Balloon Rolls

Every year at Thanksgiving, my grandma and I would make balloon rolls together (check out that flowered vest…I know you’re jealous!).  This type of roll was always a delight because it went into the oven with a solid center and came out hollow like a balloon.  I remember in fifth grade giving a demonstration speech on how to make them.  The balloon rolls were just one variety of yeast roll Grandma Ruth would make up for Thanksgiving dinner.  These yeast rolls, in all their variety, have come to be demanded and expected by my team on all special occasions.  Warning: those with any sort of aversion to large quantities of butter should turn away now.  Still reading?  Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you…

For balloon rolls, you need to start with a yeast dough.  I’m including Grandma Ruth’s secret recipe, but you could also use frozen dinner rolls.  Shhhh…I promise I won’t tell anyone.  If I could find frozen yeast rolls in my friendly neighborhood grocery store, I might just take the shortcut as well.  But alas, I use the following yeast dough recipe:

Yeast Dough

• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cakes or tablespoon yeast
• 1/2 shortening or butter
• 4-1/2 to 5 cups flour

Mix dissolve sugar in hot water, add in yeast.  Allow to sit for a few minutes.  Mix in warm water, butter/shortening, salt and eggs and mix thoroughly.  Gradually add flour in until dough can be handled (reserve about a cup of flour for kneading).  Knead dough for 5 minutes.  Place in greased bowl covered with a damp towel in a warm place.  Allow to rise until double (1-2 hours depending on temperature).  Will make 2 to 3 dozen rolls depending on size of roll.

Balloon rolls

Ingredients needed: Sorry, no exact measurements here!

• Melted butter
• Marshmallows
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon and sugar mixture

Roll out dough and cut into circles about 5 inches in diameter.  Improvise with cutter if needed (I use the largest circle I have…a coffee mug).

Rub a little melted butter on the center of each circle with your finger and add a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Grab a marshmallow and dunk it into the butter.  Butter and marshmallows?  This is getting good people.

Next roll the marshmallow in the brown sugar, giving it a nice thick coating.

Place marshmallow in center of dough circle and repeat until all circles have a marshmallow.

Pull up the dough around the marshmallow and pinch together.  At first it will look a little bit like a Chinese dumpling.

However, you want to pinch the dough together and seal it tightly.  Or else the melted marshmallow will leak out, resulting in two catastrophes: sticky hard to clean pans and wonderful sweet gooey goodness gone to waste.  I’m not sure which is worse.  The end product will look something like this.

Repeat until all circles are closed.

Next say a quick prayer for your arteries…and then…you guessed it…dunk that whole thing back into the butter.

Next roll it around in cinnamon and sugar, making sure to cover all sides.

Place the roll seam sized down in a muffin tin, or individual muffin cups.  These muffin cups have revolutionized my life.  I went from being able to fit six muffins/rolls/cupcakes in my oven at once to being able to fit TWELVE.  It’s the small things in life that bring me joy.

After all rolls are coated in butter and sugary goodness, cover them with a damp towel and allow them to rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.  Enjoy the wonderful sweet gooey-ness and marvel like a small child at the hollow center!