Easy & Delicious Dinner Rolls Complement Any Meal

I love bread. You will not ever find me on the Atkins diet and probably not on a low-carb plan. I am just not willing to give up my bread.

And among bread recipes, these dinner rolls probably rank as one of my most requested recipes. I am required to bring them to every family dinner. Rolls are always my assignment. Not that I mind, though. These rolls are easy-to-make and full of light, buttery goodness. They are perfect for just about any dinner, whether it’s a Thanksgiving feast or a weekend barbecue.

Being the lazy soul that I am, I make the dough in my bread maker. I can’t remember the last time I actually made bread in it, but my breadmaker (it’s an OLD Welbilt) makes a great dough. I especially like that I can set the timer on it so the dough will be ready when I am. You can make this roll dough either by hand (I will include the instructions for that) or in the bread maker. It turns out equally well either way.

The original recipe came from an old Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. I’m not sure quite how old because the title page fell out many years ago, but my mother gave me the book when I was still in high school, so. . . .  You may or may not find it in a newer version. I have found that many of the recipes I love so much out of it have been changed in subsequent versions. I am definitely hanging on to my vintage recipes–they just taste better.

I put 2-1/4 teaspoons yeast, 4 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup butter, 1 cup milk and 2 eggs into the bread maker (in that order) and set it to the dough cycle.

When the breadmaker is done, I grease two 12-cup muffin tins. I shape the dough into more or less walnut-size pieces and put three in each muffin cup.

After using all the dough–and it nearly always comes out to exactly 24 rolls, I cover them with a dish towel and let them rise until doubled, usually about 30 minutes or so, depending on how warm my kitchen is. While the dough is rising, i preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

When the rolls are ready to bake I brush them generously with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Then I pop them into the oven–the two pans fit perfectly on my center rack–and bake for 12-15 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Remove the rolls from the pans as soon as they are out of the oven. If you have greased the pans well, the rolls should pop right out. If they don’t, just run a table knife around the edge of each roll to ease it out of the pan.

Serve your hot rolls with butter, honey or jam and watch how quickly they disappear!

The full recipe is below.

Marie’s Delicious Dinner Rolls

 Ingredients

• 4 – 4/12 cups flour (I have never needed the extra 1/2 cup flour when I have made this in the bread maker, though I do occasionally dust my hands with flour as I am shaping the rolls)
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, margarine or shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

Directions

In a large mixer bowl combine 2 cups of flour and the yeast. In saucepan heat milk, sugar, butter and salt just till warm (115-120) and butter is almost melted; stir constantly. Add to flour mixture; add eggs. Beat at low speed of electric mixer for ½ minute, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in as much remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon. Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes). Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turn once. Cover; let rise in warm place till double (about 1 hour).

Punch down; divide dough in half. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

(If you made your dough in the bread maker, start here.)

Grease 24 muffin cups. Divide dough in to 36 pieces—more or less walnut size. Shape each piece of dough into a ball, pulling edges under to make a smooth top. Place 3 balls in each greased muffin cup, smooth side up, as shown.

Cover; let rise till nearly double (about 30 minutes). 

Brush rolls with melted butter before baking and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or till golden.  Makes 2-2 ½ dozen rolls.