Kay Nimitz Smith -- Writer, Mom, Goddess in Training: Granini's Dinner Rolls

Granini's Dinner Rolls

This is essentially the old Parker House Roll dough recipe, which I don't make into traditional Parker House Roll shapes, nor do I slather on all that extra butter at the end. But it works beautifully for my purposes, and makes up a yummy dinner roll.

Ingredients:

1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup scalded milk

2 Tablespoons shortening

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

3 1/4 cups flour

Directions:

Soften the yeast in the warm water.
To scald the milk: place milk in a reactive saucepan on medium high. Allow the milk to come to a full simmer. When the milk starts to climb the sides of the pan, pull it off the heat.
Add shortening to the very hot milk. Allow milk to cool for about 10 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, beat an egg.
Slowly add in the sugar, salt and 1/2 cup of the flour. Slowly pour in the milk, and mix in the remaining flour.
Knead the dough for roughly 5 minutes.
Lightly spray a clean, large mixing bowl with cooking spray. Plunk your bread dough into the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to double.
Lightly flour your counter. Pour the dough out. Split the dough into even sections, first in half, then in quarters, then into six pieces for each quarter.
Lightly spray two muffin tins (12 spots apiece) with cooking spray.
Knead each piece with your fingers, turning the dough roughly inside out and shape each piece into a ball. Place each ball into an awaiting muffin tin.
Allow the dough to rest and rise for 30 minutes.
Bake at 400˚ for 7 to 8 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Serve with warm, lightly salted butter.
Try not to eat all of them, all by yourself, in one setting. If you do ever happen to have any leftover, which has happened, I think, maybe, just once, in the three hundred gajillion times I've made them, they are quite tasty and delicious the next morning for breakfast with a little slice of cheese or a bowl of fresh berries. Or just by themselves. Naked. The rolls, not you. Just sayin'.

Yummmmmmmm!

For those of you who like pictures to go with your instructions, here you go!

My pretty dough. It's a doubled and beautiful.

I hate having a few rolls that are huge, and a few that are teeny. So I like to cut mine up into equal sized pieces before forming them into balls.

A perfectly plump little ball. When I'm kneading the dough, I use my thumbs to sort of turn the dough chunk inside out again and again until it's a perfect little round ball. Then I plunk it down into my awaiting muffin cup.