Dinner Rolls

I don’t make bread from scratch very often, but there are times when I crave the feeling of warm dough between my fingers. Fresh baked bread is a perfect way to add instant comfort to any home as the heavenly aroma from the oven glades through the house.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought I would practice making a batch of dinner rolls. Sure, anyone can buy dinner rolls from the store and no one would care. But there is nothing like spreading creamy butter on a warm roll that is fresh out of the oven.

Feel free to experiment with different topping ideas. Just lightly spray the tops with cold water and sprinkle the toppings before baking. Ideas include Parmesan cheese and garlic powder, minced fresh rosemary and sea salt, or cinnamon and sugar. The opportunities are endless.

Dinner Rolls
2 packs quick rise dry active yeast
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
2 tsp. salt
6-8 cups flour

Stir together the yeast, water and sugar in a mixing bowl until the sugar dissolves. Allow to rest for about 2 minutes to give the yeast a chance to activate. Add the lightly beaten eggs and oil to the mixture. With the mixer on low and outfitted with a dough hook, slowly start to add the flour one cup at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. It should take at least 6 cups, but I have added up to 7 cups before. Halfway through add the salt to the mixture. The entire process should take about 5 – 8 minutes.

Gently scrape the dough onto a floured board. Gently knead 8-10 times while adding more flour as needed. The dough should form a soft ball. Place into a large bowl, cover and allow to rise for 1 – 1 ½ hours.

Punch down the dough and place on a floured board. Gently cut 1 or 2 oz balls and arrange on a shallow rimmed sheet pan. Balls should be about ½ inch apart. My dough balls were 2.5 ounces and were really too big for proper dinner rolls.

Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Makes about 30 rolls depending on the size.

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