This recipe can either be baked immediately or kept for 5 days in the refrigerator. When I was little (and I am older than 66!) we very often had a recipe of this in the refrig and I would help rolling the little balls for cloverleaf rolls. I would sometimes get silly and make a 4 leaf clover to see if anyone noticed!
I've posted this recipe many times before but here it is again. They just get better after a few days in the refrigerator.

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 1T 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. 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.

Nancy - I had to work today. I was thinking about trying some new roll recipes - especially refrigerator rolls. I found quite a few recipes at Cooks.com. They were all very similar. Here were two I printed off. I am thinking of making the one in the third link. I will let you know how they turn out. If you go to Cooks.com and search for refrigerator rolls you can peruse a number of them.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/no-knead-refrigerator-rolls/Detail.aspx

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,184,138160-226200,00.html

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/refrigeratorroll.htm

Mudlady:
I gave a similiar recipe to someone last week.

Made them the same way you described, 3 golf ball size pieces of dough,
placed in cupcake tins.
I use the Braided Bread Recipe. Brought it home from, the Army kitchen in '54. Just Basic.

Use it for many things, Bagles, Cinnamon Buns., etc.
I put it in many times, here it is again.
******************************************

LOU'S - - - Braided Bread or Dough for Cinnamon Buns , Bagels, Dinner Rolls, etc.

2 cups of milk, (warm ) 1 1/3 cup of Sugar
3 large eggs- beaten (save 1/2 egg w. a little milk for basting )
1 tablesp.+ of Vanilla - -
1/2 cup + of oil - -
1/2 teasp. Salt
2 packs of Fleischmans Active dry yeast
AP Flour - 3 cups to start ( probably about 6 total ),
enough to knead into a soft ball that doesn’t stick to your hands.
I now substitute a cup of WW Flour.
Stir the yeast in a 1/3 cup of warm water w. 1/2 spoon of sugar, to test it for raising.

In a large mixing bowl, or (KA mixer) place the warm milk ( not hot )
add the sugar ,vanilla , salt & eggs
Beat until the sugar is dissolved and add the Yeast and mix well.
Add 1 cup of WW flour and 3 cups of AP flour and mix with mixer a few minutes.
Add flour until you make a “ soft “ Ball of dough that doesn’t stick to your hands.
Don’t make it too stiff , try to keep it a "soft dough."
On the Work Top, Sprinkle some flour under the ball and Knead it until smooth.
Place it in a large bowl, Rub some oil on top.

Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm spot ( until double.) I usually turn my oven on for a few minutes to warm and shut it.
Place a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf.

Then place the dough bowl in the oven to rise.
When ( doubled ) deflate and put it out of the bowl onto a floured worktop.
Punch it down and knead the dough again. Then cut into 2 pieces ( 2 loaves ).
Divide each piece into 3. Roll each of these 3 pieces into the shape
of a sweet potato ( about 12 in long ).
With the basting ( egg ) mixture and wet the tips of the 3 pieces
and stick them together at one end .
Then spread the other end the shape of an arrow While keeping the stuck ends down and away from you ,
twist each piece clockwise about 8 times and
lay them down so you can Platt or Braid them and
stick the other ends together
There are other ways to Braid ( 6 Strands ) but I take the fast easy way to do things.
Place the 2 shaped loaves on lightly oiled cookie tins, or in loaf pans.
Preheat the oven to 400 deg.
Spray some Pam on the loaves or brush with oil. This will keep them from drying while raising.
When doubled in size (about 20 min.) place in the oven , top shelf and bake until slightly tan.
Baste them with the egg mix and rotate them back into the oven and
( Turn temperature down to 325 deg.)
Baste again when they are a dark tan. Cook till a rich brown, mahogany color.
Take them out of the pans onto a rack to cool. Control yourself !!!! Let them cool !!!

This sounds like a lot to do but it is easy and should take only 10 minutes to mix and shape.
The most time is in the waiting for the dough to rise and for the bread to cool .
But it do look great !!! & Professional
This dough can also be used for Cinnamon Buns and Dinner Rolls.
I use it for Bagels too. I like the Subtle, Hardly Noticeable, sweet taste.
LOU

Mudlady, I grew up with those rolls too. I used to make them but haven't in quite a while. They were really soft and easily pulled apart. Just tedious to make.

Is this the sort of thing you are looking for? I've made these many times and they are very nice and not very complicated. I noticed you specifically mentioned that you are not looking for a sweet dough, and this one doesn't have the cup or more of sugar that other recipes might mention.

Alexa

*******************************************************
Clover leaf rolls

Measure into a large mixing bowl:
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
Add stirring in 1 pkg dry yeast
Add:
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tblp softened shortening
1 egg slightly beaten
Beat in 3 to 3 1/2 cups sifted flour
Turn onto a lightly floured board and kneed lightly about 8 times.
Place into greased bowl, grease top of dough, cover with a damp tea towel and let rise 1 1/2 hours.
Form into clover leaf rolls. Let rise in muffin tin until double about 45 mins.
Bake at 400 degrees for 12 -15 mins.

Like you Nancy, I don't want a sweet Clover leaf Roll. I would use the recipe that Alexa posted.

Ann

Lou's recipe clearly states that the dough is for a sweet roll. I would not use that for a cloverleaf roll. I prepared the third recipe I listed above. It needs to sit in the refrigerator overnite. I will bake some tomorrow and then bake another batch of the same dough on Sunday. I will let you know how they turn out.

And while lindac's recipe contains more sugar per cup of flour than any of the recipes I linked, I will try it none the less. Lindac has been using the recipe for a number of years so I'm sure it must be good.

Alexa - while your recipe has less sugar per cup of flour, is this a dough that could be stored in the fridge for a day or two?

I have not baked bread for years. I am interested in trying all recipes that I can make, put in the fridge, and bake a little bit each day.

Teresa

Lou states that he also uses that recipe for bagels and bread.
I have yet to find a recipe for a yeast dough that isn't better for spending a night or 2....or 3 in the refrigerator. Just don't let it rise before you chill it.
I know I have used Julia Child's French bread recipe several days after mixing it up, and last year after making sticky buns for Christmas, I had extra dough ( actually ran out of time or I would have shaped and baked it) and used it as a base for a breakfast pizza.
Grainlady...will you weigh in and tell what it is that makes a yeast dough suitable for shaping at a later time?
Linda C

Teresa, yes, the dough can be stored overnight, I haven't tried longer than that but I think it would be fine even 2 nights.

I too am interested to hear what Grainlady has to say about dough longevity in the fridge. I know I have done the Artisan Bread several times and the flavor is best (to my taste) about days 4 - 6, but I have never kept any other dough that long.

Alexa

Teresa, the Mom's refrigerator rolls recipe you posted is exactly the recipe I posted, but half of it. 1 cup of milk, 1 egg, etc.
Yours has more salt...mine not enough...I always add more and need to put that in my version on the computer file.
They will be just lovely....but there just won't be 3 dozen of them..;-)

lindac - I thought they were very similar. I suppose when a good recipe has been around for 100 years, people tweek it to their liking and pretty soon there are 100 versions, big and small.

That's good mine won't make 3 dozen. I'm thinking the family across the street is starting to think I have ulterior motives because I keep bringing them my extra test rolls! They are Somali immigrants. The three little kids get really big smiles and wave when they see me coming and going. Maybe I am the American version of the roll fairy to them!

Sorry I've missed this discussion with all the pre- and post- holiday hubbub...

Nearly any type of yeasted bread dough will keep in the refrigerator, at least overnight, but for the best results it's VERY important to keep the dough well-hydrated, which is a characteristic of the "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" dough.

A common favorite recipe for refrigerator dough was Betty Crocker Potato Refrigerator Dough. What's the purpose of mashed potatoes? According to Lloyd M. Moxon, author of "The Baking Book" and microbiologist who specializes in yeast biochemistry, mashed potatoes (or any pureed vegetable) helps to preserve the moisture in the dry climate of your refrigerator (due to the frost-free function).

I hydrate chia seeds in water to make "chia goop" and add them to bread dough, and it's very good at hydrating dough and aids in keeping homemade breads fresher longer after they are baked, as another example of an add-in ingredient for extra hydration.

I also suggest placing dough in a plastic food-grade container with a tight-fitting lid (the type you see used in the videos for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day). This will also aid in preventing loss of moisture, which can easily happen if your dough is only covered with a cloth and/or plastic wrap. I use the same plastic containers for proofing dough because it's a perfect little environment. You can even toss the dough in a large zip-lock freezer bag for refrigerator storage. Just be sure to press as much air out of the bag as possible.

If you pat the dough 1-inch thick before placing it in a zip-lock bag, it will chill much faster and more evenly than if you place a ball of dough in the bag.

Since the cold temperature of the refrigerator forces the yeast into dormancy, it no longer gobbles up all the available sugars. This allows the (good) bacteria to feed on the sugars and they produce acids (fermentation) and add complex flavors to the dough. Retarding (refrigerating) the dough also helps it keep better, which is similar to long-fermenting sourdough breads.

Retarding dough is not without it's down-side. Chilling dough for as long as overnight will reduce the ovenspring (the amount the dough continues to rise after it's placed in the oven), which also reduces the size of the loaf.

During a long fermentation in the refrigerator, alcohol formed in the dough evaporates from the surface of the dough, and some of it actually develops a vinegar-like substance, hence that acidic taste found in older refrigerator dough.

Chilling reduces carbon dioxide in the bubbles, which makes a slight change in texture of the bread. Chilling opens the texture of the bread.

The older your dough gets in the refrigerator (day 4 or 5), you may need to add some more yeast. After chilling your dough you can dissolve 1/2-teaspoon of yeast in a few tablespoons of warm water and knead this into the dough before shaping. I've found this method will help the ovenspring in loaves made with older dough using the "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" recipes.

-Grainlady

Teresa, I copied the recipe for Mom's Refrig. rolls. I'm betting that it is about the same as the recipe from my childhood. Thanks!

Wow Grainlady - you should write your own bread book......my brain is in overload trying to digest all the complexities you just explained. :-)

teresa_mn -

You should see the stack of books I had to use to post that answer... (LOL) I don't have to write the book, I've already bought them written by the "experts". I've also attended some in-depth classes on the subject. You just got the "Cliff's Notes" version. ;-)

-Grainlady