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So, I was desperate to find American Dinner Rolls similar to the ones I remember when working in the restaurants.  While I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, I did have a play around and this is AWFULLY close.

Tips:

• These are great as they are but you could try them with honey butter on the side for a little extra treat

Yield: makes 12 dinner rolls

PREP: About three hours

Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 Cup warm water (~100° F)
• 3 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Tbsp salt
• 1/4 stick (1/8 cup) butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 Cup warm milk
• 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 egg – beaten with 2 Tbsp light cream or whole milk to make an egg wash

Preparation:

Dough

1. Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in the warm water and allow to proof
2. Melt the 1/4 stick of butter in the warm milk add the honey then combine with the yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl
3. Mix 1 to 2 cups of flour with the salt and stir, 1 cup at a time, into the mixture in the bowl, beating vigorously with a the kitchen chef to make a soft sponge. (The dough will be wet and sticky.)
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set in a warm place, and let the dough rise till doubled in bulk, about 1 hour
5. Stir it down with a wooden spoon and add about 1 more cup of flour, to make a dough that can be kneaded with ease
6. Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead until velvety smooth and very elastic; press with the fingers to see if the dough is resilient
7. Let rest for a few minutes, then form the dough into a ball
8. Put into a butter bowl and turn so that the surface is thoroughly covered with butter, cover and put in a warm, draft-free place to rise again until doubled in bulk

Rolls

1. Punch the dough down with your fist, turn out on a lightly floured board, and let rest for several minutes, until you are able to roll it out to a thickness of 1/2 inch and then stretch the rolled dough into a rectangular shape
2. Cut out the dough to get 12 equal portions
3. Roll each portion into a ball
4. Arrange these rolls on a buttered pyrex dish about 2 inches apart (3 columns and 4 rows)
5. Brush again with melted butter and allow the rolls to rise until almost doubled in size (they will probably touch each other)
6. Brush the dough balls with the egg wash then cut a line or cross into the top of each roll (it looks nice and helps the rolls rise evenly) then bake in a preheated 425ºF | 220°C oven until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, depending on size
7. Test one by gently tapping it on the top. If done, you will hear a very faint hollow sound
8. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with a little table salt

• Remove the rolls and place them in a bread bowl.  Serve them piping hot right from the oven, good luck with them lasting 5 minutes!

Variations:

Roll dough on a floured surface into a rectangle 9 x 14 x 1/4 inches. Brush with melted butter and cut into five strips about 9 x 1 1/4 x 1/4 inches each. Stack and cut into 1 1/2-inch stacks. Place stacks, brushed with butter, cut side down, into buttered muffin tins. Follow directions above for rising and baking.

Twists:

Roll small pieces of dough into 9-inch strips. They should be approximately 1/2 to 2/3-inch in diameter. Tie in loose knots and place on buttered cookie sheets. Let rise and bake according to directions above.

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