Preston Rolls

By paulmartinjr

Ingredients

• 1 cup boiling water1 cup shortening3 pkgs Rapid Rise Yeast (I use Red Star)1 cup lukewarm water2 eggs6 cups all purpose flour½ cup sugar1 teaspoon salt

Details

Adapted from southernplate.com

Preparation

Step 1

At least a day before you want the rolls:In a bowl or 2-3 cup measuring cup, place shortening and pour boiling water over. Stir until shortening is melted. Allow to cool slightly while you do the rest.In a separate medium sized bowl, stir the yeast and lukewarm water together until yeast is dissolved. Set aside.Mix eggs into yeast mixture. Once the shortening has cooled a bit, pour that into the yeast mixture as well and stir well.In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Add in yeast mixture and stir until a dough is formed. Cover this and place in the refrigerator. Before you go to bed, punch it down and punch it down again in the morning.Two hours before you want rollsRemove the amount of dough you want to use and place on a floured surface. Knead it just a few times (by pressing it into a ball and then flattening with the heel of your hand, then repeating two more times) and then pat it out to about ½ inch thick. Cut out rolls with a small biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Place on greased baking sheet and cover, allowing to rise for two hours.Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.if you'd like your rolls to appear more brown on top, brush them with melted butter or a mixture of 1 whole egg and 1 tablespoon of water. This is purely optional.This dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.