Thanksgiving Tried & True #5 -- homemade dinner rolls

I very seldom make homemade rolls for Thanksgiving. For one thing, rolls are something that people who prefer not to cook will sometimes offer to bring. They can then buy rolls at a bakery or even a supermarket and bring those to the big meal. For another thing, my daughter Carrie makes a wonderful recipe called Honey Rolls which our extended family always hopes and expects to see on our Thanksgiving table.

But if I were to make rolls myself for Thanksgiving, the following recipe is the one I would most likely use. It’s easy and has never failed me.

DINNER ROLLS

2 cups warm milk, scalded
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 or 2 eggs
5 to 6 cups flour
1 packet dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar

Mix together the milk, butter, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and eggs. Now add 2 to 3 cups of flour and mix well. Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1 tsp. sugar. Add to the flour mixture and beat well. Now add as much more flour as you need to make it the right consistency to use -- about 3 to 4 cups. Cover dough and let rise in bowl.

When dough has doubled in bulk, punch down, divide in half, and roll each half out like pie crust -- into a circle. Dough should be at least 1/4-inch thick. Cut dough into triangles. Roll triangles up into crescents and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Repeat with second half of dough.

Let rise until light. Bake at 400º for 10-12 minutes.

Yield: About 3 dozen

This wonderful recipe is one that I used when I cooked at an inn many years ago. Most people today probably don’t want to go to the trouble of making crescent rolls from scratch, but these are truly delicious and really quite easy to make.