These dinner rolls are one of the easiest and most delicious bread recipes I have.  I first learned how to make dinner rolls from one of our previous employer’s wife, on the Fulton Quien Sabe Ranch.  She was a great cook and made many things from scratch but boy could she make a bread recipe now!  She always had to make double because each cowboy would eat 4 or 5 rolls each.  Yes, they were that good.

I haven’t made dinner rolls with her recipe for a long time and since I had to cook for the ranch today, I thought it’d be a good time.  Two important things about this recipe. Try to follow directions exactly to have the softest rolls ever.  So when it says little flour, use VERY little flour if any.  And when it says to butter them, be generous!  Enjoy y’all!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 envelope Active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup very warm water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup scalding hot milk
• 1 egg –lightly beaten
• 4 1/2 cups of sifted all purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons of melted butter for brushing rolls

DIRECTIONS

Sprinkle the yeast over very warm water in a large bowl.  (warm water should feel comfortably warm when dropped on wrist)  Stir until yeast dissolves.

Add sugar, the 1/4cup butter and salt to hot milk and stir until the sugar dissolves and butter is melted.  Cool mixture to 105 to 115 degrees.

Add milk mixture to yeast, then beat in egg.  Beat in 4 cups of flour, one cup at a time to form soft dough.  Use some the remaining 1/2 cup flour to dust a pastry cloth.  Knead the dough lightly for 5 minutes, working in the remaining flour (use if for flouring your cloth and hands).

Place dough in a warm buttered bowl; turn greased side up.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1  1/2 hrs.

Punch dough down and knead 4 to 5 minutes on a lightly floured pastry cloth.  Dough will be sticky, but use as little flour as possible for flouring your hands and the pastry cloth, otherwise the rolls will not be as feathery light as they should be.

Pinch off small chunks of dough and shape into round rolls.  Place in neat rows, not quite touching, in a well-buttered 13x9x2 pan. Cover rolls and let rise in warm place until doubled, 30-45min.

Brush tops of rolls generously with melted butter, then bake in a 375′ oven for 18-20minutes or until nicely browned.

Serve warm with plenty of butter.  I pour melted butter on top of the rolls right when the come out of the oven.

Recipe makes about 2 dozen!

I served up my rolls in my brand new, very pretty Tuscan Everyday Baker.  I love that color!

Let me know if you make them!

Sometimes I’m running behind in the kitchen and don’t have the time to make sourdough rolls, etc but I have this faithful recipe that, with and hour and half, I can have fresh homemade rolls for my crew.  I just made these for the ranch crew here and they seemed to be a hit!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pkg. RapidRise Yeast
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• Salt
• 3 c. flour

DIRECTIONS:

Dissolve 1 package yeast in 1 cup of warm water.  Add to sugar, oil, salt, and flour.  Mix and knead well.  Let rise in warm place for 1 1/2 hours.  Roll out 12 rolls and place in a greased pan for 12 to 15 minutes at 400′.  Quick, super easy and SOOOOO good!  I chose to use a muffin pan but you can use a regular casserole dish.

I have learned many variations of rolls through the years and these are one of favs that I make for the cowboys.

• 2c. warm water
• 2 pkg. yeast (rapid rise)
• 1/3c. oil
• 1/4c. sugar
• 1/2tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 6 -7c. flour

Dissolve yeast in water and add rest of ingredients. Knead but do not over knead.  Let rise for about an hour.  Make into rolls and let rise completely.  I like to cover mine with a light material.  Bake at 350′ for 20min. or until done.

TIP: Melt butter and brush on rolls in the last couple of minutes of cooking time and then after they come out of the oven.