Lion House Dinner Rolls

Last weekend we went to Idaho to visit my Mom for Mother's Day.  I wanted to make her an extra special meal without having to spend a lot of time and energy in the kitchen. What better way to make a meal special than to add warm homemade rolls? I made these rolls ahead of time, froze them till the morning of, then warmed them up in the microwave for a few seconds and they were good as new.  As for the rolls themselves, these are my new favorite! They are light, puffy, and buttery.  I ate 3 warm out of the oven for a late lunch, and they were heavenly.  Served with some Honey Butter and they were even better.







Lion House Dinner Rolls
*modified from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Makes about 2 dozen rolls

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk (I used 1%)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
5-6 cups flour

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the yeast and milk.  Let stand 5 minutes (no need to do this if using instant yeast – just add the yeast and water together with the other ingredients). Add sugar, butter, salt, 2 cups flour and egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add remaining flour gradually (about 1/2 cup at a time) until a soft but not sticky dough is formed. Knead the dough for at least five minutes if using an electric mixer and for at least 10 minutes if mixing the dough by hand. When the dough is smooth, supple and elastic, place it in a lightly greased large bowl covered with greased plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled.

Separate the dough into two portions. Roll each section out to an 11X14-inch rectangle. Brush the top with melted butter. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into two pieces, the long way. Then slice the dough into five or six strips across so you end up with 10 to 12 small rectangles. Roll each small rectangle up like a snail and place on a silpat-lined or lightly greased baking sheet with the roll resting on it’s open edge. Repeat with the second portion of dough. (Check out the tutorial at Mel's Kitchen Cafe to see pictures of this process).

Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap and let them rise until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes until they are nicely browned.


Honey Butter

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Whip together till fluffy.  If not using immediately, store in fridge for freshness.