thing I've enjoyed this much!! From the muffin bottoms to the pull-apartness to that amazing dough, these are the greatest! And the tops are browned more, plus the flaked salt, so they taste VERY pretzelly (if the pretzel had a recessive gene for croissantism)!! Parker House WHAT?!?! Nope, these gorgeous buns are more fun to make than they are to eat, and they are sublime to eat! WOW.

Marcy

@Alison Click on the Enriched Dough Recipe in the ingredients list. The making of that dough is where the rest of the time is accounted for.

JERF

@Ann Marie you’re meant to brush the butter in the muffin cups and on the metal that connects all the cups. The whole pan has to be painted with butter so the rolls don’t stick when they overflow the cups.

Kate

Oh my!! The pictures for this recipe got me. I first saw the recipe for Thanksgiving, but it seemed too labor intensive to tackle. So I waited until I was asked to bring rolls for Christmas. I prepared by reading and rereading the recipe, and watching the tutorial twice, then reading all comments. What I learned: much easier than I thought. Make the rolls on the smaller side (3 layers each) make 2 dozen instead of 12, I don’t have a rolling pin so a wine bottle worked just fine and my 11 inches was only approximate, can make a few days ahead. Absolutely would make again (in the beginning I swore I would NEVER make them again) the finished project was fabulous!

Anna

Really good. Used the linked dough recipe (with some mods). Easy and fun.

CatherHiller

I am obsessed! The fan-tans were difficult for me to arrange and cut, so I changed the shape to crescents for the remaining half, and those are the ones that flew out of the bread basket. I also thought that the portions were too big, so I'm now making 24 crescents. I've also replaced ½ cup of the all-purpose flour with ½ cup of who!e-wheat flour. Cool, freeze, then thaw and reheat for only 5 minutes. My spouse is now asking if I could sprinkle cinnamon sugar on a few. Sure!

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