How I resurrected dinner rolls in time for Easter dinner
On Easter Eve, while prepping a sous vide porchetta roast, a boneless leg of lamb and putting the final chocolate touches on Peanut Butter Stuffed Banana Bread Bars, I had an idea to also make dinner rolls for the gathering I was attending. I mean, why not? The oven was already hot, the dough only takes a few minutes to throw together and everybody loves 'em, right?
This is all true, if only I didn't have an inherent need to zhoozh them up a notch. I thought maybe I could make them in a bundt pan, like pull apart monkey bread. And maybe coat the inside of the buttered pan with bagel everything seasoning mix to really get the party started. I cobbled together a basic dinner roll recipe from a couple sources on the net and got started.
But here's where the plan went south: I decided to use my silicone spiral Intreccio bundt pan. Which has been relegated to my kitchen storage area for about four years because it's just awful to use. It heats unevenly; everything I've ever made in it comes out half baked. Also, it is almost impossible to remove anything short of Portland Cement from this pan without tearing it apart. Literally, if you could make a successful cake in this pan, you'd need to freeze it solid to remove it.
But I used it anyway, and, in the spirit of Easter, IT WAS RISEN. I watched through the oven door as the rolls rose in a magnificent golden splendor about 2 inches above the rim and transformed into a muffin top. Knowing that this pan heats unevenly, I let it bake for an additional 10 minutes to ensure it was cooked all the way through.
After pulling it out of the oven, I let it cool for about 20 minutes and then tried to unmold it. The “muffin top” overflow bulge tore completely off, revealing a steaming but otherwise uncooked, gooey center.
Undeterred, I chucked the mess into the trash and dug out a standard metal bundt pan and started over. This time, success. It was even more impressive than I first imagined (see photo). The only drawback was when I flipped it over, the top was a teeny bit pale from being at the bottom of the pan. I let it cool for a few and then popped it under the broiler for 2 minutes to get the seasoned top crust