Best Basic Roll Recipe

It was Saturday morning, 7:16 a.m. We had an early start to the day. A merit badge clinic for our resident scout began at the crack of daylight, so I was driving through the nearly empty streets of our city when it happened. I tuned the radio away from 99.9 (Pop music. Can’t do it before 10 a.m., thank you very much) and honed in on the “old person” music. A brief commercial. The soothing voice of a morning radio man. Then…music. Christmas music. On November 13.

I had a sneaking suspicion that I should be horrified. It occurred to me that there should be some law banning Christmas music before the Thanskgiving holiday is properly relished. But, how could I feel such opinions swell in my heart while listening to George Michael sing about how he gave me his heart last Christmas? I couldn’t. I turned up the music and swayed my head happily back and forth.

The scout sighed. “Mom, you’re dancing like an old person.”

Maybe I was. But, it was 7:16 a.m. on November 13th and I was rolling down the road, grooving to Wham!, feeling just like a kid again.

A feeling I was delighted to kick off this weekend. Even if it is a tad early.

Ready to delve into some holiday baking? You’re gonna need a good roll recipe (below).

And some cinnamon. And butter. And sugar. And some really great Christmas music.

Best Basic Roll Recipe

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Ingredients

• 4 cups very warm water
• 3 packets yeast
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 10-12 cups flour

Instructions

1. In a very large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Whisk together and allow to proof (sit untouched on your counter) for about 5 minutes.
2. Whisk in the eggs, butter, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir the batter as you slowly begin adding the flour. Add 9 cups of flour. The dough will become very sticky.
3. Sprinkle the dough generously with flour and start to knead it, adding flour as needed until the dough becomes soft, but not sticky. Continue kneading until the dough becomes elastic. Cover loosely with a clean towel and set in a warm area, allowing dough to rise for about 1 hour (or until double in bulk).
4. Once the dough has risen, roll small bits of dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons of dough makes a nice sized dinner roll). Place on a cookie sheet which has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes, or until rolls are again doubled in bulk.
5. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 9-12 minutes, or just until the tips of the rolls are lightly browned.
6. Enjoy!

Now that you have your perfect batch of roll dough, you’re gonna want to make these three favorite variations of dessert rolls. Just click on the links below to find the recipes & baking instructions…Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting