Christmas Morning Grammy Rolls

photo by Peter Frank Edwards for Southern Living Magazine

One of my favorite Christmas morning treats! I have so many fond memories of rolling these little pillows of dough in cinnamon sugar on Christmas Eve. The written recipe was lost to our family for several years, but we’ve finally recreated it to keep the tradition going. Merry merry!

Grammy Rolls
Serves 6-8

For the Dough:

2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast 
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
26 ounces (5 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour, more as needed 
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

To Assemble:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Confectioners’ sugar, for serving

In a small saucepan (or the microwave), gently warm together butter and milk until butter is melted and mixture reaches 95˚F. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add sugar and whisk to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let stand for 5 minutes until active and foamy. Whisk in salt.

Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add flour 1 cup at a time until a shaggy dough starts to come together. Increase to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and tacky but will pull away cleanly from the sides. Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour as needed to achieve this texture.

Butter a large mixing bowl with the softened butter. Scrape dough into the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at a warm room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium bowl. Whisk together cinnamon and sugar. Butter a 11-inch tube pan with remaining tablespoon softened butter.

Scrape dough onto a clean work counter (dust with a bit of flour if necessary to prevent sticking). Portion into roughly 45 (1-ounce) pieces. Cup your hand on top of one piece of dough. Gently press it against the counter in a tight circular motion until you have a smooth ball. Repeat with remaining dough. 

Dip each ball of dough in the melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat. Arrange dough in two to three layers in the prepared tube pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning (Christmas morning!), allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375˚F (conventional). Bake rolls until puffy and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Let rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes before unmolding. While still warm, invert the pan onto a serving platter or cake stand and tap to gently release the rolls. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.