Thanksgiving is a time for family gatherings, delicious foods, and recalling our blessings. This Honey Buttermilk Thankful Rolls recipe is the ultimate roll recipe to serve at Thanksgiving made with SMITH’s Buttermilk and honey. Not only delicious, these rolls have a surprise conversation starter tucked inside. It is the perfect addition to any Thanksgiving table.
This is a sponsored post for SMITH’s Dairy.
Honey Buttermilk Thankful Rolls Recipe
This recipe is easy to make, although takes time as does all good bread recipes. If you have never made homemade bread or rolls before, do not fear, my step-by-step tutorial makes it easy. Baking with children is a great bonding time, especially during this time of year. This is the perfect recipe for grade school children and older to help with during Thanksgiving preparations. They will enjoy sharing with the family that they helped make them too.
| Servings |
- 1-1/4 cups SMITH's Buttermilk
- 2 tsp packs or 2Fast Rising Yeast
- 3 tsp sugar
- 3 - 4 cups White Bread Flour divided use
- 1/8 tsp or Pinch of Ginger
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp honey
- pecans
- Paper & pen for notes or printer
- Aluminum foil for notes
Ingredients
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- Warm SMITH's Buttermilk to 105° - 115°
- Add yeast and sugar to SMITH's Buttermilk, whisk together and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Combine 3 cups flour, ginger and salt in large bowl.
- Add flour mixture to Buttermilk mixture and mix until smooth.
- Add melted butter and honey, stir until combined.
- Add remaining 1 cup of flour, as needed until the dough pulls from the side of bowl.
- Knead for about 10 minutes, until elastic and smooth.
- Place dough in a lightly-greased bowl, cover with a clean towel until doubles, about 1-1/2 hours.
- Once doubled, put on floured surface and punch down the dough.
- Cut into equal portions.
- Knead each piece of dough in hands, creating a smooth ball by pinches the corners into the middle.
- Place your Thanksgiving Conversation Note covered in aluminum foil in the center, fold dough over.
- Please dough balls on a greased cookie sheet.
- Cut 5 slices to nearly the center of roll.
- Press hole in center of for the stem.
- Cover with a clean towel until doubles in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat over to 375° (convection oven) or 400° (conventional oven).
- Bake rolls for 9-12 minutes.
- Place pecan halves into center of rolls as a stem.
- You may melt additional butter to brush on tops of cooled rolls.
The stars of this recipe are SMITH’s Buttermilk and honey, it is the ultimate combination for rolls. SMITH’s Buttermilk takes ordinary breads and rolls and turns them into extraordinary. It improves the flavor, texture, and color of all breads and rolls. Plus, buttermilk is lower in fat while still acting as whole milk in recipes without the added calories.
The first step in this recipe is to warm the SMITH’s Buttermilk to 105-115°, use any thermometer you have in your kitchen or skin test it, it should feel like warm bath water. I warm the buttermilk in the microwave on high for about 60 seconds, stirring half way. When buttermilk is warmed, it gives the appearance of being slightly curdled.
Next, combine the yeast and sugar to the warm buttermilk and set aside for 10 minutes.
Once the buttermilk mixture bubbles, combine the flour, ginger, and salt mixture. You can skip ginger if you are not a fan but it gives a subtle festive flavor. Mix this mixture until smooth. I use my KitchenAid mixer on low speed for 3-5 minutes. Next, add melted butter and honey. Finally, add the remaining up to 1 cup of flour to get the right constancy. 
The dough will be sticky but should pull away from the mixing bowl easily. Knead for additional 10 minutes by hand or with a kneading tool on your mixture. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, I use a non-stick spray. Cover with a clean towel and set in a warm place for 1-1/2 hours until the dough doubles in size.
Once doubled in size, punch down the dough on a clean or floured surface. You’ll want to make sure all of the air is out of the dough.
Cut the dough into equal portions. The size is up to you. I normally measure my dough so I know exactly how many carbs per serving since my kids are Type 1 Diabetics. I normally measure my rolls out to 70-80 grams each for holidays or smaller at 60 grams for ordinary dinners. Another fun idea is to make them 100 grams which would be large enough for two people to share – perfect for the Thanksgiving theme, especially with the surprise notes inside!
Once the dough is measured, knead each piece. Wrap the dough into the center, one section at a time.
About half way through this process, add your Thanksgiving note! This can be typed or hand-written questions that will get the conversation started at the dinner table. I love the addition of notes in these rolls because it takes the whole focus of Thanksgiving off of the food and onto why we are thankful for those around us and on God’s blessings in our lives. Kids can help with coming up with the questions, writing, wrapping the notes in aluminum foil, and stuffing into the rolls.
Next, use a sharp knife to cut 5 slices toward the center of the roll. Be sure to not cut into the note.
Next, press a hole in the center of the roll for the stem. I use a chopstick but you could also use a straw.
Once all of your rolls are cut, cover with a clean towel and allow the dough to double in size, about 1 hour. Bake rolls for 9-12 minutes at 375° for convection ovens and 400° for conventional ovens. 
The SMITH’s buttermilk in the recipe will create a lovely golden brown on the exterior of the rolls. It is the buttermilk that makes these rolls slightly crunchy and chewy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside! It truly is the secret to the best rolls. In fact, buttermilk can help you avoid overcooking baked goods because it changes the PH of bake goods keeping them from browning too quickly.
Be sure to tell your dinner guests that there are notes inside the rolls. Since the notes are placed in the center of the rolls, it is easy to break the rolls in half to find the note. 
Once the notes are opened, take turns asking and answering the thoughtful questions inside. These thankful rolls are sure to get the conversation started in the right direction this Thanksgiving. Pass the warm rolls and warm hugs afterwards!
I hope you enjoy this Honey Buttermilk Thankful Rolls recipe and that it brings delight and thankful conversations to your Thanksgiving table this year. Be sure to check out more delicious recipes on the SMITH’s website for holidays and every day. This recipe is divine with my Whipped Honey Pumpkin Butter!
Always use SMITH’s milk, easily found in the yellow jug at retailers like Acme Fresh Markets. I always look for the yellow jug because it is proven to help protect milk the best, keeping vitamins and nutrients inside by blocking harmful light rays. Learn more about how to store milk and the benefits of the yellow jug here.
Plus, SMITH’s milk comes from local dairy farms that do not use rbST, the synthetic growth hormone that increases milk production in cows. rbST is used in many other brands but is banned in other countries. I’d rather trust local farmers that provide their cows with a healthful environment and quality care.
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