Homemade Rolls

I can't take credit for this recipe. I actually can't take credit for any of my recipes. This recipe comes from my good friend Rachel. When we lived in Cleveland, Rachel taught me a little about bread making and I've been making these rolls (and her cinnamon rolls!) ever since. If you want to make wheat rolls, use half whole wheat flour in place of the white flour. I've never done that, but either way they are delicious.



NOTE: Use the timer because this has to be exact.

4 cups whole milk warmed in microwave on high for 3 minutes. Should be luke warm to touch. (Mine is usually luke warm after 2 minutes so just warm it until the milk is luke warm)

1/4 cup yeast

1 cup sugar

**Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and the sugar over the yeast. Let sit for exactly ten minutes.

Then add 4 eggs and 5 cups flour, Beat for five minutes. Let stand for 20 minutes (covered)

Then add 1 cup vegetable or canola oil, 1 Tbsp salt, and 7 cups flour ( I would add 6 1/2 the first time you make them because you will probably use a lot of flour to roll them out and also you will most likely handle the dough more than you will when you are used to the recipe). Mix until well blended. Add 1 stick of butter (room temp). Beat for five minutes. Let rise for 30 minutes (covered). Dough will rise above bowl so keep wax paper or another non-stick cover loosely on bowl. Dump out dough on well floured large surface. Separate into three lumps. Roll each lump into pizza rounds. Then use a pizza cutter and cut as you would a pizza. Then start on the outside edge and roll in towards the middle making crescent shaped rolls. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover very loosely (I cover mine with saran wrap sprayed with PAM and just lookely place it on top of the rolls) and let rise until double again (about 1 hour). Cook at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

You can brush them with butter while they are still hot to make them really moist. I always do this and use salted butter since it gives them more flavor.

Plan about 3-4 hours total time for these to be done. This recipe makes tons of rolls so after you bake them, let them cool completely and then stick as many as you can (still stuck together. if they are stuck together from baking) in a large ziplock bag and freeze in the freezer. To defrost bags, just place on your counter in the morning, they should be defrosted in 1-2 hours. Or you can microwave for 15 seconds.

This is what it looked like after it has been rising for almost an hour. It actually got even bigger and started to spill over the side.

The three rounds you make after the dough has risen for an hour.

Roll each ball into a circle, not paper thin but not too thick.

Cut each with a pizza cutter. I usually cut into eighths, and then cut each of those "slices" into three triangles, so each round will make about 24 rolls (about 70-75 each batch). Some of yours will be smaller and some bigger, it doesn't matter if they are the same size.

Roll them up and place them on a sprayed cookie sheet. I counted how many cookie sheets I own. Eleven. You can also place yours closer together so they "stick" together once they double and are baked. I think it makes them not as dry if you let them stick together, I just don't usually think about it when I'm making them.

Yummy. My kids could eat these unbaked. Don't worry though, we definitely make them wait. They just end up eating three each straight out of the oven!

After they've doubled in size. My kids "helped" me roll them up so some are a little funktified, but they all turn out in the end.

Fresh out of the oven. Mine don't stick together like Rachel's do. If I put in one more row of rolls they would, but I think no matter what these are yummy!

Out of the oven and being smothered with love... I mean, butter. Same thing.