Can I let my rolls rise in the fridge overnight?

[AnneInMpls]

I made the mistake, last Thanksgiving, of making these Sweet Potato - Dried Cherry Rolls from Bon Appétit (as listed on Epicurious).

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/rec...

They were such a huge hit that I have been ordered to make them again this year. But I'm going to two dinners, back to back, and won't have time to both make the dough and bake the rolls on Thanksgiving morning.

Can I make the dough the day before, and let the rolls rise in the refrigerator overnight? Will that work? Do I need to adjust the baking time to work with cold rolls? Will this be a complete flop?

Please help me with your make-ahead tips for fresh-baked rolls, especially ideas for adapting this recipe to my time crunch. (There's no way I'm getting up at 6 am on Thanksgiving morning!

)

Thanks,
Anne

[daveklop]

I used to make refrigerator rolls frequently and they worked very well every time. I'm pretty sure the recipe came from the '75 edition of the Joy of Cooking.

[lauramartin]

I am doing my first thanksgiving dinner since my transplant to the uk. I've always made the refrig. rolls from joy of cooking, but it seems like my (dog eared, torn, stained) copy didn't make the trip with me. I would LOVE the recipe if you have it. Thaks. Laura

[JasmineG]

Just wanted to thank you for posting this question: I was intrigued by the recipe, and so made a test batch tonight before Thanksgiving (as ordered by my mother, who was suspicious). I subbed dried cranberries (from the bulk bin of the market, not the packaged ones, they're sweetened) for the cherries, and the rolls are fantastic! I'm ashamed to admit that I've already had three tonight. I'm definitely doubling this and making these for Thanksgiving.

[AnneInMpls]

Cranberries sound like a great variation. Making lots is an even better idea - my family fought over the rolls last year.

And don't be ashamed of eating lots - everyone does it; they're too good to resist. (Didn't I warn you?)

Anne

[missmasala]

according to the recipe, you can bake them ahead of time and freeze. why not parbake them a few days or a week ahead and then finish them off on thanksgiving day.

that said, i think an overnight rise in the fridge should be fine.

[AnneInMpls]

Thanks for the info! I'll give the fridge method a try.

It would probably be sensible to make a test batch before the event, but these rolls are dangerous. I'd eat them all myself. (The recipe really should say "serves one".)

Thanks,
Anne

[JasmineG]

And thanks for posting the link to the recipe! That might be an addition to my Thanksgiving menu.

[HaagenDazs]

I think you'd actually benefit from a fridge rise. The extra time allows for more flavor development. There should be no extra tricks, just allow some extra time for your dough to come back to room temp.

[JasmineG]

I would assume that that would work -- I've converted other recipes (especially cinnamon roll ones) to do the rise overnight in the fridge with no ill effects, and a number of roll recipes are already written that way. Can you do a test batch before Thanksgiving to make sure?