Fantans: A Buttery Yeast Roll with Yogurt Made in a Bread Machine
Sneak Preview: These buttery Fantans are a pull-apart dinner roll with yeast. They are easy to put together with a bread machine. Yogurt or buttermilk is the secret ingredient.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
My husband’s family always had “Brown and Serve” rolls for holiday meals. So he gets excited when I pull these golden brown fantans out of the oven.
They remind him of the inexpensive grocery store rolls his mom served with a big pat of butter melted in the middle. But leftover rolls with cold melted butter are soggy, greasy, and look like something the baby has been teething on. Ahem.
These homemade rolls with all those vertical layers in a fan shape are so much better!
If you want inspiration and exclusive tips, add your email and press the button. (Don't worry. I won't sell your email.)
If you don’t have a bread machine, you can still make these rolls by hand or with a stand mixer. See the notes at the bottom of the recipe.
How to use a bread machine to make these yeast rolls:
When making dinner rolls with a bread machine, use the DOUGH cycle to mix, knead and proof the dough. At the end of the DOUGH cycle, remove the dough, shape it, and let it rise again. Then, bake the rolls in your conventional oven.
If you haven’t fallen in love with bread machines yet, read about the five reasons I love my bread machine.
Go pull out your bread machine. It’s a miracle worker if you know how to use it. If you don’t have one, they are available for cheap at many thrift stores, garage sales, and E-bay.
A stray remark about bread machines might even uncover one in somebody’s cupboard they never use. It doesn’t need to be fancy. I don’t recommend baking in them anyway, so only a dough cycle is required.
Ingredients and substitutions:
- Water: Cool tap water works best.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar or mild honey. I haven’t tested any other substitutes
- Yogurt: Unflavored regular yogurt is called for in the recipe. If you only have Greek yogurt, thin it out with yogurt whey or milk to match the consistency of buttermilk. Or use buttermilk if that’s what you have.
- Salt: I always use table salt or sea salt. If you want to use Kosher salt, add ¼ teaspoon extra. Please don’t leave the salt out. It regulates the yeast and keeps the bread from being bland.
- Butter: Don’t melt the butter before adding it to the bread. It doesn’t need to be warm. I like to chop it up finely using a table knife. The heat of the dough will melt the butter. I usually use unsalted butter, but if you have salted butter, that will work, too
- Flour: You can use either all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe. I use the same amount either way. Please weigh the flour with a digital kitchen scale for the best results.
- Yeast: I always use bread machine yeast or instant yeast (they are the same). If you want to use active dry yeast, see the notes at the end of the recipe.
How to make the dough for fantan dinner rolls with yeast:
How to shape and bake these yogurt fan-tans:
FAQ about fantans made with yogurt:
Yogurt tenderizes bread dough and will help your rolls rise a bit higher and a little faster. Three wins! Besides that, I always have yogurt on hand since I make it myself.
Make the dough a day ahead of time using the DOUGH cycle on your bread machine. Deflate the dough. Use a container double the size of the volume of your dough. Cover tightly and store in the fridge overnight.
Two to three hours before baking the rolls, remove the chilled dough from the fridge and shape the rolls. If you prefer, allow the dough to come to room temperature before shaping. I think the dough is easier to handle when it’s cold.
Let the rolls rise until almost double. Bake in a preheated oven.
Roll the dough into a circle, then cut the circle (like a pie) into 6 equal pie shapes. Start rolling from the wide end to make butter horn rolls. You can see rolls shaped like this on my Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls Recipe. Place your rolls on a baking sheet. Let rise and bake as directed in the recipe.
Parting Thoughts: In the past, I used smaller muffin pans. Now that I have the larger USA muffin pans, I find that cutting the dough into 4 long pieces fills the cup better than cutting it into 6 pieces.
I’ve also deleted the directions to butter the dough before cutting the strips. With butter, the rolls tend to fall apart. Without butter, the layers hold together better. I still brush them with butter after the rolls are baked.
If you have questions or suggestions, email me privately for a quick answer: Paula at saladinajar.com. Hope to see you again soon!
Fantans: A Bread Machine Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup water - 76 g
- 1 tablespoon mild honey (21 g) or sugar - 13 g
- ¾ cup plain yogurt or buttermilk - 170 g
- 1-1/2 teaspoons table or sea salt - 6 g
- 4 tablespoons butter, chopped - 56 g
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour - 360 g
- 2 teaspoons bread machine or instant yeast - 6 g
Instructions
Assembling the dough
- Place all ingredients into the pan of a bread machine in the order given. Select the DOUGH cycle.
- Open the lid and take a peek in the first minute of the DOUGH cycle. Make sure the paddle(s) is engaged correctly and that the dough is starting to clump.
- Recheck the dough after the machine has been running for about 12-15 minutes. The dough should stick to the sides, then pull away cleanly. If the dough is a firm ball that rides freely on the post or bounces around, add water one tablespoon at a time. If the dough is very sticky and gooey, add a flour a tablespoon at a time until it begins to take shape and cleans the pan but is still tacky.
- At the end of the dough cycle, the dough should be doubled in size. If it has not doubled, leave it in the bread machine until it does before proceeding.
Shaping the rolls:
- Remove the dough from the pan and divide it in half. Form each half into two smooth, round balls and let them rest (covered) for 5 minutes.
- Roll out each dough ball on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin into a 10-inch square. Keep the remaining dough ball covered while you work.
- Cut it into four equal strips. A pizza cutter works well for this. Stack strips, buttered sides up, and cut crosswise into six equal pieces. (See pictures in the post if you're confused.)
- Turn each layered section on its side and lay it into a muffin cup. Repeat the same steps with the other ball of dough.
- Cover rolls with a kitchen towel or clear cellophane and let them rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and dough fills cups. It usually takes 30-45 minutes.
- Bake rolls at 375˚F (190˚C)until golden brown for 20-25 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter, if desired.
Notes
- If using thick or Greek yogurt, add milk to thin it closer to the consistency of buttermilk. Then measure out 3/4 cup.
- To make this recipe in a heavy-duty stand mixer: Add ingredients to the bowl in the same order. Turn on LOW to mix until all ingredients are moistened. Then, using a dough hook, turn the speed to 2 or 3. Continue beating/kneading until dough becomes smooth and elastic (about 5-10 minutes). Cover and allow to rise in a warm place. Deflate dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
- If making by hand: Combine all ingredients into a shaggy ball in a large bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead with your hands until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Kneading will likely take 10-20 minutes, depending on your experience. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise until double. Deflate the dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
- Please note: If you only have active dry yeast, use 1/4 teaspoon more than called for in the recipe. It no longer needs to be dissolved first, but you can if you prefer.
Paula Rhodes, author
I’m a retired home economist, wife, mother, grandmother, and creator of Saladinajar.com. I believe you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Here you’ll find time-saving tips, troubleshooting advice, and confidence-inspiring recipes to make life in the kitchen more fun, appetizing, and satisfying.