Meisenbach Family Dinner Rolls (12/10/2009)

A Meisenbach family recipe, these are a Thanksgiving staple. I will also make them slightly larger and use them for sandwiches or hamburger buns, when doing this you may need to lengthen baking time and lower the oven temperature.

You will need:

- 2 packages yeast (Active Dry)
- ¼ cup warm water (to dissolve yeast)
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- at least 4 ½ cups flour (this recipe makes a very sticky dough, but to get it the right consistency I sometimes end up needing to add more flour)

Directions:

Start by adding the 2 packets of yeast to ¼ cup warm water. Let it sit while you start combining the other ingredients.

In mixer combine shortening, sugar and the three eggs. Add in the yeast. Alternate adding in a little of the flour and water. Add the salt in with your last bit of flour (salt will retard the growth of the yeast, so I add it in last). As I noted, this will be a very tacky dough, if it seems too tacky feel free to add in more flour up to an extra cup and a half, I have never needed to add in more than that. Once your dough has been combined, remove it to a lightly greased bowl to rise. I like to spray the top of my dough lightly with pam to keep it from drying out. Let it rise until double in size (about an hour and a half).

After the first rise you are free to punch down and shape into desired rolls. After shaping into rolls, allow to rise for another 20-45 minutes, or refrigerate dough up to overnight and allow to rise before baking the next day. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. This recipe is a great base for just about any roll: dinner, cinnamon, orange, etc.