Our Favorite Dinner Rolls

So, this Thanksgiving, we made these rolls from "Our Best Bites." AMAZING. We made two dozen for Thanksgiving day. There were twelve of us. There was hardly enough, since some of us ate three of them. (Good thing some of us shared!!!) So, I had to make another batch (2 dozen) the next morning to go with Thanksgiving leftovers. Again, literally 30 seconds, and they were all gone. So, in the space of two days, between 12 people we ate 4 dozen rolls. Slightly disgusting, but not surprising!! We hope you love them too!!!

2 Cups Whole Milk*
1/2 Cup PLUS 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided
1/3 cup butter
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 packages (4-1/2 teaspoons) active dry or bread machine yeast
2/3 cup warm (105-115 degrees F) Water
8-9 Cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 Beaten Eggs

Combine Milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts into salty-sweet perfection.

Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. To hurry things up a bit, you can place the saucepan in a bowl of ice cubes. You want to make sure this mixture isn't too hot, otherwise it will kill the yeast.

While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 Tablespoon sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes. If the yeast hasn't bubbled, you'll need to repeat this step with new yeast.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups flour and cooled milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes. Add beaten eggs.

Stir in as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft - it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will stick to your finger when you touch it. Don't worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they're so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Lightly flour work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half. Spray two 9x13 inch glass pans with nonstick cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. A pizza cutter works well because it cuts right through the dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like Play-Doh. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan. Use a kitchen scale if you want to ensure that the rolls are exactly the same.

Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

When done, remove from oven. Brush with melted butter. Or, better yet, just grab a stick of cold butter from the fridge, and rub it over the top of each roll. Make sure you grab one now and eat it while its still hot! This is your reward for making the best dinner rolls EVER!

24 Rolls.

Source: Our Best Bites

*TIP - The fat in whole milk is absolutely essential to the lightness and flavor of these rolls. If you're in a pinch, 2% works ok, but try to stay away from 1% or skim. If you're going to put all the work into these rolls, you want to make sure they taste amazing!