A delicious symbol of the Easter story…Resurrection Rolls are not only a treat for the taste buds but also a meaningful way to engage loved ones in the spirit of the season.
The Story Behind Resurrection Rolls
Resurrection Rolls, also known as Empty Tomb Rolls, offer a hands-on experience to illustrate the story of Jesus’ resurrection.
Each ingredient represents a part of the narrative:
- Marshmallow: Symbolizes Jesus’ body.
- Butter and Cinnamon-Sugar: Represent the oils and spices used to anoint His body.
- Dough: Signifies the linen wrapping.
- Oven: Denotes the tomb.
- Hollow Roll: Emulates the empty tomb on Easter morning.
As you prepare and bake these rolls, it’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the story they represent and the shared moments that make this Easter both educational and delicious.
Incorporating Resurrection Rolls into your Easter celebrations adds a layer of meaning and joy to the holiday. This simple yet profound baking activity brings families together, creating lasting memories and reinforcing the significance of the season.
How to make Empty Tomb Rolls
1. Prepare ingredients to assemble: butter, cinnamon sugar, marshmallows, and the dough.
2. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Stretch out each piece into a square, just big enough to wrap a marshmallow around.
3. Dip the marshmallow in butter, then cinnamon sugar, and then place in center of stretched dough.
4. Pinch the marshmallow inside; seal tight.
5. Dip the sealed roll in butter and cinnamon sugar.
6. Place in a 9×13 pan, loosely cover, rise for about 30 minutes, then bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prepare Resurrection Rolls ahead of time? There are a couple ways to do this recipe in advance. The first way is by making the dough the 1-3 days before and refrigerating them. Then when you are ready, let them sit and rise to (at least mostly) room temperature (about 1 hour) before assembling and baking.
The second way is, you can assemble the rolls a few hours in advance and refrigerate them until ready to bake. Allow them to come to room temperature (1-2 hours) before baking for even cooking.
What if the marshmallow leaks out during baking? Some leakage is normal, but always make sure the dough is sealed tightly around the marshmallow to minimize this from happening. I find that pinching the seams firmly and placing the seam side down on the baking sheet helps contain the filling.
Can I use store-bought dough instead of homemade? Absolutely! I prefer homemade dough over store-bought dough, since homemade dough enhances the flavor and texture of your Resurrection Rolls. But if you don’t have the time to do homemade bread dough, you can get Rhodes roll dough and that works great.
How do I store leftover Resurrection Rolls? Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. If you’d like to keep them longer, refrigerate them for up to a week and reheat in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
Can I freeze Resurrection Rolls? Yes! Bake the rolls as directed, let them cool completely, and store them in a freezer-safe container for up to one month. To reheat, warm them in the oven at 300°F for about 5 minutes or until heated through.
Can I make Resurrection Rolls gluten-free? You could use a gluten-free crescent dough or make your own gluten-free dough from scratch- I don’t have a gluten free bread recipe but there are so many out there. Just ensure it’s pliable enough to wrap around the marshmallow and seal properly.
Need More Easter Dinner Recipe Ideas?
I personally will use a full recipe of my dinner roll recipe and make half of them into my dinner rolls and the other half the Resurrection rolls. But here are other recipes that I also love making for Easter!
Resurrection Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm whole milk at about 110 degrees F any other milk will work; fattier the better
- 1 ½ tsp. yeast
- 2 Tbsp. honey or sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 large egg
- About 3 cups all purpose flour*
Cinnamon-Sugar & Marshmallow
- 12 large Marshmallows
- 2 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp. melted butter
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer* with a dough hook, place the warm milk (think baby bath water warm), yeast, and honey/sugar together. If you are using standard dry yeast, wait about 5 minutes to ensure it’s activating (yeast will begin to foam). If you’re using instant, you can proceed to the next step.
- Turn the mixer on and add about 1 cup of flour. Mix together. Add salt, softened butter and egg. Continue to mix on low.
- Slowly add the remaining flour. In pouring your last cup, do so slowly, watching the dough. (*Every brand of flour will perform slightly different, as well as elevation and humidity – so watch he dough more than the measurement!)When you've added enough flour, the dough will be soft and just slightly sticky. It will barely start pulling away from the bowl. Leave the mixer on for an additional 8-10 minutes to knead.
- Take your dough hook out, and cover the bowl to let the dough rest and rise for 45-60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- While you are waiting for bread to proof, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Melt the butter. Set aside.
- Grease a 9×13 pan. When the dough has doubled, place it on a floured work surface.
- Split your dough into 12 even sized dough pieces. Roll out each piece into to a flat circle.
- Roll each marshmallow in the melted butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place each cinnamon sugar coated marshmallow in the middle of each dough circle and pinch the dough closed around the marshmallow.
- After sealing the dough around the marshmallow completely, roll the dough ball around in your hand to smooth out the sealed end. Then roll the dough ball in the melted butter and then cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.
- Place the shaped dough seam-side down on the greased 9×13" pan, and continue to shape and cover the remaining dough, keeping the rolls about an inch apart (they'll rise and spread).
- When the rolls are shaped, cover with a sack cloth towel and place in a warm, draft free place for about 30 minutes, until dough has grown slightly and is soft. Preheat oven to 350° F while they are doing this final rise.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes. If the tops begin to brown too quickly mid-bake, place a piece of aluminum foil over top to slow down the browning.
- The rolls will be done when the bottoms are lightly golden brown and the sugar is barely caramelized. Be careful not to overbake it so you don't burn the sugar on the outside!
- Devour warm for tastiest results and see the hallow inside! You can also let the rolls cool for 15-30 minutes before opening up to get a nice clean cut and see the defined hallow roll on the inside.Enjoy!
Made these for Easter and they were a huge hit! Doubled the recipe and did Lo’s dinner rolls, garlic knots, and resurrection rolls. Talk about efficient!