Best Soft Dinner Rolls

Honestly, I've made these several times and they never disappoint!

Common problems with some of the other roll recipes I've tried:

1. They're dry

2. They're "yeasty"

3. They're bland

4. They stale quickly

But these dinner rolls:

1. They're moist with a wonderful texture

2. They have no strong yeasty taste

3. They're delicious

4. They stay moist for days in an airtight bag and refresh easily after a few more days if you microwave a few seconds or wrap in foil and reheat in a 350 degree oven.

5. The kids will devour them

6. They make really good little sandwiches

7. They are not hard to make - at all. In fact, it's kinda fun! The dough is soft and smooth and really nice to work with.   Try them!

Aunt Marie's Dinner Rolls

adapted slightly from Sortachef at woodfiredkitchen.com

Makes 32 rolls

4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided into two equal parts
1 cup milk
5 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, plus more for pan
¼ cup sugar

1 ¼ teaspoons of salt
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of quick rise yeast (Rapid Rise and Perfect Rise are two types)
1 cup warm water (100°)
About ½ cup or more additional flour for kneading

Egg wash (1 egg mixed with a little water) for brushing on top of rolls

1.Heat one cup of milk in a medium saucepan until it’s hot but not boiling. Add the sugar, 5 1/2 tablespoons of butter and salt. Let the milk cool for a few minutes while the butter melts.

2. Pour the milk mixture into the mixing bowl, making sure to get all the sugar from the bottom as well. Add a cup of warm water, 2 ¼ cups of flour and sprinkle on the quick rise yeast. Attach the flat beater, and beat on medium speed for 4 or 5 minutes, until you have a smooth batter with no lumps. Scrape the bowl as necessary.

3. Now add another 2¼ cups flour, switch to the dough hook and beat for a further 5 minutes on medium low speed. The dough is ready for hand kneading once all the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth and stretchy.

4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Pull the edges of the dough in toward the center like an envelope, using the dough scraper at first and then your fingers as the dough gets less sticky. Continue kneading, constantly pulling and then pushing down on the center with your palms, adding a little flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough should be tacky but not sticky. After a few minutes, you will feel the dough push back as the gluten develops. Knead for a minimum of 5 minutes altogether, and then form a ball.

5. Put the ball of dough into a bread bowl and let rise in a warm spot, lightly covered, for 45 minutes or until doubled in volume.

6. Coat the bottom and sides of a 10 x 15 inch lasagna pan with softened butter.

7. Spread the dough into a rough rectangle on a lightly floured surface and fold the rectangle in half. Spread out into a rough rectangle and fold in half again. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes and then spread it out into a rectangle the size of the lasagna pan. Put the dough into the lasagna pan and spread it out evenly.

8. Using a dough scraper, cut the dough into 32 small squares inside the pan. To do this, cut lengthwise in half, then in half again. Along the long side, cut the dough in half, then each of those halves in half and in half again to end up with an 8 x 4 grid. Picking up each of the small squares of dough in turn, stretch the top skin across and down, tucking it roughly under to make a small ball of dough. Put each piece back where it came from. No need to strive for perfection here: to do this to all the rolls should only take three or four minutes!

9. Let the rolls rise for 30 – 40 minutes in a warm spot, until at least doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350° when the rolls are nearly risen. Just before baking, lightly brush a little of the egg wash on top of the rolls with a pastry brush.

10. Bake for 20 minutes at 350° or until they’re lightly browned on the top and the internal temperature is 195-200 degrees F. Allow to cool until just warm before serving.