Homemade rolls and good butter were once standard fare on holiday tables. They're no less welcome today, but no one has the time to make them.
One way to do this is to mix a batch of tender rolls, made with just enough whole-wheat flour to give the rolls a pleasant nuttiness, and refrigerate them overnight. Whole-wheat flour adds a gentle heft, and the basic dough is easy to work. It creates voluptuous little break-apart breads that cling to one another as they rise and bake - this is sometimes called "kissing" - and are ready for sweeping with good salted butter.
This yeast dough is fortified with milk, melted butter, and eggs, which add a luxurious element and impart a certain tenderness to the crumb. If you prefer texture in the rolls, add 2/3 cup of roasted sunflower seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted walnuts, dried tart (Montmorency) cherries, or dried cranberries after the first rise. Gently work in the additions by lightly kneading them right in the bowl.
The dough is quite forgiving. You can make it ahead of time or use the dough right away. There are advantages to each. Flavor develops a little more with an overnight refrigeration, but the final rising time usually triples (from 1 hour and 15 minutes to about 3 hours). Dough that is formed and baked the same day requires you to be on hand, but on holidays, you might be anyway.
Either way, two dozen plump rolls are the reward for your handiwork. Mix the dough by hand - a staggering thought in an electronic age - but the feel of the dough in your hands is soothing. That's one of the reasons why many people bake bread.
For the Thanksgiving table, plain rolls will be quite welcome, and any that are left make splendid midnight sandwiches. Nut-flecked rolls are wonderful with main course vegetable soups or ragouts. The fruity versions can star at hearty breakfasts of eggs and sizzling bacon. The yeasty aroma that streams though the kitchen as the rolls bake is the signal of good things ahead. - LISA YOCKELSON
