Speedy Rolls

I took this recipe from the Ivory Favorite's Cookbook. They call it "Natalie's Speedy Rolls", but I don't know Natalie, so I'll just call it "Speedy Rolls". (Although I do appreciate Natalie sharing it in the first place.) For some reason, making homemade bread of any kind used to really intimidate me. However, I love a good homemade roll, and was determined to learn to make them. It turns out, it's not so hard. Of course, having a Kitchenaid mixer has really helped make the dough making process much quicker and easier. This is my most used roll recipe, both because they taste great, and because they are much faster than most homemade rolls. They only rise for about 1 hour and 15 minutes total. (Sometimes I can even speed up the first rise by heating the oven to 100 degrees, then turning off the oven. I place the bowl of dough in the warm oven, and they often rise to double more quickly. However, I've found this works better in an electric oven than a gas one.)

A few notes: This makes 24 rolls. I often cut the recipe in half and make just 1 dozen. Also, I usually roll them out into a rectangle (2 rectangles if making 2 dozen). I cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut it the other direction 5 times, so I have 2 rows of 6 rectangles. I then brush them with butter before rolling them up. Also, I usually bake them in a 9x13 pan. They rise up so they bake right next to each other, and stay soft all the way through. If you prefer them lightly browned all over, you can bake them on a large cookie sheet with a little space between them. The results will be slightly different. Okay, enough rambling. On to the recipe:

Speedy Rolls

2 T. dry yeast
2 c. warm water, divided (I was once told if you dip a finger in the water, then flip the water on your other wrist, if it feels neither hot nor cold, but about the same temp. as your skin, it's the correct temperature. That test has worked pretty well for me.)
1 c. instant powdered milk
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs (room temp. I sometimes put them in warm water for a few minutes if I forget to leave them out ahead of time)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened (plus some extra kept separate for brushing on the rolls if desired)
6 c. flour (I use bread flour, but all purpose works)

Combine 1 cup of the warm water with the yeast; set aside. In mixing bowl (or Kitchenaid bowl), mix together the other cup of water with the powdered milk, sugar, eggs, salt, butte, and 1 cup of the flour. Add the softened yeast and blend. Pour in remaining flour slowly while mixing and knead for 10-15 minutes. (It only takes about 5 minutes or less to knead in my Kitchenaid.)

Place dough in an oiled bowl (I spray with cooking spray) and let rise until double in size (about an hour.) Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll out each half into a large circle on a floured surface, and cut with a pizza cutter or sharp knife into 12 segments. (Here is where I brush them with butter.) Roll up "croissant style" and place on greased cookie sheets, or 2 9x13 pans. Let rise for 15 minutes (while preheating the oven to 350 degrees). Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden. (If I bake them in a 9x13 pan, they tend to take a full 15 minutes, and I only wait until the tops barely start to turn golden.)