b'Bringing Back a Tradition to the Holiday TableHomemade dinner rolls: Theyre easier to make than you think.BY OLIVIA MACK MCCOOLS omethingIloveaboutholi- freezer, place them into the baking pan (if not day cooking and baking is thein one already) and cover with a clean dishtow-recipe that youre likely to makeel. Let them thaw and rise for about 4-5 hours, only at this time of year. Manyor until puffed. Bake as directed in the recipe.of us have that one cookie or3.Thefinishedrollscanbefrozenaswell: complicated side dish that justLet them come to room temperature, place in screamsHolidaySeason!forfreezer bags, then freeze for up to 3 months. us. Over the past two years, making our ownThaw in the refrigerator or at room tempera-bread has become quite trendy, but homemadeture, then reheat in a 300F oven for about 10 dinner rolls, a holiday staple for many people,minutes or until warm.seems to be a lost art. The image of still hot, pillowy rolls piled high in a basket,The bake time on these is 20-25 minutes. Hence, to ensure they are hot when brought to the table makes me feel warm inside. Imagine pulling one open andthey hit the table, they should be the last of your baked items to enter the oven. spreading on a pat of butter that instantly melts. Heres a foolproof recipe thatA shallow bowl, lined with a cloth napkin or really clean dishtowel, creates the can make that daydream a very easy reality this year.perfect serving vessel for these and vividly evokes that old-school holiday feeling. We all know that timing is everything with the holiday meal. Oven real estateBeing extremely delicious on their own, just a good-quality butter would be is in high demand and needs to be expertly scheduled. For me, this means manya very nice addition. But if you really want to blow your dinner guests away, I of my meal components need to have the feature of being made ahead. Rolls arehave a very easy but high-impact flavored butter recipe for you. Compound no exception. Ive designed these rolls so you have a few options to choose frombutters are a cheffy term for what is just a softened butter mixed with flavorings, if you dont want to make them start-to-finish in one go: rolled into a log or placed in a vessel and chilled down. In this case the butter 1.The dough can be made up to the point when you place the shapedis browned to bring out a deep nutty flavor, mixed with sage and stored in the rolls in the pan and keep them in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 12refrigerator until show time. Here I recommend transferring it to a single jar, but hours. Three hours before you plan to bake the rolls, remove them fromif you anticipate guests, feel free to divide the butter up amongst many small jars the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise at room temperature foror ramekins that you can place at different places on the table. You can prepare about 1-2 hours.this up to five days before the main event.2.The dough can also be frozen. Make the recipe up to the point when youMy hope is that my dinner rolls bring warmth and the tradition of yesteryear shape and place the rolls in the pan. Then cover them tightly with plasticto your modern holiday table. wrap and freeze, up to two months. They can either stay in the bakingRecipe developer, cookbook author, food stylist and local mom Olivia Mack Mc-pan or, once frozen, they can be popped out of the pan and into a freezerCool lives in Maplewood. For more of her work and recipes, check out her website bag. Six hours before you plan to bake them, remove them from theoliviamackmccool.com and follow along on Instagram @oliviamackmccool. 26/ matters magazine / holiday 2022'