Thursday 3 December 2009

Dinner Rolls

When I was growing up one of my favorite things was having Thanksgiving dinner. The best part to me was the yummy, light as air, melt in your mouth rolls. On both sides of my family my aunts could make the best rolls. (My mom can as well she just didn't on Thanksgiving)I remember being little and walking into one of the homes and smelling that wonderful aroma.

I have spent about the last seven years trying to get my rolls to look like I remembered on Thanksgiving. At first it was a joke. Rolls are hard to get the hang of but now that I have paid my dues, and practiced, and gotten a lot of advice, finally they look and taste divine.


2T. Dry Yeast (2 Packets)
2 Cups warm water (110-115degrees)
1/3 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup butter
2/3 Cup nonfat dry milk
2 1/2 t. salt
5-6 Cups flour
1 egg

In a large bowl or an electric mixer combine yeast and water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, salt, dry milk, 2 cups flour, and egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, one at a time and beat until smooth.

Add about 1 more cup flour, 1/2 cup at a time until it is well mixed in. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth and satiny. Gather dough into a ball. Scrape bowl clean and grease surface lightly. Let rise away from drafts in a warm (not hot) place until about triple in bulk. (In a cool oven with a pan of hot water on a rack under it is a good place.)

Use last of the flour on the board for rolling and shaping the dough. Let dough rest on board for 10 minutes so it will be easier to manage if you roll it. I roll the dough out into a circle and cut 8 pieces like a pizza. Roll the dough from the big end to the little end. Put on a buttered baking sheet. Melt butter and butter the top of the rolls. Let the rolls rise to double in size and then bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until browned on top. It makes about 3 dozen rolls. Enjoy!

If you need to refrigerate the dough you can after you rise them once. When you take it out of the refrigerator just let it sit for 15 minutes. Then roll out and rise.

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