Kitchen Tips How To Baking How to Turn One Do-It-All Dough Into 8 Different Bread Variations It kind of looks like we robbed a bakery. But all the goodies you see here started with the same simple yeast dough. By Nichole Aksamit Nichole Aksamit Nichole is a skilled editor, writer, and leader with nearly 25 years of journalism experience—most of it in food media—and a passion for cooking, eating, and all things food. She has served as a professional restaurant critic and food writer at a major metropolitan newspaper, an instructor at an accredited culinary school, a cookbook editor for one of the world's largest media companies, and the editor in chief of Allrecipes magazine. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on October 15, 2021 Close Photo: Brie Passano Meet your new do-it-all dough! As so many Allrecipes community members have noted, this fabulous recipe (originally submitted by Donna West as Sweet Dinner Rolls) works for more than just dinner rolls. Donna made her dough in a bread machine. But we mixed it in a bowl, tested it to get the baking times and temps right for all of these variations, and rechristened it Do-It-All Dough. Give it a try and you'll see why! Do-It-All Dough Ingredients ½ cup water½ cup milk⅓ cup butter⅓ cup sugar (or just 3 tablespoons for a more savory dough)1 (.25-oz.) package active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)1 egg3¾ cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon salt Directions Stir together water, milk, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until mixture is 120 degrees F (49 degrees C) and butter is mostly melted. Stir well. Mix together warmed milk mixture and yeast in a large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.Beat egg into milk mixture with an electric mixer. Add about 2½ cups flour and the salt; beat at high speed 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 5 minutes. Dough should be moist but not sticky. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat dough's surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.Punch down, shape, and bake as desired. 8 Ways to Use Do-It-All Dough 01 of 08 Dinner Rolls Brie Passano Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Divide dough into 16 (two-ounce) balls; arrange in a lightly greased 9x9-inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour. Brush with melted butter and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Makes 16. 02 of 08 Sandwich Bread Brie Passano Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Pat dough into an 8x10-inch rectangle. Fold short sides toward center, like you'd fold a letter in thirds. Pinch seam to seal. Set in a lightly greased 4½x8½-inch loaf pan, seam side down. Cover and let rise one hour. Using a very sharp knife, make a long slash on top, running the length of the loaf and about ½ inch deep. Set pan in oven; immediately reduce temp to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake until deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Makes one loaf. 03 of 08 Breadsticks Brie Passano Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide dough into 16 (2-ounce) portions. Roll each portion into an 8-inch-long rope; arrange on two ungreased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour. If desired, lightly brush with melted butter and sprinkle with seasonings (such as chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese). Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Makes 16. 04 of 08 Crescent Rolls crescent roll. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Divide dough in half. Roll each portion out to a 12-inch circle. Spread each circle with 1 tablespoon of softened butter, leaving a 2-inch round in the center unbuttered; cut each circle into eight wedges. Roll up each wedge, from outer edge to point. Arrange on ungreased baking sheets, with points tucked under to prevent unfurling. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about hour hour. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Makes 16. 05 of 08 Pigs In a Blanket Brie Passano Use a half-batch of dough. (Reserve other half for another use.) Divide dough into four portions; roll each into a 7-inch circle and cut each circle into 12 wedges. Put a cocktail wiener on the wide end of one dough wedge and roll up from outer edge to point. Brush the point with egg wash (one egg beaten with one teaspoon of water) to help seal. Repeat with additional cocktail wieners and remaining dough wedges. Arrange on ungreased baking sheets, points tucked under to prevent unfurling. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Makes four dozen. 06 of 08 Flatbread Pizza Brie Passano Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Divide dough into four portions. Roll each portion into a 6x16-inch oval. Add desired toppings. Bake until edges are golden and crust is no longer doughy, about 13 minutes, or as directed in your favorite pizza recipe. Makes four crusts. 07 of 08 Cinnamon Rolls Brie Passano Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12x17-inch rectangle. Spread with ¼ cup of softened butter, leaving a 1-inch border along one long edge. In a small bowl, stir together ⅔ cup packed brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over buttered dough. Roll up dough, starting from the filled long side; pinch seam to seal tightly. Using a serrated knife, slice into 12 rolls. Arrange in a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Frost as desired. Makes one dozen. For Overnight Cinnamon Rolls: Prepare Cinnamon Rolls as directed in previous slide; but, after arranging the rolls in the pan, cover and chill overnight. In the morning, let rolls stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before baking and frosting as directed. Makes one dozen. 08 of 08 Pull-Apart Sweet Bread Brie Passano Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to form a 6x10-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle into six (10-inch) strips; cut each strip into 10 (1-inch) pieces. Gently shape each portion into a ball, tucking edges beneath. Roll balls in 1/3 cup melted butter, then in a mixture of ¾ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Arrange balls in a lightly greased fluted tube pan, stacking loosely. Drizzle with any remaining butter; sprinkle with any ¼ cup of caramel ice cream topping over all. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour. Set pan on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand one minute. Invert onto a large serving platter. Spoon any topping that remains in pan onto rolls. Serve warm. Serves 12. Editors' Notes Try a Cold Rise: Instead of letting the dough rise at room temperature, cover it and let it rise in the refrigerator up to two days. Let stand at room temp for one hour before punching down and shaping as desired. Go Savory: If you prefer, you can cut the sugar in the recipe from 1/3 cup to three tablespoons for more savory applications such as flatbread pizza, breadsticks, or dinner rolls. Related How to Bake the Best Yeast Breads Browse All Yeast Bread Recipes This article originally appeared in the October/November 2021 issue of Allrecipes Magazine. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit