2/3cupsmilk- any milk other than skim, room temperature
3tbspbutter- melted and then cooled*
1½tspsalt
4cupsflour- we use unbleached but bleached is fine
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 175 °F
Pour the water, yeast, and sugar into the bowl of a stand-up mixer. Let it stand for 5 minutes or until it starts to foam.*
In a microwave-safe bowl, add the milk and butter. Heat for approximately 1 minute to 115 °F. We use an instant thermometer to check the temperature. Mix well.
Add the milk/butter mixture to the yeast and mix until all are combined.
In a separate bowl add salt and the flour together. Change the mixer attachment to the dough hook. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture one tablespoon at a time so you don't splatter flour all over which is what happens if you added it all at once. Continute until you've added all of the flour.
Once all the flour is incorporated, keep mixing for 4 to 5 more minutes for kneading.*NOTE* If you do not have a stand-up mixer, you can knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Then put back in the bowl and proceed.
Cover the bowl and rest for 5 minutes.
Butter a 9x13 dish and set aside.
Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut it into 12 equal pieces.
Roll them into balls and place them in the buttered dish.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. TURN THE OVEN OFF. (NO PEEKING)
After 20 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven and heat the oven to 350 °F.
Take the plastic wrap off the bread and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the bread is nice and golden.
Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter if desired. It will keep the rolls soft and add a buttery flavor. I often just run a stick of butter over the tops of my bread instead of brushing it on just the way my mama did.
Notes
*Important if the butter is too cold when you are warming it up with the milk, you will have to overheat the milk to get it to 115°. However, if it's still cold while pouring it into cold milk it will congeal. Therefore, we recommend using room temperature milk and melted butter that has cooled in step #4.Active dry yeast has to be rehydrated and activated. After letting it stand with the sugar and water for about 5 minutes it should foam or bubble. If it doesn't, start over with fresh yeast.
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.