Parmesan Pull-Aparts

Last month, I came across a recipe for Parmesan Pull-Aparts on the blog No Fear Entertaining. I made the recipe and it totally blew my mind- they were so good! And, pretty easy to boot (especially if you've worked with yeast before). There is no kneading required. Having a stand mixer does make this recipe easier. These rolls are so, so good. They are very light, tender, flakey, soft, tender, buttery, etc. The texture makes me want to lay down in a pile of these rolls. You need to make them!

For the parmesan, I shredded my own with my food processor. Oh yeah, it's hard for me to find Parmigiano-Reggiano here, so I used just parm the first time I made them. The second time, I was able to find some Parmigiano-Reggiano, so I used that with some parm. Both ways were amazing. I usually use at least part whole wheat flour when I make yeast breads or rolls, but for these I just used white flour to keep the extra-light texture. I skipped the egg wash. The flour you sprinkle on top of the dough after mixing really does help with any sticking problems. It didn't seem like it would help, but it worked amazingly well! I want to try it next using some Danish garlic butter I have on hand. I just love this recipe!

Parmesan Pull-Aparts

adapted from No Fear Entertaining

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons yeast
1 tsp mild honey
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or just Parmesan)
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk, warmed to 105-115 degrees F (I used 1% )
2 large eggs
5 tablespoons butter, softened, cut into tablespoon-size pieces

 

Directions:
1.  In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, honey, flour, salt, and cheese; whisk together. Add milk and beat at low speed with the paddle attachment until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat in the first egg. Add second egg and beat well. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl and paddle occasionally. Continue to beat until a soft, sticky dough forms, about 2 to 3 minutes. Start beating in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is elastic ~ about 2 more minutes. The dough will still be very sticky at this point.

2.  Using a rubber spatula, scrape dough into center of bowl, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let sit at warm room temperature for about 2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.

3.  Gently punch dough down but don't knead it. Turn it out onto a floured surface. Don't worry ~ the dough will be very gassy and light, but it won't be all that sticky. The flour you dusted it with before will keep it from sticking to the bowl; it should come out fairly neatly. Gently form the dough into a rectangular shape. Go easy here ~ you don't want to press the gas out of the dough, you just want it to form a rough rectangle so it's easier to cut into equal pieces.

4.  Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, and then into 12 equal parts. Roll each part into a ball and place in a greased 9" x 2" cake pan (I lined the bottom with wax paper and greased the wax paper to help it release easier), leaving space between the balls. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, till rolls have puffed and fill the pan.

5.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven and run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the pan to loosen rolls. Invert onto a large spatula or a small rack and then invert again onto a cooling rack. Cool at least 20 minutes* before pulling apart and eating. Makes 12 rolls

*Important note: I wouldn't wait 20 minutes to eat these babies..... they're good and yummy right away, hot from the oven! In fact, I recommend eating them ASAP, with a little bit of butter.
 

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **