French Bread Rolls

Submitted by Julie Twitchell

I found this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen. I have been thinking about making them for a week. I needed some kind of bread to go with our Sunday dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes and carrots. So I decided to give these a chance. Result--wonderful. My kids were fighting over the rolls. We had one left over and one son asked if he could have it for breakfast this morning. The other boys were upset and they asked me to make more for dinner tonight. They really do taste like french bread. I might try making a loaf and rolls this time. What a great recipe!

Oh I almost forgot, on Mommy's Kitchen, she has a YouTube video showing how to easily shape your dough into perfectly round rolls. It was very helpful.

• 1 1/2 Cup warm water (110 degrees F)
• 1 TB active dry yeast
• 2 TB white sugar
• 2 TB vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 Cups bread flour (you can do half white and half wheat)

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. (I ended up using only 3 1/2 Cups of flour). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (I left the dough in my Kitchen Aid, using the dough hook, kneaded for 8 minutes) Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp clothe, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch dough and turn it out onto a lightly oiled surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

**After forming the rolls they could easily be flash frozen to use another day. This is done by placing the shaped rolls, that you are not going to bake, on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove and place each roll into a large Ziploc bag. Label and date. To use rolls, remove from freezer and let thaw, place on a greased baking sheet and let rise until double in size. Bake as directed above.