Leftover Cranberry Sauce Dinner Rolls with a Bread Machine
Sneak Preview: Got leftover cranberry sauce? Use it in this easy Leftover Cranberry Sauce Dinner Rolls bread machine recipe! The dough is infused with jellied cranberry sauce and dried cranberries, making it ideal for leftover turkey or ham sliders.
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Satisfy the tradition of having cranberries on your Thanksgiving menu with these delicious Cranberry Dinner Rolls. If Thanksgiving is over and you have some leftover cranberry sauce, it’s the best excuse to make these rolls.
Five Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Dried sweetened cranberries intensify the taste
- Perfect slider buns for leftover turkey or ham sandwiches
- Add cheese or mustard for extra flavor (our “condiment family” favorite)
- Leftover rolls make a great breakfast treat with jelly or lemon curd.
- Mix in your bread machine using the DOUGH cycle
Happy Bakers Speak Up
“Great recipe. We loved it!”—MARY
Recipe Inspiration
Jellied cranberry sauce, the smooth and sweet kind you buy in a can from the grocery store, was a tradition in my husband’s family. He talks about it every Thanksgiving and likes to see it on our table.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- CRANBERRY SAUCE:
- Canned cranberry sauce (the smooth variety) is easiest
- MILK:
- First choice is whole milk (higher fat content)
- Swap 2%, skim or non-dairy milk
- The milk does not need to be warmed.
- EGG:
- Tested with “large” eggs
- Adjust the other liquids when using a different size
- SALT:
- Table salt or sea salt
- Prefer Kosher salt? Add ¼ teaspoon extra.
- Don’t leave out the salt.
- BUTTER:
- Unsalted butter.
- Swap hydrogenated shortening or margarine.
- Chop cold butter finely before adding (it doesn’t need to be warm)
- LEMONS:
- Fresh lemon rind is best
- Omit or sub orange zest
- FLOUR:
- All-purpose flour (unbleached)
- Swap for bread flour for chewier rolls
- YEAST:
- Bread machine or instant yeast is the easiest option.
- See recipe notes if using active dry yeast
- DRIED CRANBERRIES:
- Optional
- Substitute raisins, dried cherries, or dates
- Add toasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans if desired
Using a Bread Machine To Make Yeast Bread
If you are new to my blog, you may not know that I use my bread machine in a rather unorthodox way. I almost never use it for baking bread. The DOUGH cycle is my favorite way to mix, knead, and provide a warm place for the first rising of the dough.
If you are a bread machine beginner, be sure to read 6 Secrets for Bread Machine Beginners to get started on the right foot. You will only use the DOUGH cycle in all my yeast bread recipes.
After the dough cycle completes and the dough has doubled its original size, remove the dough to a floured surface. (If your kitchen is cold, the dough may need to sit in a warm place for a while longer to rise until it doubles.)
📌Kitchen Tip📌 Easy clean-up
Use a silicone baking mat as your “lightly floured surface” when shaping bread. When you’re done, clean-up is as easy as throwing the mat into the dishwasher.
What Is the Best Pan for Baking Yeast Rolls?
Gold Teflon-coated cake pans are perfect for baking homemade dinner rolls. The pans in the picture came from Williams-Sonoma. They will help your rolls brown perfectly on the bottom. USA cake pans are also favorites.
If you don’t have any gold pans or USA pans, at least use dark pans as opposed to light-colored pans for the best golden brown color on the rolls. If you don’t have two 8 or 9-inch cake pans, you could use a 9 x
📌Kitchen trick📌 for covering the rolls while they rise
Use cheap shower caps (like the kind you get at a hotel) to cover your rolls while they rise just before baking. You could use a tea towel, but these caps are just the right size and hold in the moisture better. They’re light enough to stand up, which gives the rolls plenty of room to grow without sticking to the plastic.
FAQ for Cranberry Yeast Bread
Yes. Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. Starting with the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Seal the seams and the end. Place the cylinder of dough seam side down into a prepared 8½ x 4½ inch loaf pan. Let the dough rise until it peeks over the edge. Bake at 350˚(180˚C) for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature measures 190-200˚F (88˚C).
Yes. After shaping the rolls or loaf, place the rolls on a baking sheet (or a loaf pan is making a loaf) and cover them with plastic wrap. Freeze until the rolls or loaf is hard. Remove the rolls from the pan and double-wrap.
When ready to bake, remove the rolls or loaf from the freezer and allow them to thaw and start to rise. When the rolls are puffy, bake as directed in the directions.
Parting Thoughts: Are you an adventurous bread maker? I thought you might be since you looked at this recipe. Check out these easy bread recipes for Dark Dinner Rolls (No Rye)–A Bread Machine Recipe, Herb and Garlic Yeast Rolls, and these Overnight Yeast Rolls with All-Bran. I think you’ll find any of these rolls a great addition to your dinner table.
Recipe Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.
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Leftover Cranberry Sauce Yeast Dinner Rolls: a Bread Machine Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup (296 g) jellied cranberry sauce
- ¼ cup (57 g) whole milk or half-and-half
- 1 large (50 g) egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter, chopped
- Grated rind from two medium lemons
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose unbleached flour
- 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast or instant yeast
- 1 cup (130 g) dried cranberries
Instructions
- Add all ingredients: 1 cup (296 g) jellied cranberry sauce, ¼ cup (57 g) whole milk or half-and-half, 1 large (50 g) egg, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ cup (57 g) butter, chopped, Grated rind from two medium lemons, 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose unbleached flour, and 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast or instant yeast, to the bread machine pan in the order given.
- Select the DOUGH cycle and push the start button.
- Check the dough at least twice during the mixing and kneading phase by lifting the lid to take a peek. The first time, look immediately after the machine starts mixing to ensure the paddles are engaged correctly. Look again 15 minutes into the DOUGH cycle to assess the consistency of the dough. For most recipes, the dough should stick to the side, then pull away cleanly.If your dough is too wet, add flour one tablespoon at a time.Conversely, if the dough is too dry, add one tablespoon of liquid at a time until the dough looks just right. Read more about this surprising secret to success with a bread machine here.
- When the machine beeps to indicate the best time for additions, add 1 cup (130 g) dried cranberries to the dough.
- When the dough cycle completes, remove dough from the bread machine and place it on a floured surface. (I prefer to use a silicone baking mat so I can throw it into the dishwasher when I’m done.)
- Divide dough into two equal pieces. Then divide each of those dough balls into 8 equal-sized portions and shape them into balls.
- Place balls into two 8-inch cake pans as pictured above.
- Cover rolls with a tea towel or cheap shower caps and let rolls rise for approximately 45 minutes or until almost double in size.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
- Bake rolls approximately 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.
- After removing rolls from the oven, let them sit in the pan for about 5-8 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. If you leave the hot rolls in the pan, they will become soggy on the bottom.
Notes
- 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. Using a dough hook, turn 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. This 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: You can substitute active dry yeast. Dissolving it first is optional. It tends to rise slower in the beginning but will catch up eventually.
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.