Sunday Rolls

I have fond memories of Sunday meals when I was a little girl.  Stepping into the front door and deeply inhaling the scent of the roast that had been cooking while we were at church, man, that was the best. Because I don't know what it is about being at church that makes a person so hungry, but it does.  And the quicker you can get the food from the oven to the table the better!   

Sunday dinners.  I've always tried to make them a little different from the rest of the meals during the week, set apart as special in some way.  We eat in the dining room.  I set the table with pretty dishes and cloth napkins.  Sometimes we even light the candelabra.  When my kids were growing up, it was the one day we almost always had dessert.  Something sweet just seems right for the sabbath.  And homemade rolls, well, that feels pretty special too. 

I used to think that homemade rolls were just too much trouble, but like most things, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.  This used to be my Thanksgiving only recipe, but now I make them quite often and they freeze beautifully, so I can pull them out and reheat in no time.  These rolls are infinitely better than anything you can buy in the bread aisle of the grocery store.  I promise.

I use a Bosch mixer to make my bread, but of course you can do all of this by hand or in another mixer with a dough hook.  I start with warm water and add fast acting yeast, letting that sit for about five minutes to become frothy.  If this doesn't happen then your yeast may be too old, or your water too hot.  Start over.

Add sugar, shortening ( or softened butter), dry milk, salt and an egg.

I like herbed rolls, so I often add a handful of italian spices before I begin adding the flour. 

I slowly add about six cups of flour, or as much as needed until the dough starts to come clean from the side of the bowl.  Then I machine knead for about five minutes or until the surface is smooth and has a glossy finish.  Sometimes when I turn the dough onto my counter, it's a little too soft and I will knead a bit more flour into it by hand.  These are the things you discover by making a recipe over and over.  You begin to learn how it should feel, as well as how it should look. 

I cover the dough and let it rest for about five or ten minutes.

At this point, you can roll out your dough and cut it into any shape you would like.  I like knots, so this is how I do them.  I roll out the dough into a rectangularish ( I made that word up) shape and use my pizza cutter to cut down the middle and then into strips.

Take each strip and tie it into a knot.  Don't worry too much if they don't look perfect.  Even the ugly ones turn into pretty rolls.  If the strips are too long, I just cut off the ends and then use those to make more.

Brush melted butter on the rolls and place them in a draft free area to rise.  I turn my double ovens on the lowest setting while I'm mixing up the rolls and then turn them off before putting the pans in to rise.  It takes about thirty minutes for them to double in size.  It's a good idea to set a timer if your rolls are out of sight (like in the oven).  I forget to do this and when I go back to check, well, they've grown into big rolls!

I've never had anyone complain about having an extra large roll though.

Sunday Rolls

2 T. dry yeast (I like SAF instant)

2 cups warm water

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening or softened butter

2 1/2 t. salt

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder

5-6 cups plain flour

1 egg

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast and water.  Let stand for five minutes.  Add sugar, shortening, salt and dry milk, an egg and 2 cups flour.  Add spices if using them.  Beat together until very smooth.  Add 2 cups more flour, 1/2 cup at a time until it is well mixed in.  Knead until smooth and satiny.  Gather dough into a ball.  Use the last of the flour as needed  for rolling and shaping the rolls.  Let dough rest for ten minutes.  Cut or mold into desired shapes.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Brush tops with melted butter.  Let rise until double in size, about thirty minutes.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned on top.