Homemade Butter Fan Rolls
These butter fan rolls deliver tender, flaky layers in every bite. You'll build the dough with an enriched egg-and-butter base, stack buttered strips for signature pull-apart petals, and bake up a dozen golden rolls that make any meal feel special.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk 110°F / 43°C
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, divided
Instructions
- Combine warm milk, sugar, egg, egg yolk, and yeast in a stand mixer bowl. Let sit until foamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add flour and salt. Knead on medium-low with the dough hook for 2 minutes until shaggy.
- Add softened butter one piece at a time, mixing after each addition. Knead until dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl, about 5 minutes total.
- Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours.
- Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Deflate dough and divide into two equal balls.
- Roll one ball into a 15x12-inch rectangle. Cut vertically into 6 strips, each 2½ inches wide.
- Brush 5 strips with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Stack them, unbuttered strip on top, and cut crosswise into 6 stacks.
- Place each stack cut-side up in a muffin cup. Repeat with remaining dough and 1 tablespoon melted butter.
- Cover and let rolls rise until doubled, 1¼ to 1½ hours. Heat oven to 350°F with rack in upper-middle position.
- Bake until golden brown, 20–25 minutes, rotating tin halfway through. Brush with remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter.
- Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- For a make-ahead option, shape rolls in the tin, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Let rise 1–2 hours at room temp before baking.
- Active dry yeast: use 1¼ tablespoons and add 5–10 minutes to each rise.
- No stand mixer? Mix by hand and knead on the counter for 8–10 minutes until smooth.
- Freeze cooled rolls individually wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat at 300°F for 10 minutes.
- Rotate the tin halfway through baking for even browning.