I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner is the rolls. The recipe I am sharing with you today comes from my husband’s grandma Carolyn. She is an amazing cook and is well known for her rolls! We adjusted the recipe after I shared with her a trick, I learned from the bakery I was working in at the time. They used instant potato flakes instead of mashed potatoes. It was a huge time saver and didn’t sacrifice any of the flavor. This dough is soft, fluffy and versatile. We also use it for cinnamon and fruit rolls.
Grandma Carolyn’s Dinner Rolls
1 2/3 c. milk
½ c. water
2/3 c. potato flakes
¾ c. butter
½ c. sugar
2 tbsp. + 1 ½ tsp. instant yeast
2tsp. salt
5 large eggs
7-9c. all-purpose flour
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In a medium sauce pan combine milk, water, potato flakes, butter and sugar. Warm the mixture to about 110 degrees. The butter will be melted and it will be warm to the touch. Be careful not to overheat the mixture or it will kill the yeast once combined with the other ingredients.
2. While the milk mixture is cooking on the stove, prepare your stand mixer with a large (6qt) bowl and a dough hook. Add the eggs, salt, yeast and 3 ½ cups of the flour.
3. Once the milk mixture is ready add it to your mixing bowl. Mix on low to combine. Then mix on high for 2 minutes. This will develop the gluten strands to give you that amazing fluffy texture.
4. Next, add another 3 ½ cups of flour. Mix on low. I usually cover my mixer with a flour sack towel, because its been known to fly out of the bowl on occasion. Mix on low for 3-4 minutes. The top half of the dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl leaving it clean, while the bottom half will remain stuck in the bottom. If the dough is very sticky continue adding the flour ½ cup at a time until it is no longer sticky.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with plastic wrap and allow to raise for 30 minutes to an hour.
6. Remove dough from bowl, and place onto a floured surface. Portion rolls into 24-30 equal balls. Flatten each ball with your hand and then roll it until smooth. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until remaining dough is rolled.
7. Cover rolls with plastic wrap or a flour sack towel. Allow to raise 20 to 30 minutes resting on top of your warm oven.
8. Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes rotating the pan halfway through. The tops should be a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then move rolls to a cooling rack so the bottoms do not get soggy. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag to keep fresh.
