Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls

Holidays are joyful opportunities to connect with our families and friends, to share a celebratory feast. Holidays are stressful tests of a cook's ingenuity. How can both statements be true? In my kitchen, there's a simple answer: I have only one oven and for big holiday meals, I'd prefer to have two or even three. How else can I manage pies, cookies, a roast, baked vegetable gratin and dinner rolls?

Finally, for the rolls, I've got the answer: Use my slow cooker! I've tested this thoroughly with a Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker from Hamilton Beach If you want to have fresh and amazingly good dinner rolls while your oven is in use with something else, these are for you. Cook them while the oven is in use and just before serving, run the rolls under the broiler to brown the tops.

Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls (with or without herbs)
by Maurita

Will make 9 large dinner rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/4 to 1/2 cup minced fresh herbs (optional)

2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
3 - 3 1/2 cups flour
Parchment paper
Cornmeal
Melted butter

In a mixing bowl stir together water and yeast.

Add herbs, salt, and flour; mix to combine. Don't bother to knead it, just make sure there aren't any streaks of dry flour. The dough will be sticky. Cover dough with a tea towel, and let rise until doubled in size, an hour or more.

Line a large slow cooker with parchment paper and sprinkle it liberally with cornmeal. Punch dough down, and divide it into 9 equal sections. Form each into a ball and distribute evenly in the base of the slow cooker.

Cover slow cooker and bake on high for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Your time for baking may vary. Check the rolls by gently poking the top. They should not feel like wet dough, but they won't be crusty - they'll be set, and not sticky on the tops. Remove from the slow cooker by means of the parchment paper.

Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter, and broil until crust is browned.