Homemade Dinner Rolls

There's nothing like fresh homemade bread baking in the oven, on a chilly Autumn day.  I bake bread often, it's really easy, especially if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer, with the special dough hook.  All you really do is put all the ingredients in the bowl, turn the mixer on low, and the dough comes together, and forms a ball, that's when you know the dough is kneaded and ready for it's first rise. 

 After you learn how to make dough with the mixer, you will want to try new recipes, and all kinds of bread, sticky buns, I have a GREAT recipe for STICKY BUNS.....whole wheat and raisin cinnamon loaves, pizza dough, and one of our favorites.... Dinner Rolls. 

Here's the recipe, it's so easy, and nothing so satisfying than making your own bread!

Homemade Dinner Rolls

1 1/4 cup warm water from the tap (WARM, NOT HOT, COOL TO YOUR WRIST)

3 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast

1 TBS sugar

In a bowl, add the water, then the yeast, and the sugar.  Stir with a fork, set aside for about 5 mins  until bubbles and foamy, if it doesn't get foamy, the yeast must be dead, buy new yeast and start over!

TIP:  Yeast can be expensive, I buy a huge package at COSTCO for only $4.00.  If you buy it in the grocery store, it's a small bottle and like $6.00, or the envelopes are like $2.99 each.  Yeast is something I would always buy in bulk. 

In a Kitchen Aid Mixer bowl, add the following:

4 1/2 cup Bread Flour (you can use All-Purpose, but Bread Flour really is BEST for baking bread)

1/4 cup oil (I use Canola)

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

If you don't have a Kitchen Aid Mixer, by all means make your bread by hand....using the same method here, but instead of the mixer kneading your dough, you will have to by hand, for about 10 minutes or so....add some flour if it gets sticky, pushing the dough to and away from you on a floured work surface.  You will know it's done when it's not VERY STICKY and you form a ball, and is smooth to the touch like a baby's bottom..... :)

Back to the Kitchen Aid Mixer Method

1. When the yeast is all foamy, (if the yeast doesn't turn foamy after about 5-10 minutes, your yeast must not be "alive" look at the expiration date, throw out and go buy new yeast, I usually store yeast in the frig) add it to the mixer bowl with the flour and other ingredients.  Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low.  Now is the dough coming together, forming a ball, or does it look like a batter?  If it looks like a batter you need more flour, add about 1/4 cup, now it should be coming together starting to form a ball around the dough hook, make sure you scrape the sides down, it may still be sticky, take the remaining dough off the hook and with floured hands combine all the dough forming it into a nice smooth ball. 

2. Grease a large bowl with about 2 TBS of oil, put the dough in the bowl, turning it to make sure both sides are oiled.  Cover with a kitchen towel or foil.  Let sit on a warm surface, I usually put the bowl on the stove, for one hour until doubled in size. 

3. When the dough is done rising and doubled, punch the dough down getting all the air bubbles out, it will feel elastic, cut the dough into 18 even pieces and form into little balls, about the size of a golf ball.  Or with floured hands, roll each piece into a thick rope and tie into a knot, then form into a ball.

4. Grease a cookie sheet or 9x13 casserole dish, and put the balls in.  Now you have to let it rise again forming the dinner rolls, cover with a kitchen towel, or I use a piece of GREASED wax paper, and let them rise for 1/2 hour until doubled.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes until lightly brown.  YUMMO!