Pull-Apart Stuffing Rolls Recipe

The Food Lab

Unraveling the mysteries of home cooking through science.

Yield:Serves 8 to 10
Active time:30 minutes
Total time:5 hours (or up to overnight)
Rated: 3.0

This recipe appears in:

The Food Lab: How to Make Pull-Apart Stuffing-Flavored Rolls

Buttery, tender, and packed with stuffing flavor, these pull-apart rolls will be the star of the Thanksgiving spread. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

It's no question that stuffing is the best thing on the Thanksgiving table. It's also no question that these Easy Pull-Apart Pepperoni Garlic Knots are the most stupidly delicious easy recipe I've come up with so far this year. So what happens when you take the idea of a pull apart garlic knot and mix it up with the flavors of stuffing? A bit of Thanksgiving magic, that's what.

Why this recipe works:

Building a concentrated flavor base adds plenty of flavor to the exterior of the bread, while knotting the dough allows that flavor to seep deeper into nooks and crannies.
Letting the rolls rise until pressed together in a casserole dish makes for extra-moist bread that is fun to pull apart when eating.

Note: Other cured meats cut into fine dice like bacon, pancetta, or chorizo can be used in plate of the sausage. Because of how intensely flavored these rolls are, this is a case where store-bought dough (which is often under-seasoned) works just as well as homemade. So feel free to take the easy road here and use pre-made pizza dough--you won't be sacrificing any flavor.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, divided
8 ounces sage sausage or breakfast sausage, removed from casings (see note above)
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound homemade or store-bought pizza dough (see note above)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and mash with stiff whisk or potato masher to break up into fine pieces (largest pieces should be no greater than 1/4-inch). Cook, stirring frequently until only a few bits of pink remain, about 8 minutes. Add onions, celery, garlic, and sage and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer contents to a large bowl and set aside until completely cool.
2.

While filling cools, make knots. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into two even pieces. Working one piece at a time, roll or stretch into an oblong strip about 8 inches long and 4 inches wide. With a bench scraper or knife, cut crosswise into 12 strips. Repeat with other half of dough.
3.

Tie each strip into a knot and transfer to bowl with sausge mixture. Toss and fold with your hands until every knot is thoroughly coated in mixture. Grease a 9- by 13-inch casserole pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Transfer the knots to the casserole dish in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, cover tightly with plastic, and set aside until doubled in size, about 4 hours. Alternatively, refrigerate until doubled in size, 12 to 16 hours.
4.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°F and adjust oven rack to center position. Unwrap rolls. Transfer to oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes.
5.

When rolls are almost ready, melt remaining tablespoon butter in the microwave or stovetop. Remove rolls from oven and immediately brush butter. Serve with gravy and cranberry sauce on the side.