Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Pin 1 - Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls

 Question of the day, "Mom, what is yeast?"
"Uhm, a little packet of granules that foam up when you add warm water and sugar."
 Okay, not my best effort.

Thefreedictionary  defines baker's yeast as, "A commercial preparation consisting of dried cells of one or more strains of the fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae, used as a leavening in baking."

Wikipedia says, "Active dry yeast is the form of yeast most commonly available to noncommercial bakers in the United States. It consists of coarse oblong granules of yeast, with live yeast cells encapsulated in a thick jacket of dry, dead cells with some growth medium. Under most conditions, active dry yeast must first be proofed or rehydrated. It can be stored at room temperature for a year, or frozen for more than a decade, which means that it has better keeping qualities than other forms, but it is generally considered more sensitive than other forms to thermal shock when actually used in recipes.

     I tried baking with yeast many, many years ago and failed miserably.  So I have been avoiding it for a long time.  Luckily, I ran across a recipe on Pinterest  that inspired me to give it another try.  Apparently I'm either really improved or it wasn't as hard as I thought!  These are absolutely awesome!!!  As you will see, all the neighborhood kids had a hand in making them. 

Ingredients:

4      tsp active dry yeast
1/2  c warm water
2     c milk scalded and cooled to lukewarm
1/2  c plus 1 teaspoon sugar, separated
3     tbsp melted butter, cooled slightly
1     tbsp melted butter for brushing
8     c flour (divided)
2     eggs
1     tsp salt
2     tsp vegetable oil (to coat dough as it rises)

Dissolve 4 tsp yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1/2 c warm water.

Add 2 c scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm (I'm impatient...stuck mine in the freezer for 3 minutes), 1/2 c sugar, 3 c flour.  Blend using dough hook attachment.  Let sit 10 minutes until mixture is foamy.

Add 2 eggs and 1 tsp salt and beat well.  Add remaining 5 c flour and mix until dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and let rest 10 minutes.

Put dough into a bowl and coat with 1 tbsp vegetable oil, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. 

Please note:  this is what happens if you go bike riding and forget about your dough.  So glad I sprayed the plastic wrap with non stick spray!  Not to worry, it still turns out great and the kids think it's very funny!

 Punch dough down.

Roll into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle (Mine wasn't pretty, but it worked)

Fold dough in half lengthwise and gently press edges to seal.  

Let rest 10 minutes then use a pizza cutter to cut into squares.

Place on a greased cookie sheet (3/4 of an inch apart).  Cover with a damp dish towel and allow to rise for 1 hour.  Bake @ 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Brush with melted butter.  

Watch these fluffy bundles disappear!!!   I am trying them now with 4c unbleached whole wheat flour and 3c unbleached white flour.  I'll let you know how they turn out!

I found this recipe (and made a couple small changes) at  365 Days of Baking