Butter Rolls (SUPER simple!!)

One no-knead dough, three variations-- or, as many variations as you can think of...

A recipe for rolls that does NOT need kneading (none!).  I DO like to knead dough, but I don't have a problem with NOT doing it, either.  How can this be so simple!?!-- follow just nine steps, let it rise until double and make almost any kind of roll you can think of!  With just this one 'single batch' of dough, I made the following three variations:

Nine dinner rolls  ▲...

  and, ▼

and,... ▼

More pictures are posted below...

Years ago, I found this recipe in an old well-used and tattered book-- one that was stuck in with a box of 'junk' at an estate auction in the late 70's.  While my mother's eyes went towards something else in the box, mine went to this well-used tattered recipe collection.  It is entitled The Racine Journal-Times and Sunday Bulletin and dated November 1957.  It is a collection of "Cook of the Week" recipes and sold for $1.50.  The recipe I'm posting today is on page 24 and is shown to have come from Miss Inga Johnson.  Thank you, Inga!  (I wonder if Inga ever married-- if not, some 'could-have-been hubby' missed out on enjoying this recipe of hers!)

▼

Below:  Check out the PHONE NUMBER that's in this same recipe book-- it sure isn't anything like our 10-digit numbers these days!....

Another bit of 'dated' information in the above ad.  The ad states: "...the Largest and Best Selections of Dress Fabrics in Wisconsin."  I take that to mean 1957 ladies were sewing a lot more than now in 2011.  Whodathunkit!?!?

Getting back to the recipe I'm posting...

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup milk, scalded
2. 1/2 (1 stick) butter
3. 1/2 cup sugar
4. 2 tablespoons dry yeast
5. 1/4 cup warm water
6. 1 teaspoon sugar
7. 1 teaspoon salt
8. 3 eggs, well beaten
9. 5 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

• Scald milk; add butter and the 1/2 cup sugar and let cool.
• Dissolve yeast in the 1/4 cup 'only warm' water with the teaspoon of sugar
• Beat 3 eggs well.  When milk/butter/sugar mix is cooled to 'warm', add eggs and the 'frothy/rising' yeast.  Mix well.  Add flour gradually and mix well after each addition of flour. 
• Place dough into lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat top.  The dough is still very THIN (I think), and certainly NOT kneadable, but it turns out if left like this.
• Cover with damp towel and let rise in warm place until double in bulk.  Punch down and proceed to make what you wish with it.   Note:  It is very sticky stuff, but that makes it easy to add flour to table top and on rolling pin without making it 'too tough'.  
• This dough may be used for many variations of sweet rolls.

To make BOW KNOTS:

• Roll small pieces of dough into a six-inch strip.  Form into a knot (above).  Let rise until about double in size; bake in 350° oven for 15-20 minutes, or until nicely browned.  These little bow knots are quite 'wicked good' as dinner rolls with some butter.  BUT,  IF desired, you can frost with a powdered sugar frosting like this:

To make PECAN ROLLS:

First, prepare the muffin pan* as follows...

Butter muffin pans well, put 1 scant tablespoon light brown sugar and about 3 pecan halves into the bottom of each 'muffin hole'.

Moisten that sugar slightly with about 1 and 1/2 teaspoonfuls mixture of one half brown syrup (like Karo) and one half water (for six of these, I mixed 2 tablespoons syrup with 2 tablespoons water, etc.). 

• Roll dough into a strip about 14-inches long x 6-8 inches wide. 
• Spread with some melted butter and sprinkle with a little mix of brown sugar/cinnamon.  Starting on long side, roll up, jelly roll style, and cut into two-inch pieces.  
• Put the cut side of the dough down onto the sugar mixture in the muffin cup.
• Let rise until about double in size.
• Bake at 350°  for about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.

*  I used a regular-sized muffin pan for these-- it might work well to use the 'deeper kind' of muffin pan, also-- especially, if you want more of the muffin to 'stay down inside' as it bakes.

When removed from the oven, carefully lift each roll from the muffin pan, turn it upside down and, with a teaspoon,  immediately spoon the melted caramel-type liquid and toasted pecans onto them, like this.

 This recipe is also excellent for butter horns or Parker House rolls-- or, like I wrote earlier, for whatever variation YOU like to make.