Kick-Ass Rolls

First of all, I apologize to anyone who is offended by the name. The Bible calls them Old-Fashioned Rolls. I call them kick-ass because they're really, really good.

These are your basic, buttery dinner rolls. I still put butter on the table, but there's a lot in them and on top. The egg also enriches the dough, but it doesn't taste eggy.

I usually cut the recipe in half, because 2 dozen is a lot of dinner rolls. The nice thing about bread products is that they freeze very well. The rolls will be exactly as fresh coming out of the freezer as they were going in. Just get all the air out of the bag and don't freeze until they have cooled completely.

1/3 C sugar

1 C milk

1/4 C butter

2 packages (5 tsp) yeast

4-5 C flour

1-1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

melted butter for brushing

1. Warm sugar, milk, and butter to 100º. Butter does not need to melt. Stir in yeast and let proof, about 5 min.

2. In mixer, combine 2 C flour and the salt. Add milk mixture and beat until a thick batter forms, 2 minutes. Beat in another cup of flour and the eggs, 2 minutes. Beat in enough flour (up to 1 C) to make a soft dough.

3. Turn out dough onto a board and knead until smooth, adding as little flour as possible. This will take 5-10 minutes. Because of the eggs, this dough will always be a little sticky. Do not add too much flour!

4. Grease a bowl with a few drops of oil. Set dough in bowl and turn over to grease all sides. Proof in warm place for 1 hour, until doubled. Punch down dough and let rest 15 minutes.

5. Divide dough in half, then each half into 12 equal pieces. Or, you can get out a food scale and make 1- or 2-ounce pieces of dough, depending on your preference. I find that easier. Roll each piece into a ball and place on greased cookie sheets. Let rise 30 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 375º. Brush rolls with melted butter and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove to wire rack to cool.

makes 2 dozen

Difficulty rating  :)