It can, however take forever to make homemade bread. And sometimes, even the best laid plans can go awry, leaving you with a solid mass of something that looks similar to bread but feels more like a rock. But here's my favorite, easy, go-to dinner roll recipe. It never fails me and always produces soft, fluffy, buttery rolls. The taste is incredible...not flavorless like the store bought rolls, but so divine, you won't eat just one...or three!
It does take time (mostly the waiting for the dough to rise), but I warn you to beware of those "homemade bread in 10 minutes" recipes. While technically it is bread, I have always found the taste to be quite lacking in the homemade bread flavor area. It's homemade bread. It takes a while. That's just the way it is. But it's sooooooooo worth it! I encourage you, take a day and make some of these rolls and at the end of the post, I will show you how you can have awesome homemade dinner rolls any other day without all the work! So, you with me?! Then let's make some dinner rolls!
No-Fail Dinner Rolls
2 (.25oz) pkgs active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsps if you buy it by the jar like I do)
1 cup warm water (110-115F...I just use hot tap water...probably not scientific but it never fails)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening
3 eggs, beaten
6 cups all-purpose flour
The first thing you need to do is add the yeast to the warm water. Swirl it around so that all the yeast is wet (you aren't trying to stir until dissolved...you just want it all underwater and wet). Set this aside.
Add your sugar and salt into your stand mixer (or bowl if doing this by hand). Set aside.
Take your milk and shortening and heat until shortening melts. Make sure to stir often as you don't want the milk to boil. If it gets too hot, let it sit for a few minutes to cool somewhat. You want the temperature to be around 120F-130F. It doesn't have to be all exact. Really. Just put the heat to low and stir until the shortening melts. Once it's melted, you're done. I never use a thermometer to check the temp and my rolls always come out well, which is why I love this recipe.
Here it is melted.
Go ahead and beat your eggs. I just use a fork and give them a quick whip to break up the yolks. Go ahead and add the eggs and milk/shortening mix to the bowl with the sugar and salt. If using a stand mixer, attach your dough hook. If using a bowl, get out the sturdy wooden spoon and give yourself a pep talk about the ensuing arm workout about to come...
At this point, you can check your yeast...it should be all bubbly and foamy (and if you stare at it long enough, you can actually see it "grow"...it will expand...I find it fascinating to watch, but I'm a nerd like that!). Go ahead and dump this into the egg/milk mixture in your bowl. Next, you will add your flour to the liquid, 1 cup at a time (although I usually dump in about 3 cups first, then 1 cup at a time). I apologize for no picture of this...my crazy daughter demanded my attention so I let the mixer do it's job while I tended to her (gotta love stand mixers!).
You will mix the dough until it comes off the sides of the bowl. I ended up added all 6 cups of flour, but then needed to add about a tbsp of water to get all of the flour mixed in (it was crumbly at the bottom). Once it's all mixed together, let the stand mixer knead the dough (I used level 2...1-10 on mine) for about 5 minutes or until the dough is soft and smooth. You should be able to hold the dough in your hand for a quick moment without it sticking to your hand, however if you try to work it, it will stick a little. If you are kneading by hand, I would add about 5 1/2 cups of flour and then work in as much of the last 1/2 cup as needed. You want a soft, elastic-y dough.
Spray a bowl with cooking spray (or wipe with oil), place the dough in the bowl and roll it around until it's lightly oiled. Cover with a towel and place somewhere away from drafts/fans. I usually stick mine in the oven (turned off, of course).
Let the dough rise for about 1 hr or until doubled. You should be able to poke a finger in the dough and the hole should stay and not rise back up. See my finger hole in the dough?
Go ahead and punch the dough down and start tearing off pieces to make the rolls.
You want the balls to fit in the palm of your hand. Remember, they will rise again, so don't make them HUGE. Place them on a baking sheet with a couple inches separating them. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Once they have risen a second time, place them in a preheated oven at 375F and cook for about 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and rub butter over the hot rolls. Besides just making the rolls taste fantastic, it will keep the tops soft.
You should really let them cool for a few minutes at least. You know...so you don't burn your tongue. Of course, it's much easier to say than do, so be careful and Enjoy!
This recipe made about 32 rolls for me at this size. Since we can't eat that many in one sitting (almost, but not quite), I rolled the rest of the dough into balls and placed them on a baking sheet right next to each other. I then put the pan into the freezer. The rolls won't rise in the freezer and once they are solid, just take them out and put into a freezer bag for later. Then when you want some fresh, homemade rolls, take some out, place on a baking sheet and let thaw and rise until doubled in size. Bake like normal. No more buying the ready to bake rolls from the freezer section at the grocery store!
Happily Homemade
Sandra
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