* Lion House Dinner Rolls

Ingredients
2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter (about 5 T)
1 egg, beaten
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour
(3 T butter for glazing)

Direction
In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and yeast; let sit 5 minutes. (Proof yeast and make sure it gets foamy)
Add dry milk yeast, then sugar, 1/3 cup butter, egg, and 2 cups flour.
Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed.
Then Add salt and 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed.Mix additional flour until no longer sticky.

Knead on a lightly floured or greased surface until smooth.

Pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.

Scrape dough out onto floured board. Divide dough into two. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 12 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 12 pieces of dough.(measure against a 9X13 pan)

Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper (I just use a greased pan). Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (i bake on top rack in glass pan to prevent burnt bottoms), or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Makes 2 dozen rolls.

Helpful Tips for Making Rolls
Just before mixing dough, turn oven on lowest possible temperature. Place a pan of hot water on bottom oven rack. When dough is thoroughly mixed, place in oiled bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap; place in oven. Turn oven off, shut oven door, and allow dough to rise until double in size, about 50 to 60 minutes. Shape or cut into desired rolls. Place rolls on greased or parchment-lined pans and allow to rise until double in size. Bake according to recipe.
Brush top of rolls with butter when first taken from oven.

Honey Butter
½ cup butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup honey
Whip softened butter until light and fluffy (this is the trick). Add vanilla and honey gradually. Beat for 20 minutes (I just beat til light and fluffy) . Makes 1 cup.

Sweet orange rolls.
Take your other half of the dough, and roll it out into the same size rectangle. This time, after buttering the dough up like before, sprinkle a 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup orange zest onto the dough. Make sure you mix the sugar and orange together just before putting it on your rolls - it will crystallize very quickly!