Sara's no fail colorado dinner rolls

James Beard noted that "Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts". Amen brother Beard, Amen. In fact, if you just make these rolls, get some fresh strawberry or raspberry jam and have nothing else, then your day and your meal will have been a success.  Putting a slab of butter in a piping hot dinner roll fresh from the oven is by far my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 9-10 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp yeast
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • Even more butter
  
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees at the appropriate time (step 16). 
Directions
1. Scald 1 1/2 cups of milk, 3/4 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup of butter in a microwave safe bowl for about 2 minutes.
2. Mix in (with a wooden spoon) 1-2 cups of flour, then add 1 egg and 1 Tbsp of salt....let it cool for a minute or two.
3. Dissolve yeast in the warm water and add the sugar.
4. Let it sit for a few minutes until it is bubbly.
5. Add this yeasty mixture into your milk / flour mixture.
6. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour with a wooden spoon (there it is again, the wooden spoon). 
7. You. may have to use your hands to complete the mixing as the dough will be hard and dense, be sure not to add too much flour! (If you ever helped mom make rolls you know what this means, if you don't know, call her, apologize for being unhelpful as a youth and she'll tell you how you know).
8. Cover the dough and let it rise until it has doubled.
9. When doubled, butter two cookie sheets.
10. Cover your working space with flour and divide the dough into 4 balls.
11. Weight them to make them even.
12. Roll out a circle of dough, then butter the surface (About 2 Tbsp per circle).
13. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into three pieces.
14. Roll the dough, starting with big end of the triangle.
15. Tuck the tail of the triangle under the roll and place it on the buttered cookie sheet. Make 3 rows.
16. Preheat the over to 350 degrees.
16. Place rolls in a warm place and let them rise.  Once they are touching, cook until golden brown (about 10-14 minutes).
17. Run a stick of butter over the tops while still warm .... then fill with butter, strawberry jam, raspberry jam or whatever delights your soul.  

the wooden spoon

Wooden spoons are helpful when cooking because they don't get hot as you stir whatever you are cooking.  They don't leach chemicals or funky tastes into the food you are preparing like plastic spoons.  They don't scratch the pots and pans like metal does. They are just the way to go when it comes to cooking. Some people worry that they get bacteria in them or aren't as sterile, but these are the same people that don't eat raw cookie dough because of the eggs. (Coincidently, these are the same people that raise their kids to be actuaries). Don't be fooled, the wooden spoon is the way to go.