Southern Butter Rolls

In the Pantheon of Southern baked goods, Southern Butter Rolls might rise to the top due to the ingenuity and resourcefulness it probably took to make these: They are one part biscuit and one part cinnamon rolls, and they're baked in a supremely simple sauce that turns beautifully rich and custardy when cooked.

In short, Southern Butter Rolls are probably unlike any other breakfast or brunch breads you've ever had.

Learn how to make butter rolls. You wouldn't be alone if this is the first time you've been introduced to Southern Butter Rolls. They even stumped us.

Where Did Butter Rolls Originate?

The origins of the dish are a little hazy, with some people pinpointing it to northern Mississippi and Memphis. It may not even be all that well known outside that particular corner of the South, but we have a feeling once others try this recipe, it'll start showing up on more potlucks and party tables in all the states.

Ingredients for Southern Butter Rolls

Classic baking ingredients are used for this recipe, plus a few things for the rich sauce. Here's what you need for the dough:

• All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the rolls and creates a great crumb when baked.
• Baking powder: Helps the dough to rise into a fluffy roll.
• Salt: Just a bit of salt is needed to balance the dough against the sweet filling and sauce.
• Vegetable shortening: This helps make the rolls extra flaky and delicate.
• Cold water: Cold water keeps the shortening cold while you're making the dough.

For the filling, you should grab:

• Butter: This is the base for the sugary-spiced filling.
• Dark brown sugar: For deeper flavor, we like dark brown sugar, but you can use light brown sugar instead.
• Cinnamon and nutmeg: Adds great spice to even out sweetness.
  

For the sauce, you'll finish up with:

• Whole milk: The higher fat milk make the final sauce rich and creamy.
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and thickens up the sauce.
• Vanilla extract: Balances the sauce with warm flavors of vanilla.

How To Make Southern Butter Rolls

If you love cinnamon rolls or sticky buns but loathe the long wait of a yeast bread rise, you'll love this recipe's little secret: a biscuit-like dough. Indeed, these rolls are made with flour, baking powder, and shortening. Water helps bring everything together, and you can have the dough ready in just 10 minutes if you're good at cutting shortening into flour.

Once the dough is made, it's rolled out, slathered with butter, and sprinkled with a spice blend. Then, the dough is rolled from the long side and cut into a dozen individual rolls. (See what we mean about the connection to cinnamon rolls?) Finally, the rolls are placed in a baking dish and covered with a simple milk-and-sugar sauce.

And while it may be simple, that sauce is going to do dreamy things once in the oven. The rolls will soak up some of it, turning the dough fluffy and rich. The rest of the sauce will caramelize and make a beautiful sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. If everyone fights over that golden brown dream sauce, don't blame us.

When To Serve Butter Rolls

Is "any time" a good answer to this question? They do take a little over an hour to make, so this may not be the dish for a Tuesday morning. But since you don't have to wait on a yeast dough to rise, this would be great on a Saturday or Sunday before ball games or church.

It's also special enough to bring out at Easter, Mother's Day, even Christmas, when you've got to really show off your skills. We know once your friends and family try these unique rolls, they'll be asking for them again and again. Good thing they're so darn easy to make.