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We always looked forward to visiting my wife’s Aunt Lois and Uncle Frank Sullivan at their ranch. Uncle Frank always seemed to lead the kids on an adventure, even if it was just feeding the cattle, and Aunt Lois was a fine cook. She always made the best ranch dinner rolls.
The Sullivan Ranch is nestled under the continental divide on the Idaho side of the mountains and about 30 miles west of the little town of Dubois, Idaho. Lewis and Clark passed through these mountains not far to the north and part of the Oregon Trail lies just to the south of the ranch.
Neighbors are far apart in this part of the West. It’s a long drive across a high dessert plain covered with sagebrush and occasional wheat fields before dropping into a little valley. The ranch is in the center of the valley.
The Sullivan's run maybe a thousand head of cattle in the valley. A little stream wanders through the verdant valley, providing water for the alfalfa fields, and power for the generators that light the house and ranch buildings. The foothills behind the ranch harbor elk and deer and on the sagebrush flats, antelope are often found.
The ranch is over a hundred years old, rich in heritage, with old implements on the hill and corrals and buildings that have been built and rebuilt over the years.
Aunt Lois made the best roast beef dinners . . . and ranch dinner rolls. This isn't her recipe but it's close. We think you'll like it.
Ranch Dinner Roll Recipe
These are traditional rolls for dinner, soft and moist pull-apart rolls. They are simple to make and nearly fool-proof, though you do need to allow plenty of time for the dough to rise. If you prefer, you can make soft dinner rolls from a mix. We recommend these Sour Cream Potato Rolls.
This recipe calls for baker’s dry milk which is high heat treated to neutralize the enzyme that impedes the growth of the yeast. You can use regular dry milk but the yeast will not grow as rapidly. Dairy—milk, buttermilk, or sour cream—makes bread richer and more flavorful.
This recipe also calls for dough conditioner which makes the bread lighter and better textured.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups water at 105 to 110 degrees
4 cups bread flour, divided
1 7-gram packet instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup baker’s dry milk (see notes)
1 teaspoon dough conditioner (see notes)
Directions:
1. Heat the butter until it is almost melted and set it aside.
2. Grease the inside of 10x15-inch pan or a large baking sheet, including the rims.
3. Measure the water. Use an insta-read thermometer to get the temperature right.
4. Place two cups of the bread flour and the yeast in the bowl of your stand-type mixer equipped with a dough hook. Turn the mixer on for a couple of bursts to disperse the yeast. Add the water and mix for 30 to 60 seconds.
5. In another bowl, mix the rest of the flour with the salt, sugar, dry milk, and dough conditioner. Add this mixture to the wet mixture along with the melted butter.
6. Knead with the dough hook on medium speed for four minutes or until the gluten is well-developed.
7. Grease a large mixing bowl. Turn the dough out into the large mixing bowl and turn once to grease both sides of the dough ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise. It should double in size in about 45 minutes. If it has not, let it rest longer.
8. Divide the dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place the balls on the greased pan about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit again to rise. They should double in size in about 45 minutes. Let them rise until they are very puffy. If they start to blister, poke the blisters with a toothpick and place the rolls in the oven.
9. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until the tops are browned and the internal temperature is at least 190 degrees. Remove them from the oven. After a few minutes, remove the rolls from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm.
Baker’s notes:
1. Baker’s dry milk is nonfat dry milk that is high heat treated to break down a naturally occurring enzyme in milk that retards the growth of yeast. Instant nonfat milk intended for table use is not high heat treated.
2. Dough conditioner is a proprietary product that differs by producer. A good dough conditioner will increase the rise of your bread by 10 to 15% making it lighter and more open. It enhances the growth of yeast, strengthens the gluten structure, and helps make the bread less crumbly.
This article was written by Dennis Weaver of The Prepared Pantry. Dennis is a baker, a recipe designer, and a writer. He has written a number of baking guides and books including “How to Bake,” a comprehensive baking and reference book.
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