Heavenly Yeast Rolls

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with the sugar. Add the salt, butter, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix until smooth. Add in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough, adding more flour if needed. Push your fingers into the dough; the dough should feel like it’s going to stick to your fingers as you pull them away, but doesn’t. That’s how you know the consistency is just right. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 20 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, measure out the dough for 12 rolls. Shape each into a ball. You may have a little bit of dough left over, so make whatever you want with that. Place the rolls into a greased 9″x13″ pan. Cover and let rise until they are at least double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. You can let them rise longer to get even larger rolls, but you need to watch them carefully so they don’t over-rise and then deflate when they bake. I always let them rise to their maximum capacity. Also, note if you are using regular yeast or rapid rise yeast; this will change the rising times, as will the temperature in your house. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. After I take them out of the oven, I always spread butter over the tops of the rolls. Note: the dough can also be done in a bread machine on the dough cycle if you have that, but just be sure to still test the dough midway through the kneading cycle to make sure the consistency is correct. After the dough is done rising, proceed with the recipe as directed.