Most people love bread. I REALLY do! Having my own bakery was heavenly in that respect because the only bread we ate at that time was homemade. It was a time our taste buds cherished! Now you too can enjoy the homemade dinner rolls that my customers ordered by the dozens (plural, that is) during any holiday that came around, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. The recipe is straight from my cookbook, Secrets of a Professional Baker, Favorite Recipes from The Spice Rack Bakery/Bistro, Cherokee, Iowa. Here it is…

Homemade Dinner Rolls
Makes 2 Dozen

1 lb, 6-1/2 oz (4-1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 oz (2 packets) RapidRise yeast
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2-1/2 oz (5 Tbsp) butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp melted butter

In a saucepan, heat milk, water, and butter to 120-130F. Meanwhile, place the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a mixer bowl; combine dry ingredients. When liquid ingredients are warmed, pour into the mixer bowl with the dry ingredients and add the eggs.

With a spoon, combine ingredients until flour is moistened. With a dough hook, knead the dough with the mixer on medium-low speed for 8 to 10 minutes. Alternatively, dough may be kneaded by hand for 8 to 10 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl. Spray dough with nonstick spray, cover and allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.

Remove dough from bowl onto a lightly floured board. With a knife, cut dough into 24 equal-size pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place them in rows (4 across) in one 9×13″ baking pan that has been greased. Let rolls rise in a warm place* about 20 to 30 minutes, until doubled in size.

Bake at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes on the rack in the middle of the oven, until lightly browned. Remove from pan to a cooling rack. Spread melted butter on top of rolls and let them cool before separating.

*Tip: Let rolls rise in a homemade proof box using your oven. Move the bottom rack to the lowest position. Place a medium size pan of boiling water onto the bottom rack. Turn on the oven light and close the door. This can be done while the dough is resting before rolls are shaped. This allows ample time to warm the oven up and provide a warm, moist environment for your bread to proof. Leave the oven light on and the pan of water in the oven while the rolls are proofing on the rack in the middle of the oven. Do not turn the oven on during this process! Remove the rolls and the pan of water from the bottom of the oven after the rolls have risen enough. THEN, turn the oven on to preheat it before placing rolls back inside the oven to bake.

Enjoy these rolls!

Judi