Last Christmas, I watched my friend make these rolls while dozens of people mixed and mingled through the kitchen. She was very particular about how to make them: you needed to use good bread flour, you had to use a mixer (like a Bosch or a KitchenAid), you couldn’t add too much flour, Saf brand yeast was the best, etc., etc.

I thought she was being a little too picky, and wondered how all those factors could possibly produce something better than what I had ever made. Was I ever wrong! They were absolutely delicious. They were fluffy and chewy and perfect.  Atop all the other food I ate that day, I must have eaten at least five of those rolls.

So here is the recipe. I don’t know where she originally found it, so I cannot accurately pinpoint the source other than it is the Lewis family recipe.

Although these are amaaazing, I do have one bit of caution: the dough is very sticky. I would definitely use a stand mixer, and then use a bench scraper or a rubber spatula whenever you have to touch it.

I have actually made these by hand before, without the help of a mixer. All I did was keep a cool head, and kneaded it in a large bowl with a rubber spatula for as long as I could stand.

The strawberry jam pictured at the bottom can be found on sophistimom.com

Linda Lewis’s Rolls

1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons (2 packets) instant yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 15 ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon salt
2 eggs
1 stick (8 tablespoons) melted butter
8 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour plus 4 tablespoons vital wheat gluten)

1. In a large liquid cup measure, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together evaporated milk, hot water, salt, eggs, and butter. With the mixer on low, slowly add in 4 cups of flour.

2. Pour in the yeast mixture, and knead for a minute or two. Add in the last 4 cups of flour, but try not to add any more. Knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and has long strands of gluten.

3. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and cover the dough. Let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

4. With a rubber spatula, punch the dough down and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. Turn the dough out onto an oiled or well-floured surface. Divide the dough into 4 lumps. Roll out each lump into a 9 inch circle. Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut each piece of dough into 12 equal wedges.

6. Starting on the outside of each wedge, roll up and place on a greased baking sheet with the point on the bottom side of the roll. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size.

7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the rolls with butter, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Brush with butter again if desired, and serve.

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