I love homemade rolls. And, let's face it--who doesn't?! I have a few recipes in my arsenal that I make from time to time--quick-rise, croissant-style, spoon rolls, etc.
These rolls, however, are my "go-to" recipe. I developed the recipe when we were newly married, and I've been making them since. This is the recipe that I've shared with people in all the places we've lived (so get ready--if you make these, your friends WILL be asking). I even taught a class on making these once to a group of stay-at-home moms who were wanting to learn.
Here's what you need: (Recipe's at end of the post.)
Flour, salt, baking powder, yeast, butter, sugar, egg, water. The basics.
Put the yeast and 2 tsp of sugar in the warm water in a large mixing bowl. If you are using a stand mixer--this should be the bowl you use. Let it sit until the yeast starts to grow....
....like this. Yours may not look like a doughnut. This is a rare phenomena. Usually it just looks like a big blob of wet, yeasty air.
While your yeast is growing, melt your butter just until mostly melted (don't boil it). Whisk in the rest of the sugar and the egg. You don't want your egg to cook in there, so make sure your butter isn't scalding hot before you add the egg.
Now mix the butter mixture into the growing yeast water. It will look about like this.
Okay, I kinda skip a step here with the pictures because it's not much to see. In a separate bowl mix 4 cups of flour, the baking powder and the salt. Add this dry mixture to the wet and mix until well incorporated. I use my paddle for this step, then switch to the dough hook for the next step.
Add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The amount varies for me each time slightly. This batch took 3 1/2 more cups total.
Remove the dough and knead it just enough to form a nice smooth(ish) big ball.
Put a little (1/8 cup or so) oil in a large bowl and turn the dough over in it once to coat it--seam side down.
Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rise until it's doubled in size. This is about 2-3 hours if it's at room temperature; 1-1.5 if it's in a warm place (like sitting on a warm oven or next to a crock pot).
Here is the double-in-size dough.
Punch it down. (Like my fist indentation?)
Pull off approximately 1/3 cup pieces of the dough, and turn them in your hands so that you are forming a ball that has a seam on the bottom and is smooth on the top. This picture shows the top and the bottom of a dough ball. You don't want to roll it between two palms like you would play-dough. Imagine you are forming the dough around an imaginary marble or bouncy ball. You want it to cover it and have a seam on the bottom. (I hope this is clear...)
Place them in a greased baking dish right next to each other, but not squished.
Cover and let rise. I put mine in a warm oven (I heated to 170 before then I turned it off when I put them in). They were doubled in size in 30 minutes.
Here are the un-baked doubled-in-size rolls.
Hot out of the oven!
Mmm, mmm....
I like to butter the tops before serving. Best served fresh and warm.
All plated up. I love a colorful meal.
Best Rolls Ever
(This is what my son exclaimed at dinner tonight. I thought it made a nice title)
2 cups warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) yeast
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1.5 sticks butter
1 egg
8 cups flour (all-purpose, or combination of all-purpose and whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 cup canola oil
1. Dissolve yeast and 2 teaspoons of sugar in warm
water. Set aside to allow yeast to begin to grow.
2. Melt butter and mix with sugar. Add egg and mix well. Add butter mixture to yeast that has begun to grow.
3. Mix 4 cups of flour with baking powder and salt. Add this to the yeast mixture and stir well.
4. Stir in, then knead in
3-4 more cups of all purpose flour--1/2 cup at a time-- to make a dough of even
consistency. Form into a ball. Turn over once in a metal
mixing bowl greased with canola oil. Cover and let rise until double in size (2 hours on a warm oven, or 3 at room temperature).
5. Punch down , then form 2-3 inch balls and place in greased baking dish. They will more than fill a 9x13. I use an 11x17. Cover and let rise 30-45
minutes more in warm place--until doubled in size.
6. Bake at 375
15-20 minutes, until light brown.
Butter tops while hot. Makes 2 dozen.