Fluffy Dinner Rolls

     I love fresh rolls. If a restaurant serves great tasting rolls, I am so there. I love Panera bread and I am so glad that I do not live close to one. Can you imagine having a futuristic button to press and out came your request like a vending machine but everything was fresh? What would you have in your futuristic vending machine? Panera bread? Godiva chocolate? Fresh picked strawberries?

     My sister is so good since she follows a gluten free diet but pasta and rolls are my down fall. No wonder my sister is so small. I know this is the way to convince you to make these rolls, huh? 

     The best thing about these rolls are how short the start to ready to eat time. I only had a couple of hours to make rolls before my guests were arriving. I needed rolls for meatballs. I normally buy the store rolls but they are gummy. Then you place a meatball inside and it is a bigger mess. The rolls were perfect to serve with the messy meatballs. My husband liked these rolls but his pick would be the Texas Roadhouse copycat rolls posted earlier.

Fluffy Dinner Rolls
3/4 cups milk
4 Tbsp butter
3/4 cups hot water
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package of active dry yeast

Directions:

1. Microwave the milk with the butter for 90 seconds. 
2. Preheat oven to 170 degrees F.
3. Measure the hot water from your faucet. The water needs to be slightly uncomfortable to the touch.
4. Add the hot water, milk and butter to a mixer.
5. Add the sugar, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Mix for 1 minute.
6. Add the yeast and mix then add one cup of the remaining hour at a time. Stop adding flour to the mixer when the dough has come together and no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.
7. Continue to mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.
8. Stop mixing and cover with plastic wrap tightly to trap the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes.
9. Coat the inside of a 9x13 pan with butter.
10. Spray your working area with cooking spray.
11. Place your dough onto your working area and cut the dough into 24 pieces. 
12. Roll the pieces into balls and place into your buttered pan.
13. Place the pan into the warm preheated oven and let rise for about 20 minutes.
14. After the dough has risen, turn the heat to 350 degrees with the dough staying in the oven.
15. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

 Recipe adapted from Jamie Cooks It Up! 

Did you already know...........
-In 1981, Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. was founded by Louis Kane and           Ron Shaich.
-In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. purchased Saint Louis Bread Co, a chain of 20 bakery cafes.
-In 1999, the company sold all of the Au Bon Pain business units and renamed the company Panera Bread.
-In 2010, co founder Ron Shaich opened Saint Louis Bread Co. Cares which is a non profit cafe which patrons pay what they can.