Dinner Rolls

I've been saving this recipe for over 2 years but haven't made it due to my fear of using yeast. Now that I'm over that, I wanted to try this recipe for Easter dinner. They were very easy to make and I loved that the recipe gave 5 different variations of rolls. I tried all 5 but I think my favorites were the knots and snails. This recipe makes 16 rolls and can be easily frozen if you're not having a large dinner party or your husband doesn't eat 6 or more in one sitting. Love ya dear! ;)

2 tsp sugar
1 package dry yeast (approximately 2 1/4 tsp)
12 oz can evaporated fat-free milk, warmed (100 to 110 degrees)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
cooking spray
2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
Poppy or sesame seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the milk. Let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon or weight 3 cups (13.5 oz) of flour and egg into the milk mixture. Stir until smooth. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.

Add 3/4 cup of flour and salt to the dough. Stir until a soft dough forms. If you have a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook, turn on low to slowly combine and knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Otherwise, turn the dough onto a floured surface, and knead dough by hand. Add the remaining flour by 1 tablespoon at time to prevent dough from sticking to the side of bowl/hands. The dough will be tacky.

Spray the inside of another large bowl with cooking spray. Add the dough into the bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover and let rest in a warm place for 40 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Punch dough down, cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

On a floured work surface, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Working with one portion at a time, shape into the desired shape. Cover the remaining dough to prevent drying. Place shaped dough on a parchment-paper lined baking sheets. Lightly coat shaped dough portions with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. In the same warm palce, let dough rise another 20 minutes or until the rolls have doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Gently brush dough with the butter. Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 10 minutes and then rotate pans. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until tops and bottoms are lightly brown and hollowing sounding when tapped on the bottom.

Place on wire racks to cool. Serve warm or cool completely on racks. To freeze rolls, after they are completely cooled, wrap in heavy-duty foil and freeze. Thaw and reheat still wrapped rolls at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until warm.

Roll variations:

Basic Roll: Shape each portion into a ball.

Knot: Roll each portion into an 8 inch rope. Tie each rope into a single knot, tucking the top end of the rope under the bottom edge of the roll.

Snail: Roll each portion into a 20 inch rope. Working on the a flat surface, coil each rope into a spiral pattern.

Cloverleaf: Divide each portion into three equal sized balls. Working with the three balls at time, arrange them in a triangle pattern. Make sure they are touching each other.

Twist: Shape each portion into an 18 inch rope. Fold each rope in half so that both ends meet. Working with one folded rope at a time, hold the ends of the rope in each hand and gently twist.

Source: Cooking Light