Yeast Rolls
Originally from June S.
Measure by the scoop/level method:
6 C. Plain flour [I like White Lilly rather than Bread Flour here. But it probably won’t matter.
Set aside until later.
Cream together:
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Shortening
1 t. Salt. [Adjust salt more or less if use salted/unsalted butter.]
Use your electric mixer to cream using your mixing paddle.
While creaming this mixture, bring
1 C. Water to boiling.
Pour this boiling water into the shortening mixture and stir and cool to lukewarm to touch. [The shortening mixture is still in your mixer bowl] It just takes a little while. It’s cool enough by the time I’m ready to add the yeast, etc.
Dissolve
2 pkg Dry yeast. [Can be regular, rapid rise or instant. Adjust rising times accordingly.]
[Depending on the yeast, you can double the yeast for faster rising but I don’t do it all the time. I wouldn’t do it the first time you try the recipe.]
in
1 C. Warm water. [at about 110 Degrees or so. Feels just warm on wrist.]
Slightly beat:
2 Eggs.
Add:
Yeast and eggs to the cooled shortening.
All of this is still in your mixer bowl.
Add:
3 C. Flour [About ½ of the measured flour] to the liquid shortening/yeast mixture.
Beat well with the electric mixer.
Add:
Remaining flour of about 3 cups, ONE cup at a time.
At about the fifth cup of flour, you must stir in by hand as the dough "climbs" the beaters. You could use dough hook; however, this dough is very soft almost but not quite a batter. There are several alternatives now available:
You can cover and refrigerate the entire mixture for 24 hours. If so, remove from refrigerator about 15 minutes before ready to knead. Knead dough on floured board until soft and pliable (about 3 to 5 min.) Roll out to desired shape or whatever. Brush with melted butter. Place on greased sheet or pan and let rise until double--about 2 to 3 hours. Not necessary to cover but may make softer. I sometimes put in my oven with no heat and place a pan of warm water. I baste with melted butter before rising, before baking and after baking.
You can go ahead and bake right after mixing by letting rise about 2 hours covered, punching down, kneaded and just shaping and letting rise as above.
Bake in a preheated oven 375 to 400 degrees 12 to 15 minutes or until brown. Each oven works differently so watch how they are browning.
These can be made into cinnamon rolls. After letting rise once or refrigerator rising, roll out on floured cloth into a 1/4" thick rectangle. Spread with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste. Roll, seal, slice, let rise, bake as above.
TO MAKE HOMEMADE BROWN & SERVE ROLLS:
While you can bake your rolls as usual, cooling quickly, and wrapping in foil and seal, and reheat, a great way to do is to make BROWN & SERVE. This way your kitchen fills with the aroma of baking yeast bread. To do: Partially bake the rolls at 325 degrees about 15 minutes. Do not let brown. Cool, wrap and freeze at once. TO SERVE: Thaw Brown & Serve 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature, still in wrapping. Unwrap; bake at 450 degrees 5 to 10 minutes, until desired brownness. Keep an eye on the browning. Remove from oven and baste with melted butter. Yummy!!
All versions of these rolls. freeze well.