Table For Two: Perfectly Easy Dinner Rolls

By Carol McIlwain

OK class … gather ‘round, it is Cooking School again.  The holidays are coming and we all know what that means:  yummy food and lots of it!  Turkey, ham, prime rib, stuffing, pies and … dinner rolls!  They kind of get lost in the shuffle but when they are homemade, it’s really impressive.  This recipe is easy to handle, versatile and the rolls freeze beautifully for the big day.

Perfectly Easy Dinner Rolls

1 cup warm water (105*-115*) Use a digital thermometer.  If you don’t have one, use one of those gazillion Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons that are lying around and get one.  Really handy and you’ll use it a lot, I promise.

2 packages active dry yeast.  (Regular, not the quick rise)

½ cup (1 stick) melted butter

½ cup sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp. salt

4-4 1/2 cups flour

Melted butter, optional

Combine the warm water and yeast in large mixing bowl.  Let the mixture stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the butter, sugar, eggs and salt.  Beat in flour one cup at a time until dough is too stiff to mix.  You can use a stand mixer or a wooden spoon.  Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 4 days.

Grease a 9”x13” baking pan.  Turn out the chilled dough onto a lightly floured board.  Pat and roll out into a square.  Divide dough into 24 equal-size pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball, place balls in even rows in the prepared pan.  Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 375*.  Bake until rolls are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Keep an eye on them—-they will brown quickly.  Brush warm rolls with melted butter, if desired.  Break rolls apart to serve.

A Step Further

Now that’s the basic recipe.  But you can take a lot of liberties with it.  Sometimes I will divide the dough and use 2 8” round cake pans.  These are a little easier to freeze as they will slip into a zip lock freezer bag for storage.   You can also make Parker House style rolls (2 halves) or Cloverleaf Rolls.  Or make Cinnamon Rolls.  Roll the dough into a large rectangle, brush with melted butter, spread a layer of brown sugar, and add some chopped nuts, apples and raisins.  Roll it up, starting with long side and cut into ¾” slices.  Bake in greased baking pan (round, oblong or square) and add icing when cool.

Any leftover rolls can be stored in the freezer, but that doesn’t usually happen around our house.  Split the rolls in half and build a yummy little bite of leftover goodness just before bed or split, butter and toast them for breakfast the next morning.  That’s the best!

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