Commercial Yeast Recipes

Parmesan Herb Christmas Tree Rolls

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With Christmas around the corner, I am always looking for easy ways to bring a little festive cheer to our dinner table. These Christmas tree rolls are just delicious rolls nestled close together in the shape of a Christmas Tree on parchment paper. The parmesan herb topping gives a little green speckled color to them and a whole lot of delicious flavor. You could use any roll recipe to make this festive Christmas tree shape, like these white dinner rolls or these quick yeast rolls, but I am partial to the parmesan herb topping that take these Christmas tree rolls over the top. 

Jump to Parmesan Herb Christmas Tree Rolls Recipe

Mixing and Kneading the Dough

The dough is mixed up using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. You can also knead this dough by hand if you don’t have a mixer, though it will take some arm muscle to knead for about 8-10 minutes. The dough should come together nicely and be slightly tacky to the touch. Add more flour, a little at a time (a Tablespoon or so), as needed throughout the kneading process. You should be able to pinch off a piece of dough, roll it up in your fingers and have just a little sticky residue left over. If you have lots of stickiness on your hands, you need to keep adding flour just a Tablespoon or two at a time. Over-flouring the dough is one of the ways you get tough rolls…and nobody wants that! You can check this post for tips on how to know when your dough is ready. I like to set a timer and let my mixer go to work for about 8-10 minutes, adding little bits of flour as needed, to make sure the dough is properly kneaded, which develops the gluten and makes for some pretty amazing bread.

Parmesan Herb Topping

After the dough has risen, mix up the parmesan herb topping. The parmesan inside the dough and the parmesan mixed with butter, oil and herbs give these rolls delicious flavor. You can substitute almost any hard cheese for these rolls and they will turn out delicious. Separate the dough into 22 pieces. These are good-sized rolls. Pull up the edges of the dough into the center forming a ball and roll on the counter top to form a ball shape.

You can watch how I shape rolls in the video below:

Now for the messy part: dip each shaped roll into the parmesan herb topping and turn it around covering it completely with the mixture. Place the roll at the top center of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the rest of the rolls and continue the Christmas tree shape down the parchment paper.

Christmas Tree Shape

For the Christmas tree shape, I had six rows of rolls, adding a roll every time as I went down the parchment paper and ending with six rolls on my bottom row. If you want a smaller Christmas tree, you can do four or five rows instead and bake up the extra rolls on a separate baking sheet. Take the last piece of roll dough (your 22nd roll) and pat it into a square shape for the tree stem. Place it in the middle underneath the row of 6 rolls. 

Parchment Paper 

These rolls will rise a lot in the oven. They make good-sized, light and fluffy dinner rolls. The parchment paper is important because it makes it much easier for you transfer the rolls all together off the baking sheet. Once the rolls are baked, pull them out of the oven and brush melted butter over the top if desired. After cooling for a few minutes, slide the whole piece of parchment paper with the rolls on top off the baking sheet and display however you would like for your Christmas meal.

Pull Apart Rolls

Expect oohs and aahs as you reach in and pull apart these rolls. The soft dough makes for a springy, delicious roll, and the parmesan herb topping adds a delicious savory element. These rolls would pair perfectly with a charcuterie board or for a special Christmas dinner. They are festive and are so fun to pull apart from each other, slather with some butter and enjoy.

No matter what roll recipe you use this Christmas, this Christmas tree shape is so much fun to make and is an easy way to bring a little flair to a special meal. And if you don’t want to make a Christmas tree shape, no worries! These rolls bake up perfectly on a baking sheet or cut into 24 pieces and baked 12 to a baking dish. I hope you love these as much as we do!

Parmesan Herb Christmas Tree Rolls

Amy
Light fluffy and tender dinner rolls filled with parmesan herb flavor and shaped as a Christmas tree for some festive fun.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 22 rolls

Ingredients
  

Roll Dough

  • 2 cups warm water baby's bathwater temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil any neutral-flavored oil will work
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 5 ½ – 6 cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup parmesan cheese

Parmesan Herb Topping

  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • To the bow of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add two cups of warm water and the instant yeast.
  • Add the vegetable oil and honey (in that order so the honey will slide right out of the measuring spoon).
  • Add the salt and three cups of flour. Mix together. Add the parmesan cheese and continue adding the flour up to five cups total. Continue kneading and add the last cup of flour as needed. The dough should be tacky and not overly sticky on your fingers. Pinch off a piece of dough and roll it up into a ball. There should be just a little bit of sticky residue on your fingers. You can check this post for how to tell if the dough is ready.
  • Knead for 8-10 minutes (set a timer and let your mixer go) adding flour a Tablespoon at a time as needed.
  • Transfer dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and let rise about an hour.
  • While the dough rises, mix up the parmesan herb topping in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Cover a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
  • Once the dough has risen, punch it down. Turn the dough out on the counter and separate it into twenty-two equal-sized pieces of dough.
  • Roll each piece of dough into a ball by pulling the dough into the center, forming a tight ball.
  • Roll each ball, covering it completely, in the parmesan herb mixture.
  • Place the first ball at the top of the parchment paper. Continue forming balls, rolling them in the mixture and placing on the parchment paper in a triangle/tree shape starting with 1 ball on top to 6 balls on the bottom. Form the last ball into a rectangular shape for the base of the tree.
  • Let the dough rise about 30-45 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes. Brush with melted butter if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Notes: These rolls are delicious on their own but even more fun placed in the shape of a Christmas tree for the holidays.
Keyword Parmesan Herb, rolls, yeast rolls,
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3 Comments

  1. Kris Larsen

    These rolls look delicious! And such a festive addition! Thanks for sharing!! 🍞🎄😋

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