Would you like a refrigerator dough? I have a great one that I use all the time and you certainly can make it up the day before...let me know if it's the kind of thing you are looking for and I'd be most happy to post it! Believe me, I'm doing that myself!
Kathy

Here's the recipe I use....and my mother used and my daughter and my son use....
You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate and shape the rolls the next day...or the day after....and let them rise and bake. Or you can bake tha day ahead and rewarm on Thanksgiving day...just wrap them really well in foil and stick into a 300 oven for about 20 minutes.
Oh and don't skip scalding the milk...heating it does something magical to the protein and makes the rolls more tender.

Mrs. Avery�s Rolls

2C Scalded Milk, cooled to warm temperature
3T Shortening or Butter, Melted
1/2 C Sugar
1 t salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 pkgs yeast (or 1T bulk yeast)
1/3 warm water
4-5 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (about 105 degrees) with a teaspoon of the sugar, wait until it foams. While waiting for the yeast to foam, mix the milk, butter, remaining sugar and salt. After the yeast foams, add the yeast mixture to it, and the two beaten eggs to the mixture. Either by hand or in a stand mixer, blend in flour a cup at a time until the dough is soft and fairly sticky. Turn onto a floured board and knead just until the dough is no longer sticky, but is smooth and satiny.

Let rise until doubled, punch down, knead a little, then shape into rolls. Bake at 350 until golden. May brush with egg wash or butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Also good rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar. Dough is a good base dough for a variety of sweet breads like cinnamon rolls or brioche.

Linda thank you for sharing your family recipe. How long would you guess I should plan for them to rise before baking? I know it depends on the temperature of the kitchen and where I put them in the kitchen etc. Just a guess would be good.

Gigi, I'm all for having easy yet wonderful recipes for making rolls and breads and if it's not too much trouble I'd love yours as well.

Thanks so much!!

Ginny

This was shared at the KT:

Spoon Rolls, easy-peasy and yeasty!
Posted by caroline on Mon, Nov 21, 11 at 12:21

Arleen's Spoon Rolls

1 pkg. yeast
2 c. warm water
1/4 c. sugar
4 c. self-rising flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. shortening
2 eggs **

Dissolve yeast in warm (110-115 degrees) water, add sugar. Set aside until frothy. Use a glass or plastic bowl, no metal.

In a separate bowl beat eggs. Add solid shortening and mix well. It will be gloopy.

Then add flour and yeasty, sugar water to the egg mixture and stir until well blended. I use an electric beater.

Put in large bowl and cover. Keep in refrigerator.

To bake rolls: Preheat oven to 400F. Put large spoonfuls in greased muffin pan. (I use cupcake liners.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

This dough/batter does not have to rise, but put it in a large enough bowl that the lid does not come off. Keeps in refrigerator up to a week.

This dough does not have to be kneaded or left to rise. You can bake rolls immediately after mixing, or put it in the fridge and bake them later.

- - - - - - -

I've found it keeps fine for about 10 days.

* The original recipe called for one egg. I like "eggy" bread so I use two.

I give batches of this dough, along with the recipe, as a "gift." The recipients can have one or two fresh rolls at each meal, or they can bake it all at once. So far, everyone has loved it. What's not to love about hot, fresh, yeast bread!

If you make fairly small rolls, they should rise easily in an hour. If you make hamburger bun size, they will take longer....if you make clover leaf they will rise in about 1/2 an hour....due to the handling of the dough to make those tiny balls warming it up.

I also make a butterflake roll, no kneading and you make the dough the night before, double bonus.

Butterflake Rolls

2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
6 to 6 1/2 cups flour
1 egg
1 cup butter, divided in half

In mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and 1/2 cup of butter, mix well, stir in enough flour to form a soft dough. Do not knead. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, punch dough down and divide into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a 14 x 12 inch rectangle, spread 2 tbls butter over dough. Fold in half lengthwise and cut into 12 strips. Tie each strip into a knot, tuck and pinch ends under. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 4 dozen

happy Thanksgiving, no matter what you decide to bake!

Annie

If you are making tender dinner rolls, a minimum of kneading is a good thing....just enough to incorporate all the flour and to develop a little gluten....just until the dough is no longer sticky.....but still very soft.

Thank you again for these ideas. I'm not sure which path I'll follow but they all look great.

You are the best!

Ginny

I'm so sorry!! Nothing like computer issues...anyway, here is the refrigerator roll recipe that I've used for years...the dough keeps pretty well for at least 3 days...it rarely lasts longer than that around here!

Refrigerator Rolls

In a saucepan, boil 1 cup water, remove from stove and add 1 stick REAL butter (please don't sub) and let it melt.
Add: 1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 t. salt
Let it sit and cool off for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, dissolve 2 packages dry yeast in 1 cup warm water...I add a teaspoon or so of sugar to feed the yeast so it will proof a little faster.

Add the contents of the saucepan into the yeast mixture and add two cups of bread flour (I use King Arthur's Bread Flour, but have had success with all purpose unbleached). Mix with a hand mixer really well, and add another cup or so of the flour (you will need approximately 6 or so cups in all). At this point, you will need to mix the rest in by hand (will not take long at all) and you only have to knead it until it's smooth and not seriously sticky, but still soft...this is not one of those "knead for half a day" recipes! The dough needs to be soft but not sticky...sorry for the lack of a better explanation!
At this point, I put the dough in a large (2 gallon) zip-lock bag and put it in the refrigerator. It will rise nicely and when you are ready, take out what you need and shape into rolls....I do the jelly-roll style in the muffin tins, adding poppy seeds or cheese or whatever you like...even just melted butter..let them rise and they puff up in the middle. Of course you can do Parkerhouse style, bowknots, or any shape you like. Makes 3 or 4 dozen at least, depending on size.

Let rise in a warm place, covered with at tea towel and bake at 375 until golden.....accept compliments graciously!

I would love to make homemade dinner rolls, but I love Sister Shurberts frozen dinner rolls to bake and so does DH, so that is what we will have. Time is of the essence.

I take a different "shortcut". Before the Parade goes on TV on Thanksgiving morning (a family tradition here), I do two things: throw the ingredients for rolls into the bread machine and let it do its thing on "Dough" setting, and make the stuffing and "stuff" it into the refrigerator. Then I can settle down with the morning coffee, in front of the TV set to watch the pre-parade entertainment and then the parade itself.

After the parade is over, I get into the kitchen and some of the parts are already done for me. This year, I'm in charge of the dinner, but I'm at my mom's and dad's house. They can't travel, and Mom has never made a turkey in her life (I learned how from my MIL). So unless we wanted either lasagna or polenta for Thanksgiving, I would do the cooking. Mom's thrilled as they will have all that turkey to eat afterward (and thankfully, we won't).

Donna

hellion -- I just bought Sister's pretzel rolls, frozen. Can't wait to try them!

In my family, the rolls are just not that important -- a lot of people skip them so they can right for the "money food"!

Sorry, it is Shubert, not Shurberts, lol!

stirfryi, my family is just the opposite, everyone wants the homemade rolls and the turkey is strictly secondary.

Elery's sister likes the Sister Schubert's rolls too but I enjoy the process of bread baking so I haven't tried them. I just like baking my own (which is probably why I spend so much time hanging around a cooking forum, LOL)

Annie

On the topic of Sister Shubert rolls: We have always loved them. This year for Thanksgiving, I bought 2 pans for 6 of us. We did not even eat one pan! They were awful. Totally tasteless. I think since selling out to the big food conglomerate, the quality has diminished to the level of cheap, icky, store-bought white bread. I will not be buying anymore Sister Shuberts. I'll either make my own or do without.