Homemade Butterhorns My Iowa Grandmother’s Recipe

My Iowa grandmother's recipe for Homemade Butterhorns – some people call them Thanksgiving Crescent Rolls, yes? – made with a rich yeast dough shaped in the familiar "cornucopia" shapes that so suit a Thanksgiving table. I like baking a mix of "mini" Homemade Butterhorns for Thanksgiving dinner and larger rolls for after-dinner turkey sandwiches!

An Old Family Recipe, Updated for Contemporary Tastes. Nothing Quite Like Homemade Bread Made from Scratch. An Easy Dough to Work With, Easy to Roll the Distinctive Butterhorn Shape. A Thanksgiving Essential.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

On My Mind: Up-Ending the Truths of Bread-Baking

So here’s my Big Question: What is Truth, anyway?

(A Small but Pertinent Question: What in heck does truth have to do with Homemade Butterhorns? Read on.)

Once upon a time, I minored in Economics. I even considered graduate school – until someone said I would “re-learn” four years of undergrad hard slogging. In Economics, you see, there is no Truth, just perspective.

And then my book club read the wonderful The Sparrow by author Maria Doria Russell.

Oh! we were so certain we understood the "truth" of the story – that is, until we read the second book, Children of God.

In literature, you see, Truth is personal, yours and mine may not match.

And now to Truth & Butterhorns.

For a couple of years now, the book Bread Matters by Andrew Whitley has hammered away at my bread-baking “truths” – up-ending much of what I felt certain was, well, certain.

For example, "my truth” is that bread dough is best mixed and kneaded by hand. (It’s only natural, really, given my family history, see the story in Best-Ever Oatmeal Bread.) But Whitley makes the case that a bread dough’s glutens develop better when dough is kneaded more quickly, a job for a standing mixer.

Bread Matters has me re-thinking the "truths" of bread-baking. It’s a book for experienced bread bakers, as it won’t really teach anyone “how” to make bread, and while there are recipes, its importance, I think, is in its early chapters.

RESOURCES

• Bread Matters: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own by Andrew Whitly, a must for serious bread bakers and students of bread-baking
• The Sparrow & Children of God by author Maria Doria Russell, my favorite books of all time, each read several times (ha! Amazon says I've purchased three sets over the years too!)
• My Disclosure Promise Affiliate Links

And Now for My Grandmother's Butterhorns

This is my Gramma Kellogg’s recipe, passed along by my cousin LeAnne who remembers that Gramma’s recipe came from someone else in the family. “Probably Great-grandmother Grove,” my 86-year old father says, “She was always working in the kitchen.”

Butterhorns are a "celebration" bread – that’s one made just once or twice a year for a special occasion, like Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday and Armenian Easter Bread for Easter and Pan de Muerto for Day of the Dead.

Homemade Butterhorns' cornucopia shape just suits Thanksgiving! The dough is rich and easy-easy to knead and roll out. I like to make a mix of mini rolls for dinner and some larger rolls for after-dinner sandwiches. If you can, gather people round for a roll or two as soon as they’re out of the oven, so lovely!

How to Make Homemade Butterhorns

It's a two-day process to make Butterhorns, including three rises instead of the usual two. For big meals like Thanksgiving, that's a plus! It means doing some of the work the day before the big meal.

DAY BEFORE BAKING
• Mix the dough
• Let the dough rise for the first time on the counter
• Let the dough rise the second time overnight and in the fridge

BAKING DAY
• Roll out and shape the dough
• Let the rolls rise the third and last time on the counter
• Bake the rolls
• Devour!

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Step-by-Step, Forming Homemade Butterhorns

After the dough rises the first time, it's time to shape the Butterhorns. This is where you'll be thinking, "Wow, this dough is a dream to work with."

• [left/top] Dust the counter with flour, just a bit, you may need just a little. The less flour, the more tender the Homemade Butterhorns.
• [center] Gently deflate the dough, use a fist to press it to release air, it's not a punch, although that's how it's often characterized, more a gentle deflation.
• [right/bottom] With your hands, shape the dough into a flat round, this makes it easier to roll out into a near-perfect round.

And then it's time to cut the dough into the separate pieces, each one will become a Butterhorn.

• [left/top] With a knife, cut the dough into 3 (for large butterhorns), 4 (for medium butterhorns) or 8 (for mini butterhorns) pieces each weighing roughly same amount. The number is up to you, it depends on what size and how many rolls you're making.
• [center] With a rolling pin, roll dough piece into a thin round of even thickness throughout.
• [right/bottom] With a pizza cutter or a knife, cut each round into 8 triangles. Now can you see where we're headed?

Now let's roll these Butterhorns!

• [left/top] Starting with wide end, roll each triangle toward the tip.
• [center] Leaving room for rolls to rise again, arrange the Butterhorns on the baking sheet, tip-side down.
• [right/bottom] Cover the Butterhorns with a clean towel and place it in a warm place for the last rise.

Uh Oh!

Always place the Butterhorns tip-side down on the baking sheet, otherwise, oops, this is what happens!

Bookmark! PIN! Share!

How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe for a special bread for Thanksgiving hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...

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HOMEMADE BUTTERHORNS RECIPE
(THANKSGIVING CRESCENT ROLLS)

Hands-on time: 25 minutes to mix, 25 minutes to roll plus occasional attention throughout
Time to table: 24 hours
Makes 24 large rolls, 32 medium rolls or 48 mini rolls

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick/112g) salted butter

• 3 large eggs, whisked well
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoons active-dry yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose or bread flour (fluffed to aerate before measuring ~or~ 500g plus ½ - 1 cup more
• 1 – 2 teaspoons table salt

• Vegetable oil for bowl
• Additional flour for rolling
• Melted butter for brushing

DAY BEFORE BAKING

MIX DOUGH In a saucepan, scald the milk (to “scald” milk means to gently heat it just to the boiling point, without allowing it to boil). Remove from heat, stir in the butter and let it all cool to lukewarm.

By hand or with an electric mixer, whisk the eggs until well broken up, then add the sugar and yeast. Gently blend in the cooled milk mixture. A cupful at a time, add 4 cups flour and salt and blend in well. A quarter cup at a time, add more flour until a workable dough begins to form, drawing away from sides of bowl.

KNEAD Either in the mixer using the dough hook or by hand, knead for 5 minutes.

FIRST RISE Set the dough aside to clean and lightly oil the bowl with vegetable oil. Put the dough back in, roll the dough inside bowl to cover the outer surface with oil (this prevents cracking as the ball of dough expands as it rises). Cover the bowl with a clean towel and place in a warm spot to rise. Let the dough rise until about double in size, how long this takes depends on many factors, especially the temperature of the room.

SECOND COLD RISE With a fist, gently deflate the dough until compact. Transfer to a refrigerator container large enough for the dough to double in size again and refrigerate overnight.

BAKING DAY

FORM ROLLS Here's how to roll out the dough to form the distinctive cornucopia shapes.

But first, with a fist, gently deflate the dough until compact. Cut the dough into three (for large rolls) or four (medium rolls) or eight (mini rolls) pieces weighing roughly the same. With your hands, shape each piece into a flat round.

Lightly sprinkle flour over a clean work surface. With a rolling pin, roll a piece into a large thin round. With a pizza cutter or a knife, cut into eight triangles. Starting at the wider end, roll each triangle. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet, tip-side down, leaving room for rolls to rise.

LAST RISE When the baking sheet is full, cover with a clean, lightweight towel and let rise in a warm place until rolls are slightly puffy.

BAKE Heat oven to 400F/200C. Bake the rolls until golden, about 10 minutes.

BRUSH While still warm, brush the center section (not the entire top) of each roll with butter, this gives the butterhorns a golden glossy appearance without making the entire roll too soft.

ALANNA’s TIPS Keep the dough a bit wet and sticky, it makes for more tender rolls. I have skipped the first rise entirely and the rolls turn out fine. This means you can mix the rolls right before bed! I do like to bake Butterhorns as close to dinnertime as possible. For Thanksgiving, that means they’re baked in that small window before the side dishes go into the oven. But hmm, since Homemade Butterhorns only bake for 10 minutes, surely it should be possible to serve them hot from the oven? I’m going to work on that this year! New Truth?!

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2013/11/homemade-butterhorns-recipe.html .

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Mini/Medium/Large Butterhorn: 79/105/158 Calories; 3/3/5g Tot Fat; 2/2/3g Sat Fat; 19/25/38mg Cholesterol; 93/124/187mg Sodium; 11/15/22g Carb; 0/1/1g Fiber; 3/4/6g Sugar; 2/3/4g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS WW Old Points 2/2/3 & PointsPlus 2/2/4 & SmartPoints 3/3/6 & Freestyle 3/4/6 & MyWW green 3/4/6 & blue 3/4/6 & purple 3/4/6 & future WW points.

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Seasonal Cooking: Thanksgiving Ideas, Across the Years

Mashed Potatoes & Carrots Mashed Rutabagas & Apples Flaky Tender Pie Crust How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust (photo tutorial) (<< readers love this!) Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast Make-Ahead Fresh Green Bean Casserole Six Thanksgiving Menus How to Dry-Brine and Roast a Whole Turkey Sausage Stuffing Pumpkin-Stuffed Lasagna Rolls Homemade Butterhorns (Thanksgiving Crescent Rolls) Pumpkin Cheesecake

This Week, Elsewhere

~ Carrot Cake ~
from Tower Restaurant at Queeny Tower at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
~ more St. Louis Restaurant Recipes ~
My Weekly Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

~ Butternut Squash Lasagna with Butternut Bechamel & Roasted Butternut Squash ~
~ more Recent Recipes ~
A Veggie Venture

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The Bread of Life: More Recipe Ideas for Thanksgiving Breads

more
~ homemade bread recipes ~

~ Six Thanksgiving Menus ~
~ more Thanksgiving Recipes, Menus & More ~
~ My Very Best Thanksgiving Vegetable Recipes ~

• THE RECIPE Homemade Yeast Rolls My mom's soft, golden "ice cream pail" buns.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Butterhorns (Thanksgiving Crescent Rolls) My grandmother's recipe, rolled in the traditional cornucopia shape.

• THE RECIPE Cranberry Walnut Bread Special for the holidays, a barely sweet yeast bread studded with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.
• ANOTHER TAKE Hot Cross Buns Sweet buns traditional for Easter.

• THE RECIPE Soft Rolls for Sandwiches (NOLA-Style French Rolls) Especially for extra-good sandwiches, crispy crusts, soft interiors.
• ANOTHER TAKE Light & Fluffy Homemade Whole-Grain Bread & Buns The light and fluffy texture that so many people prefer.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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