Nothing completes a meal more than these Homemade Dinner Rolls. There also isn't any food that's more comforting than these fluffy dinner rolls in my eyes.
Ingredients
3/4cupwhole milk
8tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted, (reserve 2 tablespoons for brushing on rolls before baking)
6tablespoonssugar
1 1/2teaspoonstable salt
2large eggs, room temperature
1package rapid-rise yeast, 2 1/4 teaspoons, may also labeled "instant", "quick rise," or "perfect rise"
3cupsunbleached all-purpose flour, 15 ounces, plus additional flour as needed (see note above).
Instructions
To Make the Dough: In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to boil. Remove from heat and let stand until skin forms on surface, about 3 to 5 minutes. Using soup spoon, skim the skin off the surface and discard. Transfer milk to bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add 6 tablespoons melted butter, sugar, and salt; whisk to combine and let cool. When mixture is warm to the touch (about 90 to 100 degrees), whisk in eggs and yeast until combined.
Add flour to the bowl; using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-low and mix about 3 minutes more; when pressed with finger, dough should feel tacky and moist but should not stick to finger. (If dough is sticky, add another 1 to 3 tablespoons flour.) (This dough should be moister than most. Resist the urge to add more flour than is needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. If they are made on a humid day, the dough may require more flour than if made on a dry day.) Continue to mix on medium-low until cohesive, elastic dough has formed and it clears the sides of bowl but stick to bottom, about 4 to 5 minutes longer.
Transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough by hand (1 to 2 minutes) to ensure that it is well kneaded. Dough will be very soft and moist but not overly sticky. (If dough sticks excessively to hands and work surface, dust only your hands with flour until dough is workable.) Lightly spray medium bowl with cooking spray. Transfer dough to bowl; lightly coat surface of dough with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm location until doubled in volume, 2 to 3 hours.
To Shape the Rolls: Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Pat dough into rough 12 by 10-inch rectangle, gently pressing out air; starting from edge farthest from you, roll dough to form a even cylinder, stretching to 18-inch length. Using a bench scraper or chef's knife, cut cylinder into 16 equally sized pieces.
Working with one piece at a time (keeping remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap or kitchen towel) form into smooth rounds. Set piece of dough on unfloured area of work surface. Loosely cup hand around dough (not directly over it); without applying pressure to dough, move hand in small circular motions. (Tackiness of dough against work surface and circular motion should work dough into smooth, even ball.) Arrange shaped rolls in prepared cake pans (one in center and seven spaced evenly around edges) and cover cake pans with plastic wrap lightly coated with cooking spray, then cover pans securely with foil. Refrigerate at least 24 or up to 48 hours.
To Bake the Rolls: Remove foil (but not plastic wrap) from cake pans; let rolls rise in cool room-temperature location until doubled in volume (rolls should press against each other), 6 to 7 hours. When rolls are nearly doubled in volume, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. (If your cake pans have a dark nonstick finish, bake the rolls in a 375-degree oven to moderate the browning.) Remove plastic wrap. Brush rolls with 2 tablespoons melted butter; bake until deep golden brown, 14 to 18 minutes. Cool rolls in pans on wire rack about 3 minutes, then invert onto rack. Break rolls apart and serve warm.