INGREDIENTS
- 1 cups water
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon active-dry yeast*
- 3.5 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- extra melted butter, for brushing on top
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep your oven and baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray, and set aside.
- Warm the liquid ingredients. In a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, stir together the water, milk, butter and honey. Then microwave for 1 minute, and give it a stir. Then continue microwaving it in 15 second intervals, until the mixture is very warm to the touch but not hot or boiling (anywhere between 95°F-115°F), and the butter is completely melted. The temperature of the water is important here, because if it’s too hot (120°F or more), it will kill the yeast. If it’s too cool, the yeast will not activate. Just think — a little bit warmer than your body temperature.
- Add yeast. Pour the liquid mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer. Then sprinkle the yeast evenly on top, and give it a quick stir with a fork to combine. Wait for five minutes, or until the yeast is foamy.
- Add dry ingredients. Then add in 3.5 cups of flour (not all of the flour!) and the salt.
- Mix. Using the dough-hook, mix on medium-low speed until the dry ingredients are combined. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add in 1/4 cup more flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is only slightly sticky to the touch. (Only use up to 4 cups of flour total.) Continue mixing on low speed for 4-5 minutes. Then form the dough into a ball with your hands and transfer it to a greased bowl.
- Let the dough rise. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or paper towel, and let it rise briefly for 15 minutes.
- Form the rolls. Gently punch the dough down and divide into 15 equal-sized pieces. Form each piece into a ball and place the dough balls in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover the dish again with a damp towel or paper towel, and let the dough balls rise for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Bake. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Brush with more butter. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and brush the tops of the rolls with butter. (Yum.)
- Serve warm. And enjoy!
NOTES
*I buy my yeast in bulk. But if you’re buying the packets, note that 1 packet contains 2.25 teaspoons yeast. So this will call for a little more than 1 packet.