Warm, fluffy pull-apart dinner rolls are cinch to make

I don’t have many fond memories of school cafeteria lunches. There are two main reasons for that. One, my mom packed my lunch most of the time, and two, when I did partake in what was on the menu, it was pretty abysmal. There was one shining exception, however: the rolls.

To this day, I can practically smell and taste those soft, fluffy wonders. Sure, some people may treasure the memory of homemade rolls lovingly baked by mothers or grandmothers. My mom, however, has always been more of a cake baker than a bread baker, so the elementary school rolls have by default and affection lived on in my memories.

That should help explain why when I say these Pillowy Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls remind me of what I had back then, it is the ultimate compliment.

In other words, these soft, golden, buttery puffs just might be the rolls of your dreams. The recipe comes from cookbook author Elinor Klivans’s gem of a book “Fast Breads: 50 Recipes for Easy, Delicious Bread.” The rolls bake beautifully into each other, which contributes both height and an attractive pull-apart appearance. Even better, the dough comes together quickly and easily in a stand mixer, with only one relatively short rise after they’ve been shaped.

The recipe would be just the thing to add to your Thanksgiving repertoire. Make the dough in the morning, let it rise, and revel as your guests ooh and aah when you present them with a tray of warm bread. (Believe me, based on the reactions of my colleagues, they will.) Don’t be surprised if these are the rolls your friends and family compare to all others now and forever.