If you grew up watching the Waltons, you may have reminisced along with them, as they gathered around the family dinner table for their bountiful Thanksgiving feast. (See: http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=waltons+thanksgiving&tnr=21&vid=b97f19c5ff80b3561e71c787cdcce784&l=30&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DU.5035158419341352%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2Fvideos%2Fwatch%2F%3Fq%3DWaltons%2BThanksgiving%26vid%3DD59E42AEFE922789AF44D59E42AEFE922789AF44%26docid%3D5035158419341352&sigr=13sc6i2ll&newfp=1&tit=INSP+presents+The+Waltons+-+The+Thanksgiving+Story+starring+Ralph+...&back=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26p%3DWaltons%2BThanksgiving&sigb=11umju1mh)
Although those days are gone, we can still gather 'round the table and count our blessings as we recall family, friends, and events that have touched our lives throughout the year.
No Thanksgiving meal is complete without delicious rolls on the table, whether it’s one of those fluffy dinner rolls or golden crescent rolls (I'll take one of each, please!). Whichever you prefer, hot rolls slathered with butter is a great addition to any celebratory meal (or for a quick snack in the middle of the day). This is an easy dinner roll recipe that I found a couple of years ago in the Lion House Bakery Cookbook (available here: http://www.amazon.com/Lion-House-Bakery-Brenda-Hopkin/dp/1606411373/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353212174&sr=8-2&keywords=lion+house+cookbook).
These rolls are delicious even days later. I always bag the leftovers and microwave them just a few seconds to warm and serve later. I love these with ham and cheese tucked in and warmed for breakfast. This recipe is also great to use for cinnamon rolls.
So, let's get started!
THE BEST ROLLS IN THE WHOLE WORLD
First, let's gather the ingredients:
(NOTE: The recipe is on page 84 of "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That," but you can also find the complete recipe below, after the tutorial. You can copy and paste it to your word processor and print or save your own copy, if you don't have the cookbook. If you'd like to purchase a cookbook, send me a message using the form at the end of this post.
Gather these INGREDIENTS: 2 - cups warm water; 2/3 - cup
nonfat dry milk; 2 - tablespoons dry yeast (2 tablespoons =2 packages); 1/4 -
cup sugar; 2 - tsp salt; 1/2 - cup butter; 1 - egg; 5 to 5 1/2 - cups all
purpose flour; 1 stick butter, for slathering hot rolls fresh from the
oven
In a LARGE glass or stone bowl, combine water
and dry milk. (I set my bowl in a sink partially filled with very warm tap water
to keep the bowl warm.) Stir until dissolved.
Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, yeast, and 2 cups
flour.
Whisk well until ingredients are wet, then for a
minute or two extra, just to be sure you get out all the lumps and it's really
smooth.
Add 2 more cups of flour, and mix with a large
spatula (it's too much for your whisk) until ingredients are wet and continue
mixing one or two additional minutes after that to incorporate all the flour and
get it smooth and pasty. Add remaining 1 1/2 c. flour and again work it in
well, as before.
Once combined,
don't worry if it's still a bit sticky. Just clean the sides of the bowl, clean
your spatula onto the lump of dough, and pour about a tablespoon of Crisco oil
over the dough, using your fingertips to spread it around over the top to cover.
Grasp dough with oiled hands and turn it over to oil the bowl. Turn over once so
dough is covered with oil.
Cover with a lint-free tea towel, and let rise
in a warm place (as I said, I leave it sitting in a sink full of warm water)
until double in size.
Once risen to double, or to the top of the bowl,
scrape dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface. (You can lay out two strips
of waxed paper side-by-side, overlapping a little, and cover it with flour to do
this. Then, when you're through, just pick up your mess and toss in the trash.)
Roll out dough to a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch thick, and brush with melted
butter. (I usually melt about 1 stick of butter to cover the whole area of
rolled dough.)
Using a pizza
cutter, cut rolls into desired shape and size.
TIPS ON CUTTING: To
cut my rolls after rolling them out in flour, I use my hand to measure the
length and width of the strips. My thumb is the width, and from my thumb to the
end of my index finger is the length (about 2 1/2 X 5 inches rectangle). I cut
all one direction, then the other to make the small rectangles, then roll them
up like crescent rolls, tucking the end under the roll when I place it on the
pan. To space these, I leave a thumb's width (almost an inch) between them all
around. They will use all the space you can give them to rise. Have your butter
ready to slather them on top when they come out of the oven.
Place on a greased
(with Crisco solid) or parchment paper lined baking pan.
Cover with towel and let rise in warm place
until rolls are doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until
golden brown. Brush with additional butter while hot.
Serve HOT with your favorite meal (or microwave and serve with ham inside for breakfast sandwiches).
Serve HOT with your favorite meal (or microwave and serve with ham inside for breakfast sandwiches).
THE BEST ROLLS IN THE WHOLE
WORLD
INGREDIENTS:
2 - cups warm water
2/3 - cup nonfat dry milk
2 - tablespoons dry yeast (2 tablespoons =2 packages)
1/4 - cup sugar
2 - tsp salt 1/2 - cup butter
1 - egg
5 to 5 1/2 - cups all purpose flour
1 stick butter, for slathering hot rolls fresh from the oven
DIRECTIONS:
In a LARGE glass or stone bowl, combine water and dry milk. (I set my bowl in a sink partially filled with very warm tap water to keep the bowl warm.) Stir until dissolved. Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, yeast, and 2 cups flour. Whisk well until ingredients are wet, then for an additional minute or two, just to be sure you get out all the lumps and it's really smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, and mix with a large spatula (it's too much for your whisk) until ingredients are wet and one or two minutes after that to incorporate all the flour and get it smooth and pasty. Add remaining 1 1/2 c. flour and again work it in well, as before. Once combined, don't worry if it's still a bit sticky. Just clean the sides of the bowl, clean your spatula onto the lump of dough, and pour about a tablespoon of Crisco oil over the dough, using your fingertips to spread it around over the top to cover. Grasp dough with oiled hands and turn it over to oil the bowl. Turn over once so dough is covered with oil. Cover with a lint-free tea towel, and let rise in a warm place (as I said, I leave it sitting in a sink full of warm water) until double in size.
Once risen to double, or to the top of the bowl, scrape dough out of bowl onto floured surface. (You can lay out two strips of waxed paper side-by-side, overlapping a little, and cover it with flour to do this. Then, when you're through, just pick up your mess and toss in the trash.) Roll out dough to a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch thick, and brush with melted butter. (I usually melt about 1 stick of butter to cover the whole area of rolled dough.) Using a pizza cutter, cut rolls into desired shape and size. Place on a greased (with Crisco solid) or parchment paper lined baking pan. Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until rolls are doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Brush with melted butter while hot.
TIPS ON CUTTING: To cut my rolls after rolling them out in flour, I use my hand to measure the length and width of the strips. My thumb is the width, and from my thumb to the end of my index finger is the length (about 2 1/2 X 5 inches rectangle). I cut all one direction, then the other to make the small rectangles, then roll them up like crescent rolls, tucking the end under the roll when I place it on the pan. To space these, I leave a thumb's width (almost an inch) between them all around. They will use all the space you can give them to rise. Have your butter ready to slather them on top when they come out of the oven.
TIPS ON FREEZING: After shaping the rolls place them 2 inches apart on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Place the rolls in the freezer and freeze until firm. When the rolls are firm, transfer to a large zip lock freezer bag. Date and freeze for up to 4 weeks. Great to do this when getting ready for the Holidays or when taking meals to needy families. TIPS ON USING FROZEN ROLLS: Arrange frozen rolls 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with nonstick cooking spray or covered with parchment paper. Cover rolls with plastic wrap coated with baking spray. Place in a warm place and let the rolls rise until doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with additional butter while hot.
INGREDIENTS:
2 - cups warm water
2/3 - cup nonfat dry milk
2 - tablespoons dry yeast (2 tablespoons =2 packages)
1/4 - cup sugar
2 - tsp salt 1/2 - cup butter
1 - egg
5 to 5 1/2 - cups all purpose flour
1 stick butter, for slathering hot rolls fresh from the oven
DIRECTIONS:
In a LARGE glass or stone bowl, combine water and dry milk. (I set my bowl in a sink partially filled with very warm tap water to keep the bowl warm.) Stir until dissolved. Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, yeast, and 2 cups flour. Whisk well until ingredients are wet, then for an additional minute or two, just to be sure you get out all the lumps and it's really smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, and mix with a large spatula (it's too much for your whisk) until ingredients are wet and one or two minutes after that to incorporate all the flour and get it smooth and pasty. Add remaining 1 1/2 c. flour and again work it in well, as before. Once combined, don't worry if it's still a bit sticky. Just clean the sides of the bowl, clean your spatula onto the lump of dough, and pour about a tablespoon of Crisco oil over the dough, using your fingertips to spread it around over the top to cover. Grasp dough with oiled hands and turn it over to oil the bowl. Turn over once so dough is covered with oil. Cover with a lint-free tea towel, and let rise in a warm place (as I said, I leave it sitting in a sink full of warm water) until double in size.
Once risen to double, or to the top of the bowl, scrape dough out of bowl onto floured surface. (You can lay out two strips of waxed paper side-by-side, overlapping a little, and cover it with flour to do this. Then, when you're through, just pick up your mess and toss in the trash.) Roll out dough to a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch thick, and brush with melted butter. (I usually melt about 1 stick of butter to cover the whole area of rolled dough.) Using a pizza cutter, cut rolls into desired shape and size. Place on a greased (with Crisco solid) or parchment paper lined baking pan. Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until rolls are doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Brush with melted butter while hot.
TIPS ON CUTTING: To cut my rolls after rolling them out in flour, I use my hand to measure the length and width of the strips. My thumb is the width, and from my thumb to the end of my index finger is the length (about 2 1/2 X 5 inches rectangle). I cut all one direction, then the other to make the small rectangles, then roll them up like crescent rolls, tucking the end under the roll when I place it on the pan. To space these, I leave a thumb's width (almost an inch) between them all around. They will use all the space you can give them to rise. Have your butter ready to slather them on top when they come out of the oven.
TIPS ON FREEZING: After shaping the rolls place them 2 inches apart on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Place the rolls in the freezer and freeze until firm. When the rolls are firm, transfer to a large zip lock freezer bag. Date and freeze for up to 4 weeks. Great to do this when getting ready for the Holidays or when taking meals to needy families. TIPS ON USING FROZEN ROLLS: Arrange frozen rolls 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with nonstick cooking spray or covered with parchment paper. Cover rolls with plastic wrap coated with baking spray. Place in a warm place and let the rolls rise until doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with additional butter while hot.
