I don’t always have time to make bread and these take almost 3 hours from start to finish, so this isn’t a short cut. They are some of the best rolls I’ve ever made, though. You can make the dough, let it rise, punch it down and divide it in half and then freeze in a gallon bag to save for another day. Take it out, thaw the dough and then roll it out and cut into triangles and let rise again for delicious rolls in one hour.
4-1/2 tsp yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, you might be tempted to use margarine. Don’t.
2 tbsp butter flavor shortening, in a pinch you can use regular shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
4-1/2 cups bread flour, or all purpose flour
You’ll also need some melted butter and a pastry brush for this.
In a large mixing bowl, or a kitchen aid if you have one, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. It should be no hotter than 110 degrees. If you are a bread novice, make sure that the water doesn’t FEEL to warm to the touch. It should feel barely warm to your hand. Add sugar to the water. I let it sit for a minute while I defrost my butter to soften it up. Add the butter, shortening, eggs and 1 cup of flour. THEN add the salt and knead in the rest of the flour until you have a nice smooth elastic dough. Then, I take it out and give my bowl a quick spray with non-stick cooking spray, and toss it into the bowl to rise. Now, find a nice warm place for your bread to rise. It should be warm but no warmer than 125 degrees. I’ve been told on top of the X-box is a fabulous place. When I start to make bread, I turn my oven on to 300 and then turn it off and set it on top, in front of the vent and this is perfect. I’ve also found a heating pad set on low works well too. Cover it with a smooth towel or cloth and let rise for about 90 minutes. If you want to save half your dough (one dozen rolls) wait until after this first rising. Punch the dough down, then divide in half. Roll each half into a large circle. FYI, it doesn’t matter how ugly the circle is it will look fine when it’s done. Brush with melted butter. It’s so easy, Alyssa and Kalani can be trusted to do this as long as they have clean hands.
Using a sharp knife, cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up from the outer edge. Place on cookie sheet. Cover again and let rise in a warm place for 45 min. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, or until just barely golden, unless you are like my mom and like your bread more crusty. I like mine almost slightly doughy in the middle so I remove them as soon as they start to turn. Remember they will still cook slightly after being removed from the oven. Brush again with butter. These are amazing AND so worth the extra calories.
3sisters1cookbook 