Cranberry Knots
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 24 rolls
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 24 servings
- Calories
- 315
- Total Fat
- 23
- Saturated Fat
- 3
- Carbohydrates
- 23
- Dietary Fiber
- 1
- Sugar
- 4
- Protein
- 4
- Cholesterol
- 31
- Sodium
- 131
- Total: 3 hr 40 min
- Inactive: 3 hr 15 min
- Cook: 25 min
Ingredients
Basic Dinner-Roll Dough, recipe follows
1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Nonstick cooking spray
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Basic Dinner-Roll Dough:
1/2 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 -ounce packet active dry yeast
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Mix-ins (herbs, spices, cheese, etc.)
Vegetable oil or cooking spray, for the bowl
Directions
- Make the Basic Dinner-Roll Dough, using the cranberries, lemon zest and nutmeg as the mix-ins. Let rise as directed.
- Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and pat into a rectangle. Cut the dough into 24 equal pieces with a bench scraper or chef's knife. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch-long rope. Tie each rope into a knot. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let stand until puffy, about 45 minutes.
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Brush the knots with the beaten egg. Bake, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the rolls are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Basic Dinner-Roll Dough:
- Warm the milk and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan or in the microwave until very warm (110 degrees F). Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; mix in the sugar, yeast and 1 cup flour until combined but still lumpy. Let stand until the mixture is very bubbly, about 30 minutes.
- Add the butter, salt and 2 cups flour; mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs until combined, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl as needed. Add 1 1/4 cups flour and the mix-ins, if using; mix until the dough is smooth and starts to gather into a loose ball, about 4 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky; if it's too wet, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour.
- Lightly oil a large bowl; scrape the dough into the bowl and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Cook’s Note
You can freeze the finished rolls for up to a month. Before serving, thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes, then reheat in a 375 degrees F oven for 10 minutes. Yeast Tips Check the label: Make sure you use the type of yeast in the recipe. Active dry yeast is not interchangeable with rapid-rise or instant yeast. Use a thermometer: Don't guess the heat of the liquid you're adding; take its temperature. It must be at least 110 degrees F to activate the yeast. Watch your dough: Rising times can vary depending on the heat of your kitchen. Use the times as a guideline and follow visual cues for all the steps.