“I got up at 5 a.m. to put the turkey in the oven.” “I made a dozen pies.” “There was so much traffic this morning!”
It’s 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning and the family is starting to trickle in. They’ve all been up early. Crankiness is in the air. But I have the cure: Great-Aunt Patty’s Ten O’Clock Rolls are in the oven, and the coffee’s ready to serve.
Ten O’Clock Rolls are a tradition in our family, and have been for over 30 years. Aunt Patty and Uncle Herb had come up from their home in eastern Oklahoma to visit over Thanksgiving. It was big deal when they came for a holiday, and I clearly remember the year these rolls made their debut.
The rolls are magic. They’re a perfect ‘second breakfast’, loaded with gooey caramelized sauce. We put nuts on ours too. Sweet, but not too rich, leftover rolls are perfect paired with hot cereals the next day. (So I hear. We rarely have leftovers.)
You’ll start your Ten O’Clock rolls at 10:00 p.m. the night before you want to serve them. Throw a few simple ingredients in a Bundt or one-piece angel food cake pan, let the rolls rise overnight, and in the morning, bake them off when you’re ready. I guarantee they’ll be a go-to tradition in your house too!
Ten O’Clock Rolls
24 frozen dinner rolls (white, or mix of white and wheat)
1 3-oz. package butterscotch pudding, cook and serve type
3/4 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (if desired)
Around 10 p.m., pour nuts into buttered Bundt or tube pan.
Press some nuts around sides of pan.
Drop dinner rolls in pan, directly onto nuts.
Sprinkle butterscotch pudding over rolls.
Melt 3/4 stick of butter (6 tablespoons) in a medium sized bowl.
Stir 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and (if desired) 1 teaspoon nutmeg into butter until well mixed. Pour butter/sugar mixture over rolls.
Place thin tower or paper toweling over pan, and let rise overnight in a on cool place on your kitchen counter.
In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, let sit 10 minutes to cool. Turn out onto dish or tray. Be careful—the caramelized sauce and nuts will still be very hot!
Don’t worry if the rolls don’t stay in a perfect ring. (See photo at right.) They’ll still be tasty.
