Karla’s Dinner Rolls

Dinner Rolls

One of my signature items for my family every holiday season is my dinner rolls. Here’s my recipe and tips. These are fattening! But we only eat them once a year and oh are they worth that extra pound (or two!).

Karla’s Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup lard
5 cups all-purpose flour (or more depending on humidity)
Real butter to coat rolls
Karla’s tips:
1.      Use eggs that are room temperature. Cold eggs often deactivate the yeast.
2.      Use lard, not butter or shortening. Lard makes the best rolls, and it’s only ¼ cup, so there’s very little in each roll. If you’re going to eat a roll, eat a good one, right?
3.      Some people like their rolls a little sweeter. This recipe makes great cinnamon rolls, too, so you can add up to another ¼ cup of sugar. More than that may deactivate the yeast.
4.      You’ll need super strong arms if you’re going to mix by hand. I use my Kitchenaid mixer. It’s almost like cheating!
Instructions:
Heat milk just up to 180 degrees. Set aside and cool to between 110 and 115 degrees. (I cool mine to 110.)
·         After the milk is cool, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup milk.
·         Stir in remaining milk, the sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 5 cups flour.
·         Beat until smooth, adding more flour as needed to make the dough easy to handle. (This is where practice comes in. You’ll know after you’ve done it a few times whether you need more flour or not.)
·         Without a Kitchenaid mixer: turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (With Kitchenaid mixer: you can use the dough hook.)
·         Place in buttered bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled.
·         Shape into rolls.
·         Brush each roll with softened butter. Place 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Let rise again, then bake at 325 degrees F for 20-30 minutes.
·         Brush again with butter.
These rolls take about 2-4 hours to make, raise twice and bake (depending on how many batches you are making at one time). They are beautiful reheated and freeze well.

©Karla Akins, 2013

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