Rolls

I mentioned in an earlier post that I can't live without my breadmaker. My kids have 2 choices for dinner: eat it or don't. But I try to have at least one item on their plates that they like, often that means rolls. Rolls are so easy if you have a breadmaker with a "dough" setting. I was fearful of this for years. I finally tried it & now I'm not sure what took me so long! I also make bread & pizza dough in the breadmaker (those recipes to come later). The trick is timing.

Steps:
1. Throw all the ingredients in (in order)
2. Put the breadmaker on the "dough" setting.  My breadmaker takes 1.5 hours.
3. Then you kneed it (I sprinkle flour on a clean counter & roll the dough over a few times, mostly to get the air bubbles out
4. Make it into rolls & put in a greased pan, cover with a dish rag or plastic wrap
5. Let the rolls rise for an hour in a warm spot. For the "warm spot"- you can heat a mug of water in the microwave & let the rolls sit in the microwave with the warm water for an hour (just don't warm the water with the rolls already in there). Works like a charm.

My friend Missie introduced me to Wheat Montana brand flour. Some of the HyVee grocery stores carry it in the health food section. It's unbleached & their "Prairie Gold" is a "white wheat". It's lighter than your normal wheat flour, but has all the same nutrients. This is what I use & I think it makes a difference. Each of my roll recipes makes roughly 19 rolls.

"Easy" Potato Rolls (these are my fav & are consistently eaten in record time)
1/3 C shortening (trans fat, I know. I'm going to try equal amounts of softened butter & I think it'll be        close to the same)
3/4 C warm water
1 1/4 t salt
1/3 C sugar
1/2 C cooked & mashed potatoes
3 1/4 C flour (I use 1/2 white & 1/2 wheat)
1 egg
2 full t dry yeast (or 1 package)

See the steps above. After it rises for an hour, bake 375 for 12 min or until tops are golden. I rub the tops with butter when they come out of the oven.

Betty Crocker's Homemade Pan Rolls
I also make these in the breadmaker. Just follow the steps above & make sure to put the "wet" ingredients in first. Note: I have substituted equal amounts of butter for shortening & it works just fine. I also do half white & half wheat flour. My oven may be hotter than most, but I bake these for 9 min vs. 12.

Sweet Potato or Pumpkin Rolls (my kids gobble these up too & I love the added vit A!)
1/2 C warm water
3 T softened butter
1 t salt
1/2 C mashed cooked sweet potato or pumpkin (pumpkin from a can is easy & good)
2 C whole wheat flour
1 1/3 heaping C all purpose flour
2 T sugar
2 eggs
1 pkg or 2 t active dry yeast

After the dough is made & the rolls rise for an hour, bake 375 for 12 min (or until tops are golden). I rub a little butter on the tops when they come out.