Bread Recipe #24 - Dinner Rolls

These take a little extra time but are well worth the effort. They can be topped with whatever herb or cheese or seed or combination that you desire. Ingredients: 4 1/2 - 5 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 package (1/4-ounce) active dry yeast, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 eggs, 1 egg, lightly beaten. Instructions: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter to 120-130 degrees. Add to dry ingredients; beat on medium speed with dough hook for 3 minutes. Add the 2 eggs and continue beating for 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Turn out onto a floured surface using floured hands to scrape from bowl; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean linen towel; allow to rise in a warm, free from drafts, place until doubled, about 1 hour. Turn out again onto a lightly floured surface and punch dough down several times (take out that aggression!). Divide dough into 24 equal portions; shape into balls. Grease 2 9x13-inch baking pans; place 12 balls in each pan leaving space between each for rising. Cover each pan with a clean linen towel, and let rise until doubled, about 30 min (or longer). Brush with lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with toppings of your choice *. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown . Remove from pans to wire racks and serve immediately or allow to cool. *Toppings: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, kosher salt, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion, chopped sliced almonds, dried basil, dried oregano, dried Italian seasoning, grated Parmesan cheese, or other cheese. "Rolling in the dough!"