Golden Dinner Rolls

These are my all-time favorite rolls. I've been making them since I got the recipe at Ricks about 15 years ago! Yikes.

2 pkg. instant yeast (SAF instant is my fav)
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk, scalded and cooled (or use 3/4 cup warm water and 3 T. powdered milk)
1 tsp. salt (if using unsalted butter or shortening, add 1/4 tsp. more salt)
1/4 cup butter OR margarine OR shortening (believe it or not, shortening is the best!)
5-ish cups of all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine for brushing (don't use shortening for this part)

Combine the yeast, water, sugar, milk, salt, 1/4 cup butter, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until very smooth, 3-4 minutes in a Kitchenaid or Bosch, longer if beating by hand. Beat in eggs, one at a time until smooth. Add remaining flour, a little at a time and knead for about 10 minutes in a mixer, 15 minutes by hand. It should be a soft, but not sticky consistency. It will be slightly tacky to the touch (like the back of a post-it note) but shouldn't stick to your fingers. If it is too stiff, add a little water, if it's too sticky, add more flour.

Turn into an oiled bowl and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Alternately, you can refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or up to 2 days, punching dough down occasionally. Make sure it's wrapped airtight.

Punch dough down. Divide into 24 balls of dough. I usually divide the dough in quarters, then cut the quarters in half to make 8ths, and then divide each of those sections into 3. It's the fastest way to divide for me. Roll each section into smooth balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with 1/4 cup of melted butter. Cover loosely with saran wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes (1 to 1 1/2 hours if dough has been refrigerated). Preheat oven to 400. Bake until golden brown, 13-15 minutes (mine are usually just right at 14 minutes).

Make a double batch because they'll go fast! And if they don't, they freeze well!

These are actually really great food storage rolls because they work perfectly with powdered milk, powdered eggs, and shortening. Yummers.