Holiday dinners just would not be the holidays without homemade rolls fresh from the oven.  Rolls are fairly easy to make and include a lot of ingredients that many homes already have in their pantry.  Rolls can also be shaped into different shapes that make them look fancy, making them perfect for holiday dinners.  While they may cost a little more to make than the regular brown and serve rolls, the taste makes up all the difference.  Most homemade recipes cost less than the frozen dough you can buy in the freezer section. The invention of the bread machine and Kitchen Aid mixer also makes making them easier, but you can also make them without those machines and you can find many recipes online.  Here are a few different recipes to get you started.

Buttery Bread Machine Rolls

1 cup warm milk (70-80 degrees F) ($0.10)

½ cup butter or margarine, softened ($0. 80)

¼ cup sugar ($0.05)

2 eggs ($0.20)

1 ½ teaspoons salt

4 cups bread flour (I have also have used half whole wheat and half bread flour) ($0.72)

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast ($0.25)

Place all ingredients in bread machine pan in order suggested by manufacturer.  Select the dough setting.  When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide into 24 portions.  Shape dough into balls.  Place in a greased 13 inch by 9 inch baking pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

 These rolls are quick and very easy to make. Total cost for this recipe is $2.12 for 24 rolls.   Below is a video of how to form your dough into a perfect ball.

 Shaping Dinner Rolls

Lion House Rolls

 

2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

2 tablespoons dry yeast ($0.50)

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg ($0.10)

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk ($0.50)

¼ cup sugar ($0.05)

1/3 cup butter or shortening ($0.60)

4-4 ½ cups all-purpose flour or bread flour ($0.72)

In a large bowl of electric mixer, combine water and milk powder, stir until dissolved.  Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour.  Mix on low speed of mixer until ingredients are wet, then 2 minutes at medium speed.  Add 2 cups more flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed by hand.)  Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer.  Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff.  (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour.)  Scrape dough off sides of bowl and spray non-stick spray around the sides of the bowl so it is well covered.  Add dough back to bowl turning once to make sure all sides of dough are greased. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size. After dough has risen, sprinkle flour on counter or board and place dough on floured surface.   Roll out and cut rolls in desired shape and size. (See video below for famous Lion House shape.) Place on a greased baking sheet.  Let rise in warm place until rolls are double in size about 1- 1 and 1/2 hours. Bake rolls at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until browned.  Brush with melted butter while hot.

 I found a couple of different recipes online for these rolls, but these are the ones I liked best. These rolls taste so good.  They are easy after you practice the cutting and shaping.  They are basically a crescent roll except you do it with a rectangle instead of a triangle.  You can also shape these into a ball, making them super easy to make.  This rolls are so pretty on a holiday table. This recipe cost $2.47 for 18 rolls.  I have been told that these rolls cost around $6.00 a dozen at the restaurant.  See the video below for how to cut and shape the classic Lion House rolls.

Cutting and Shaping Lion House Rolls

Either of these rolls would be a great additon to your holiday dinner table.