Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Sunday Rolls


I inherited many things from my mother: her love of holidays and parades, her stubbornness, and countless delicious recipes. Sadly, a delicious roll recipe is not one of those. No, we were one of those families that relied on "Sister Rhodes" for our Sunday rolls. Because of that, for quite a while now I've been searching for a great roll recipe. My sister-in-law makes delicious ones but I keep forgetting to ask her for it, so I pulled this one out of one of my recipe books the other day and was very pleased with the result. They were everything Sunday rolls should be--light, melt-in-your-mouth, buttery. Mmm. The only thing I would possibly do differently next time is to brush them with melted butter before baking like my mom does to her Rhodes rolls. I just like the extra buttery flavor it gives them. So here's my new Sunday roll recipe. (And by the way, Lindsay, I would love to get your roll recipe too!)


Ingredients:
3/4 c. plus 1 t. sugar, divided
1/2 c. warm water
2 T. active dry yeast
1 c. butter-flavored shortening
1 c. boiling water
1 c. cold water
4 eggs, beaten
2 t. salt
8 C. all-purpose flour, divided
non-stick cooking spray

Dissolve one teaspoon sugar in warm water and sprinkle yeast over it; set aside. Blend shortening and remaining 3/4 c. sugar. Stir in boiling water. Add cold water, yeast mixture, eggs, and salt; mix well. Add flour, 4 cups at a time; mix well. Let dough rise for one hour. Divide dough into thirds. Roll each third into a circle; cut into 12 wedges. Roll each wedge up crescent roll style. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray; let rise another hour. Bake on ungreased baking sheets at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

**Note: Recently a friend told me a trick she learned from a man in his 90s that baked all his own bread and which he claimed made his bread light and fluffy every time. The trick is to microwave your yeast/sugar/water mixture for a few seconds before adding it to your dough. I tried it with this, microwaving my mixture for about 5 seconds, and as far as I could tell it worked. At least it didn't seem to harm the dough at all, so feel free to try it yourself if you feel so inclined.**

4 comments:

Lindsay said...

I'll have to try this one. I'm also still very new to the roll-making world. Anyway, here's my recipe (and the only one I've tried). It went much better the second time around. :)

Frozen Dinner Rolls

5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups unsifted flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 pkgs Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup margarine
2 eggs (at room temperature)

In a large bowl thoroughly mix 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved yeast.

Combine water, milk, and margarine in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm. Margarine does not need to melt. Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour. Beat at high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, then a towl, let rest 20 minutes.

Punch dough down. Shape into desired shapes for dinner rolls. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and foil, sealing well. Freeze until firm. Transfer to plastic bags. Freeze up to 4 weeks.

Remove from freezer; place on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and done. Remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

Jessica said...

These look to die for! I AM HOPELESS with rolls, but I will optimisticly give this one a try.

Frieda Loves Bread said...

Beautiful rolls! I found you through the Hive- great to meet another Utah baker!

Frieda Loves Bread said...

Your rolls look fabulous...great to meet another Utah baker!