Here's what I use....
Mrs. Avery's Rolls
2C Scalded Milk, cooled to warm temperature
3T Shortening or Butter, Melted
1/2 C Sugar
1 t salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 pkgs yeast (or 5 tsps bulk yeast)
1/3 warm water
4-5 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (about 105 degrees) with a teaspoon of the sugar, wait until it foams. While waiting for the yeast to foam, mix the milk, butter, remaining sugar and salt. After the yeast foams, add the yeast mixture to it, and the two beaten eggs to the mixture. Either by hand or in a stand mixer, blend in flour a cup at a time until the dough is soft and fairly sticky. Turn onto a floured board and knead just until the dough is no longer sticky, but is smooth and satiny.

Let rise until doubled, punch down, knead a little, then shape into rolls. Bake at 350 until golden about 20 minutes. May brush with egg wash or butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Also good rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar. Dough is a good base dough for a variety of sweet breads like cinnamon rolls or brioche.
Makes about 3 dozen medium dinner rolls.

Heavenly Dinner Rolls

1 cup milk
1/2 cup softened butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (bread machine yeast)

Mix room temperature milk - soft butter and 2 eggs in one bowl until blended. Pour this mixture into bread machine. Then mix sugar - salt and bread flour in another bowl. Pour the dry mixture into bread machine.
Now add the yeast to top of flour and just take fork to drag yeast into the flour. Do not get yeast wet at this point. Set machine to dough cycle and let it go.

Remove the dough from the machine when cycle is complete. Knead gently on a
lightly floured surface. Divide and shape into 24 smooth round rolls.

Place the rolls about 3/4 inch apart on a greased sheet pan. Cover the dough with a cloth and allow it to double in a warm place. I use my oven with just the oven light on - works perfectly.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 - 18 minutes. Brush with butter or a mixture of butter and honey while still warm from the oven.

I have made these with all purpose flour but I find the bread flour works best. I think I will make 30 rolls or so from this mixture as the rolls are large with 24. My family likes the bigger rolls tho.
They freeze very well as they do make a lot.

This is an easy recipe and one I bake often for sale at the farmers' market. You can shape them any other shape you choose, but the crescents are pretty.

*LucileâÂÂs Favorite Refrigerator Rolls ��" Kitchen Klatter magazine 1952

2 cups milk
1/4 cup shortening or butter
5 TB sugar
1 scant TB instant yeast
5 to 6 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 TB salt

â¢Scald milk. Add shortening and sugar. When mixture is lukewarm, add instant yeast. (If active dry yeast is used, dissolve it in one-fourth cup warm water and reduce milk to one and three-fourths cups.) Add soda and baking powder sifted with three cups flour. Beat until bubbles form. Allow to rise one-half hour.
â¢Beat egg and salt until light and add to the sponge. Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. (The less flour you use, the lighter the rolls will be.) Knead until smooth. Place in greased bowl, grease the top, and place in refrigerator.

FOR CRESCENT ROLLS
â¢Divide dough into three parts. Roll each part into a circle about nine inches in diameter and spread each circle with melted butter. Cut each circle into 12 wedge-shaped pieces. Roll each piece beginning at the wide end. Place on greased baking sheet. Allow to rise for one and one-half hours; then bake 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

You can make clover leaf rolls by putting 3 small balls of dough in greased muffin tin cups. Or you can make square rolls by rolling out dough to 1/2-inch thickness and cutting squares with a knife or pizza cutter. You can make round rolls by cutting with a round cookie or biscuit cutter.

Makes 3 dozen rolls, depending on size.

Teresa

This is my favorite non-herb or other addition roll recipe. I usually make cranberry rosemary biscuits for Thanksgiving, but these are wonderful too.

Dinner Rolls
Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45
degrees C)
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions:
1. Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
OR
Mix water milk and yeast, let sit a few minutes. Then mix sugar, salt, flour and add liquid. Let rise until doubled.
2. When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden

My favorite right now is Sol's Honey Rolls. The recipe does not call for kneading but I put it into my bread machine anyway, works like a charm:

Sol's Honey Rolls

1 Cup milk
1/2 Cup honey
1/2 Cup butter [1 stick]
2 Tsp salt
1 -2 tablespoons granulated sugar*
2 pkges. dry yeast
1/2 Cup warm water [110ú-115úF]
2 large eggs lightly beaten
6- 6 1/2 cups All Purpose flour

Heat the milk, add butter and salt. Set aside while butter melts. Stir in the honey.

In another bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let it sit until yeast is completely dissolved, about 6-7 minutes.

Combine milk mixture with yeast mixture. And stir in the beaten eggs.

Beat in 4 cups flour. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft, but not sticky dough.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to coat both sides. Cover and allow dough to rise 1 hour. Punch dough down, and allow to rise another hour.

Punch down again, and shape dough into rolls. Let it rise again 45 minutes to an hour or until doubled in volume. Preheat your oven to 375F and bake rolls for 25 minutes or until a deep golden brown. For a very soft crust, brush rolls with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

Note: You could omit the sugar from this recipe altogether. I sometimes use about a teaspoon of the honey called for in the recipe to feed the yeast instead of the sugar.

As an alternative, I like these and I do them in the bread machine too:

Butternut Squash Rolls

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk (110ð to 115ð)
1/4 cup warm water (110ð to 115ð)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mashed cooked butternut squash
5 to 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in milk and water. Add the butter, salt, sugar, squash and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Form into rolls; place in two greased 10-in.cast-iron skillets or 9-in. round baking pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375ð for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 2 dozen.

Annie

Here's a quick & good bread machine dinner roll we enjoy.

Potato Rolls

Ingredients (in order of placing in a bread machine):

1-1/2 Cups Warm Water
2 Eggs, Beaten
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Dry Milk Powder
1/2 Cup Potato Flakes
4 Cups Bread Flour
2 Teaspoons Instant Yeast

Set bread machine on "Dough" cycle. After the first rise, remove dough from machine & place it on a lightly floured work surface. Cover & let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into 24 rolls & place on baking pan about 2" apart. Cover with tea towel & allow to raise for about 30 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter & bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 18-21 minutes. Take a peak at 18 minutes because everybody's oven is slightly different.

/tricia

Ditto Angelaid. It's by far the best homemade roll recipe I've ever used. I make the dough in my bread machine. I also use this dough to make cinnamon rolls.

what Annie said...:-) I'll be making them again this year at everyone's request. Thanks sol!

Thanks, All. Can't wait to try baking rolls. I'll let you know how I make out.

I have a funny feeling if I make them, it will be hard to go back to store bought.

Feel sorry for me. My DH's prior family cares less than anyone I know about bread in any form. At the first pot luck feast we had with his family of 20 - the only thing not gobbled up were my lovely dinner rolls. For the next event they asked us to bring salad.

Nancy

linda, can you please tell me how you can tell when the milk is scalded--is it when that thin layer is on top?--should it be a certain temperature?

Thank you!

One book says....when thin bubbles appear at the edge of the pan, another says when the temperature of the milk reaches 180 degrees. I just put the milk in the measuring cup into the micro until it gets really really hot...but not boiling.
There has been lots of conversation in the past about the necessity of scalding milk which has been pasteurized, but sources say it does something to the protein molecule and it makes better rolls. And I find that when I do scald and cool the milk, my rolls are better.
Linda C

Thank you, Linda!! My meals are better because of you...

In the latest Saveur magazine Tom Caliccio has his parker house roll recipe and uses barley syrup for a sweetner. I bought some at the natural food store and intend to try the recipe for Thanksgiving.