Fluffy Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls

Fluffy Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls
By: Cook’s Country Magazine (December/January 2007 Issue)

3 Tablespoons butter, plus 2 Tablespoons (softened) for bowl and baking dish
1 ½ cups whole milk
1/3 cup honey
4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup) Crisco shortening

5 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon rapid-rise or instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 large egg

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When the oven reaches 200 degrees shut oven off. Grease large bowl with 1 Tablespoon butter. Line 9x13 baking dish with tin foil, leaving overhand on all sides. Grease foil with 1 Tablespoon butter.

Place milk, honey, shortening, and remaining 3 Tablespoons butter in a large glass measuring cup. Microwave until milk is warm (110 degrees) and butter and shortening begin to melt, 2 minutes. Whisk until well combined.

Mix 4 ½ cups flour, yeast and salt in an electric mixing bowl fitted with dough hook. Turn mixer to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium, add egg, and mix until dough is smooth, about 2 minutes. Add another 1 cup flour and mix on medium speed until dough is shiny and smooth, and comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl, 6-7 minutes. Turn dough onto an unfloured surface and knead briefly to form smooth, cohesive ball. Transfer dough to buttered bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in turned off oven until dough is doubled, 60 minutes.

Punch down dough on floured surface and divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thick cylinder and cut each cylinder into 5 equal pieces (a total of 15 rolls). Working one piece at a time form dough pieces into smooth, taut rounds and arrange in prepared baking dish. Lightly press on dough rounds so they tough each other. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and return to turned off oven until dough rounds have doubled in size, 60 more minutes.

Remove dish from oven and heat oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap baking dish. Bake until rolls are deep golden brown, 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Using tin foil handles remove rolls from the baking dish and cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Remove foil from rolls and return to rack to cool completely, 2 hours longer.

Serve immediately, or by keeping rolls together, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil; can be frozen up to 1 month.

To serve if frozen: Remove plastic wrap and foil (reserve foil) from rolls, then re-wrap in reserved foil and defrost at room temperature for 2 hours. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake foil-wrapped rolls on baking sheet until heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 15 large rolls

Rosanna’s Note: This recipe takes some time, but it is well worth it. The stages are short and easy, but the rising takes hours! 5 out of 5 stars