Dinner Rolls

     Something that I think can make or break a meal is a really good dinner roll. This is also something that took me absolutely forever to figure out! I remember a thanksgiving where I confidently made over 100 dinner rolls and they were all very dense and dry. Definitely not what I wanted them to be. Thankfully, I have since then learned form my mistakes and can consistently crank out a batch of fluffy dinner rolls whenever needed! When I make my dinner rolls, I always make a large batch of 24. However, if you want to half the recipe, it works just as well, just don't half the yeast. Instead of half, use a teaspoon and a quarter. 

        To make this recipe, I start by blooming my dry yeast in warm water and honey. I never heat up my water and just get it as hot as I can from the tap to avoid killing my yeast with water that is too hot. Once my yeast has bloomed, I mix it with my warm milk, butter, egg, salt, and flour. I like to use a stand mixer and do the mixing and kneading all in one but if you are doing it by hand, start kneading your dough once it has all come together. I knead it until it is elastic and pretty soft.     

    When my dough is done being kneaded, I scrape down the sides of my bowl, oil it lightly, and put my dough back in. Then, I cover it up and set it in a warm place to double. This takes anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on how warm my house is that day. With my dough doubled, I divide it into 24 small pieces and shape each piece into a little ball on a baking sheet. To shape my dough I pull the sides under to make a smooth top and put the side with the loose edges onto the lined baking sheet. 

    Once all my balls are formed, I cover them and let them rise for another 30-40 minutes until they are doubled. While they are rising, I preheat my oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Before baking them sometimes I brush the tops of my rolls with egg wash but usually I just bake them as they are for 12-15 minutes. As soon as I pull them out of the oven, I brush them with butter.

    As soon as they cool enough to handle I eat them plain, with butter, or as a side. These are also a great replacement for Hawaiian rolls in any slider recipe! There are so many uses for these amazingly fluffy rolls! But in my family, they barely make it long enough to eat with supper. 

    What did you think of this recipe? Use the comment section below!