Average Jane’s Dinner Roll Recipe

I'm doing an extra post today, partly for you and partly for myself because my paper recipe is getting difficult to read and I'm really starting to appreciate being able to Google my own recipes when I need to make something.

This was my great-aunt Edith's recipe for rolls.  With the egg and the sugar, they're rich and slightly sweet.  I make them for every big family dinner and they're always a hit.  My husband would probably like it if I made them every week.

Aunt Edith's Dinner Rolls

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening (butter flavored Crisco works well)
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs
2 packages of yeast
1 cup warm water for yeast
6 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt

Cream sugar and shortening together.  Add the boiling water.  Beat the eggs and add them.  Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Combine salt and flour and add to egg mixture along with yeast solution.  Mix all thoroughly (dough will be soft and somewhat sticky) and continue kneading for several minutes. I use my KitchenAid mixer, which makes the kneading a no-brainer, but if you mix these by hand you'll want to knead until you're satisfied with the consistency of the dough. Cover bowl with a dishtowel and let rise for one hour.  Punch down and shape.  These make great cloverleaf rolls (three balls of dough dropped into greased muffin tins), but lately I've been rather lazy and I just fill a 13" x 9" pan with larger balls of dough to make individual rolls.  This dough also makes great cinnamon rolls, if you're feeling really ambitious.  Once you've shaped all the rolls, cover lightly and let rise for another hour.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until the rolls are nicely browned on top.