Considering the time and attention required to make these dinner rolls from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible (Norton; $35), it might be difficult to make these Thanksgiving Day. She suggests baking them the day before until almost done, then warming the rolls 5 minutes before serving.

Butter-Dipped Rolls

SPONGE

1 cup + 3 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons room temperature water

1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

FLOUR MIXTURE

1 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

41/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/8 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

To make sponge, combine flour, water, honey and yeast in large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl and cover with plastic.

To make flour mixture, combine flour, dry milk and instant yeast. Sprinkle on top of sponge evenly and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow this to ferment 1 to 4 hours at room temperature.

To mix dough, add softened butter to bowl containing sponge and mix on low speed about 1 minute, until flour is moistened enough to form rough dough. Scrape down sides of bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest 20 minutes.

Next, sprinkle dough with salt and knead dough on medium speed 7 to 10 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with oiled spatula. If dough is not stiff, knead in a little flour. If it is not at all sticky, spray with a little water and knead in.

Scrape dough into a 2-quart container or bowl, lightly oiled with cooking spray or oil. Push down dough and lightly spray or oil the surface. Cover container with lid or plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise until doubled, about 11/2 to 2 hours.

Scrape dough onto floured counter and press gently into a rectangle. Pull out and fold dough over from all four sides into a tight package. Set it back into container. Oil surface again, cover, and allow dough to double in size, 1 to 2 hours.

Remove dough and roll into long roll. Cut log into 4 equal pieces, then cut each of these into 3 equal pieces (to create 12 pieces weighing about 13/4 ounces each).

Flour hands and roll and shape each dough piece into a smooth ball. Seal small indentation that forms in the bottom by pinching it tightly.

Pour cooled melted butter into small bowl. Dip dough balls into butter, covering all sides. Place pinched side of dough balls down into an 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round pan, making three rows of 4 rolls each. Cover pan with oiled plastic wrap and allow dough balls to rise about 11/2 hours, until doubled.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sheet pan or cast iron pan on floor of oven. Place baking stone or sheet pan on oven shelf at lowest level. Set pan containing rolls on pan or baking stone and toss 1/2 cup ice cubes into pan on oven floor. Bake 20 minutes, or until medium golden brown. If planning to reheat rolls later, bake 15 minutes or until pale golden brown.

Remove rolls from oven. Unmold and cool top side up on wire racks until just warm, about 20 minutes, then pull apart. (To reheat rolls, set them on baking sheet in 375-degree oven about 5 minutes.)

Makes 1 dozen rolls.