Easy and Delicious Refrigerator Dinner Rolls

Holiday dinners do not seem complete without fresh, hot dinner rolls.  There is something about their yeasty fragrance mingling with other holiday aromas that beckon you to the kitchen, enticing and teasing.  They are a promise waiting to be fulfilled.

This no-knead dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to four days and they make some of the lightest, most flavorful, pleasantly sweet,  rolls you've ever tasted.  I have used this recipe for ages and have yet to find one that I like more.  This recipe makes 24 rolls, but you do not have to use the dough all at once, so you can have fresh, hot rolls for several days in a row.

To have ready for your meal, allow time to roll and form the dough and rising time and then time for baking, (generally allowing an hour for rising time, depending on how warm your kitchen is).

I made this recipe twice this past holiday.  For the family holiday, I had taken the dough out 90 minutes beforehand, to form and to raise the dough, but at the end of an hour when the dough needed to go into the oven to bake, the rolls were only three-quarters risen in the pan.  In desperation, I went ahead and baked them anyway, and thanks to the heat of the oven,  the rolls finished rising fully and beautifully. 

The second time I made them, I took the dough out 2 hours ahead of time, formed them, and allowed them to rise.  This time they started to over-rise.  I put the pan of risen rolls back into the refrigerator to slow them down and took them again when it was time to bake.  The rolls did not over proof, and once again, the rolls were gorgeous and light.

The original directions say to use a 9 x 13" pan and make 24 rolls.  However, I found that the middle rolls remained doughy and needed an additional 5-10 minutes of baking time.  I have had much better success using 2" inch high x 9" round cake pans and making 12 rolls in each pan.  I think they would be gorgeous baked into cloverleaf shape in muffin pans as well.

Refrigerator Dinner Rolls
(makes 2 dozen rolls)

1 cup warm water (105* to 115* F)
2 packages active dry yeast (not instant)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may need more or less depending upon humidity)
additional melted butter for brushing on finished rolls, if desired

In a large bowl, combine the water and yeast and let the mixture stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the butter, sugar, eggs and salt. 

Beat in the flour, one cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix.  Cover and refrigerate anywhere from 2 hours or up to 4 days.

Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan.  Turn the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into 24 equal-sized pieces.  Roll each piece into a smooth round ball.  Place balls in even rows in the prepared pan.  Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 375* Fahrenheit.  Place rolls in the oven and bake until they are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Brush the warm rolls with melted butter, if desired.  Break rolls apart to serve.