Yummy Yeast Rolls

It’s a home baker’s version of a Hallmark card. When you really care, you don’t send a card. You invite your family over and bake these yummy yeast rolls from scratch. Just make sure you have plenty of flour on hand to make them.

The Story

This Easter I decided to make these yeast rolls for our family. I planned to prepare them the day before to make life easier on the big day. I scanned the recipe and took a quick inventory of my pantry. Two packages of yeast? Check. Two eggs? Check. Seven cups of flour? Um, well. I had some all-purpose flour and a jar of self-rising flour. Since the recipe didn’t specify the kind of flour and it included yeast already, I figured I should use all-purpose flour. I carefully measured it one cup at a time and was scraping the bottom of the canister when I got to cup seven.

Then I proceeded to make the bread. The first step of the recipe was to reserve one cup of the flour. One of the last steps was to mix in the reserved flour until the dough was no longer sticky. I added the last cup of flour as instructed, but the dough was still way too sticky to shape into any kind of roll.

I looked at the bottom of my empty flour canister and wondered what to do. Then I remembered the self-rising flour in the pantry. It took about 2 cups more of the self-rising flour to get the dough to stop being sticky. After I shaped the dough into rolls, I waited anxiously for them to rise. I worried about what the self-rising flour would do to the bread dough since it already had yeast in it. Would I end up with some kind of giant mutant dinner rolls for Easter?

In the end, all turned out well. The rolls were normal in size and a gigantic hit with the family. That’s saying a lot when you consider the competition they had at the dinner table. My husband kept hoarding Brown Eyed Baker’s Scalloped Potatoes he loved them so much. Meanwhile, my father-in-law and I snagged the last spears of Beloved Green’s Balsamic Asparagus. Yum!

The Moral of the Story

Make sure you have all the ingredients you need before you begin making a recipe. If you are making bread, make sure you have more flour than you think you will need.

About the Recipe

This is a recipe my mother-in-law’s Aunt Connie received from a friend named Joyce. The original recipe is simply titled “Yeast Rolls.” I added the “yummy” part because they are that good.

These rolls are different than other yeast breads I have made. With the other breads I usually make, the yeast is proofed in warm water before adding it to the dry ingredients. With this recipe, the yeast is mixed with the dry ingredients first. The water is warmed with milk and butter and then added to the dry ingredients.

The Cast of Characters

They wouldn’t be yeast rolls without the yeast. This recipe calls for 2 packages of rapid rise yeast.

The Play-by-Play

Start by setting aside a cup or two of flour.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, including the yeast.

In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter and water to 125 to 130 degrees.

In a mixer bowl, add the dry ingredients and warm liquds.

Mix until combined.

Add the eggs and mix again.

Mix in the remaining flour.

Using a dough hook, knead the mixture for about 10 minutes.

Keep kneading and adding flour until the dough forms a ball.

Cover the dough, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Then shape the dough into dinner rolls.

Cover again and let rise for about 1 hour before baking in the oven.

Serve immediately.

What’s your favorite kind of bread?