Grandma's Dinner Rolls

I remember the first time I had Grandma Frances' rolls at a family dinner. I was instantly smitten with the softness and delicate flavor, and after more than a decade of experimenting with different recipes this is the recipe I still turn to whenever I'm cooking to impress. The soft dough is a little tricky to work with, but you don't want to give in to the temptation to add extra flour. Sure they'll be easier to roll out, but you'll lose the light softness that makes these so divine!


Dissolve these three ingredients together:
2 Tbs. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water

Heat these 2 ingredients until butter is melted:
1/2 cup butter (no substitutions)
1/2 cup water

Add 3/4 cup cold water to the melted butter/water mixture. Let mixture cool until it is warm, but no longer hot.

Then add the yeast mixture and add the following ingredients:
3 well beaten eggs
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
2-3 cups flour

Mix well. Then add flour to equal 5-1/2 cups total (it will be a soft dough). Rise twice in bowl. Dough can be covered and refrigerated at this point if desired. Roll and shape. (I generously flour the rolling surface and flatten the dough out by hand, rather than with a rolling pin. Then cut the dough into triangle shaped slices with a pizza cutter and roll narrow side out.)

Bake at 400° for about 10 minutes or until golden. Do not overcook...you want to catch them just barely starting to brown. Makes about 2 dozen.

Enjoy.