Golden Honey Rolls

These honey rolls are a no-knead yeast bread that comes together without shaping a single roll by hand. The dough is soft and sticky on purpose. You drop it by the tablespoon into greased round cake pans and let the rise do all the shaping work for you.

The topping is what gives these rolls their golden, slightly caramelized crust. A mixture of sugar, softened butter, honey, and egg white gets drizzled over the dough twice: once before the second rise, so it seeps into the crevices, and again right before baking for that glossy finish.

Heating the milk, oil, and honey together before mixing into the flour activates the yeast faster and helps the oil distribute evenly through the dough. Make sure the liquid is warm, not hot. Too much heat kills the yeast before it can do anything.

The dough rises twice, so plan for about 90 minutes of hands-off time before the rolls hit the oven.

Kitchen Tips

• The dough should be sticky. Resist adding extra flour. A wetter dough yields softer, more tender rolls.
• Grease the pans generously. The honey topping caramelizes and will stick if the pan isn’t well coated.
• Remove rolls from the pan immediately after baking. Letting them sit means the sugar topping hardens and glues them to the pan.
• Use an oiled spoon or wet fingers to drop the dough. It slides off much easier than with dry hands.

Variations

• Cinnamon honey rolls: Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the topping mixture.
• Whole wheat blend: Swap one cup of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor and denser crumb.
• Orange honey glaze: Replace the butter in the topping with fresh orange juice and add a teaspoon of orange zest.