Favorite Dinner Rolls

This is the recipe from the Lion House cookbooks. I added the 20 minutes autolyse time--it really seems to help and it is a very simple thing to do. I had trouble describing how to make the Parkerhouse rolls--but I'm sure you all already know how to do that.

2 tablespoons yeast
2 cups (16 ounces) warm water
1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) sugar
1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) vegetable shortening (butter-flavor is good)—or use 1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) butter or margarine
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
5 to 6 cups (21 ¼ ounces – 25 ½ ounces) all-purpose flour
Melted butter (about ½ cup)

In a large bowl, mix yeast and water and let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, salt, dry milk, egg, and 2 ½ cups of the flour. Beat together until smooth (beating 2 minutes at medium-high speed). Cover and let mixture rest for 20 minutes. After mixture has rested, gradually add remaining flour until a soft dough is formed.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Alternatively, you can knead dough in a large standing mixer. Knead for about 4 minutes in mixer on low. Place dough in greased bowl; cover and let rise until dough doubles in bulk. Punch down.

To make Parkerhouse rolls, roll dough out onto counter about 3/8-inch thick. Cut with round biscuit cutter. Remove cut shapes and reroll remaining dough. You may need to let the dough rest before re-rolling if it doesn’t roll easily.

Prepare a half-sheet baking sheet by greasing or spraying with Baker’s Joy. Line with parchment and spray lightly again.

Slightly stretch out each dough round into an elongated oval. Dip top side of bottom half of oval into melted butter. Place into prepared pan, folding top half over onto buttered half. Gently press cut edges to seal. Repeat with remaining dough, placing rolls quite close together. Placing each new row of rolls close to the last row helps prevent the tops from opening up during rising and baking.

(To make crescent rolls, divide dough into thirds. Roll out one third of dough into a circle; cut into 12 pie-shaped pieces. Starting at the wide end, roll up each piece into a crescent. Place on greased baking sheet with point on bottom. Repeat with remainder of dough. Brush tops with melted butter.)

Butter plastic wrap and use to cover rolls. Let rolls rise until double in size. Bake at 400°F. for 15 minutes. Serve warm with honey butter or cran-raspberry butter if desired.

Makes about 3 dozen rolls.