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A side view of a baked Lion House Roll.
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Lion House Rolls

Our go-to roll recipe is from Lion House cookbook is our absolute favorite! The rolls are soft, fluffy, and have a subtle sweetness to them that makes you want to eat them all day.
Course bread
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rising Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Servings 24 rolls
Calories 160kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups warm water about 105°-110°F
  • 2/3 cup nonfat instant dry milk
  • 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 5-6 cups bread or all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, for brushing on the dough before rolling up

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer stir together the water and dry milk powder until the milk has dissolved. Add the yeast, sugar, salt, softened butter, egg, and 2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook attachment mix on low speed for 2 minutes, then add 2 more cups of flour and mix for another 2 minutes. Add the remaining flour and mix for an additional 3-4 minutes. The dough should be soft, slightly tacky but not sticky, and not stiff. You may not need to use all of the flour, and alternatively you may need to add more flour than is called for depending on where you live, climate, altitude etc. I used about 6 ¼ cups flour and I live at sea level in a semi-humid location. Climate and altitude plays a role in bread baking. 
  • Remove the dough from the bowl, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the bowl and smear it along the bottom and up the sides. Turn dough over in the bowl, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. 

Shaping

  • Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. 
  • Divide the dough into 2. Sprinkle the counter with flour and roll 1 of the dough sections into an 11x14” rectangle. Brush with a little less than half of the melted butter. (you’ll need the other half for the other dough section). Cut small 2x4 rectangles (if you hold your hand out so that it forms an “L” shape, it can be your sizing guide for cutting. Roll (or flip) the rectangles, buttered side in, and place on the prepared baking sheet with the tail (or the end) resting on the baking sheet. 
  • Cover with plastic wrap and let rolls rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 
  • Bake rolls at 375°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter. 

Notes

Try to get the dough rolled out into an even rectangle in order to get rolls that are more evenly sized — this will give you an even bake across the rolls.
Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag with the air pushed out at room temperature for 3-4 days. 
As a note: I only ever make this recipe as written with water and dry milk powder. 1 cup dry milk powder + 4 cups water = milk. So, that would mean 1/2 cup dry milk powder + 2 cups water = milk. However, this recipe uses 2/3 cup of dry milk powder and 2 cups water. This means there is a higher content of milk powder than what you'd need to sub out for milk. 
Keep this in mind if you are trying to sub out the water and dry milk for milk. 
As a note, I recommend making this recipe as written and not substituting. 

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 0.001mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg