Easy Yeast Rolls

By lkoss

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk (you can use other milk but whole milk makes the rolls the yummiest)
• 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs (large)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cup bread flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
• (1 or 2 T water if needed)

Preparation

Step 1

Warm the milk to between 90 and 110 degrees F.
Mix all of the ingredients together minus the optional water.
(If you have a mixer with a bread hook you can use that or just mix by hand)
Once all the ingredients are added if the dough seems very dry add 1 tablespoon of water. A second tablespoon of water can be added if still needed. I rarely need to add the water unless the air in my home is extremely dry.
Once all of the ingredients are fully incorporated knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (approximately 6 to 9 minutes).

Place the dough in a very lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel and place in a warm area.
Allow the dough to rise until it is about double in size (approximately 60 minutes.)

If you saved the butter wrapper use that to butter the 9 x 13 pan (I use a pyrex).
Just rub the empty butter wrapper all over the bottom and sides of the pan.
Your hands stay clean and you are using butter which would have been thrown away.


You will be making 24 rolls.
Split dough in half and then again so you have 4 even sections of dough.
Divide each of those in half again and then divide into 3 even balls.

To Shape Rolls:
Take a section of the roll in your hand.
Make a circle with your thumb and fingers that is smaller than the dough.
Hold the dough in the circle your hand creates.
Using your other hand push gently on the backside of the roll (inside your hand.)
Keep pushing gently while your other hand stays in a circle and smooths the outside of the roll.
Continue until the roll is smooth and shaped into a ball

I make 6 rows of 4 rolls and place them in the greased pan.
Cover the rolls with a damp towel and let rise in a warm area for 15 to 20 minutes.
(You can let the rolls rise for longer, sometimes if the oven is not free I have let them rise for almost an hour and they were still perfect.)
The rolls should increase in size by about 50%.

Remove the damp towel and bake at 375 degrees F for 14 to 17 minutes or until the rolls are slightly golden brown. The color will be very subtle so make sure you do not over cook.