Recipe : Yeast Rolls

These turned out better than I dared hope, considering I've never actually made rolls before.  (Bread?  Sure.  But not rolls.  Weird.)  As bigger rolls they were divine.  Light, soft, fabulous.

And as semi-sort-of-cloverleaf rolls that ended up being a tad overdone, they were fun for the kids.  :o)  Yes, I know cloverleaf rolls are made in muffin tins, but I didn't want to be bothered with it.  I barely had it scrubbed out from the egg muffins and wanted to leave it clean for at least one day.  lol

This recipe is a mish-mash of a bunch of ideas I took from a few places online, cobbled together into what turned out to be a really GOOD recipe.   In the interest of economy, I made them with shortening.  I would, however, recommend butter.  Salted butter, ideally.

Yeast Rolls

Mix together and set aside until foamy:
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water + 1 tsp sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine:
1 cup warm water (or milk)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening (or butter)
2 eggs
2 tsp salt

Add yeast mixture and stir together well.

Gradually add 3 cups flour, mixing well as you add it.  When dough is holding together well enough to handle, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes, adding more flour as you work the dough until it has reached a soft, smooth consistency.  (I used a total of about 4-1/2 cups)  It should be quite soft, but holding together well and not sticky.

Place dough in a greased bowl and turn over.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and set in a warm place to rise until doubled, about an hour.  Punch down.

Cut or break dough into pieces.  Shape into smooth balls by bending the dough down over two fingers and folding the bottom together.  For cloverleaf rolls, tuck three small balls into each well of a muffin tin.  For dinner rolls, arrange balls on a baking sheet (lightly greased or covered with parchment paper) so that they are touching if you want soft sides, separate if you want them to be more crusty.   Allow to double again, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until golden brown (bottom should be just lightly browned).   Cool on wire racks.