Lunch Lady Anytime Rolls

These hot, buttery, yeast rolls are easy to fix and so fluffy and delicious you’ll want to fix them every day. The best part besides eating them…I dump everything in my stand mixer and use the dough hook. You can also make them ahead of time and put them in the fridge overnight after you roll them in to balls. Just remove them from the fridge and let them have their second rise before baking. The second rise takes longer from the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups warm water – 110 – 115 degrees

1/3 cup of sugar

2 packages of active dry yeast (Or, 4 ½ teaspoons, if you buy in bulk)

¼ cup of milk

1 egg, whisked

1 tablespoon of salt

3 tablespoons of vegetable shortening. (I use Crisco.)

4-5 cups of flour

INSTRUCTIONS

Grease a bowl for your dough to rise

Makes approximately 24 rolls (Depending on how you roll your dough balls)

Bake at 400 degrees in two 9 x 13 buttered pans for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown

In a mixing bowl, add warm water, sugar and milk. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the yeast and stir once or twice to gently mix it in. Let set for 5 minutes until the yeast starts to foam. This lets you know that your yeast is alive and working and your bread will rise. Add whisked egg, salt and two cups of flour and mix until ingredients come together. Add shortening and two more cups of flour. Mix until dough comes together. During the last cup of flour, I add it in quarter cup increments allowing the dough to mix several minutes in between flour additions. You want the dough to be together and climbing the dough hook if you’re using a stand mixer. Mix for 5-10 minutes on low speed. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 2-3 minutes until the dough isn’t sticky and has a smooth consistency.

Place your dough ball in a greased bowl turning your dough over to give it a light coating of oil. This will keep a skin from forming while it’s rising. Cover and place in a warm location. I often let my dough rise in the oven with the light on. This provides a little bit of heat for the yeast. If it’s too cool, your dough will not rise. Alternatively, you can put a damp dish towel in the microwave and heat it for one minute and then place your bowl with the dough in the microwave with the warm wet towel. Let your dough rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

After your dough has risen, remove from bowl and turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes, cover and let it rest for about 2 minutes. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about an inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or bench scraper, cut your dough into equal strips and then each strip into 2 inch squares. Roll each square into approximately 2-inch balls and place in a buttered pan. Cover the pan, place in a warm location and allow the rolls to have a second rise. The second rise should take until the dough balls double in size.

Bake for 22 minutes and then baste with butter. Serve warm. Warning: They go fast!