Refrigerator rolls are a soft, chewy bread. The rolls are good plain, or topped with butter and/or jelly. They are also good smothered in gravy with your Thanksgiving dinner.
Refrigerator Rolls are versatile and an easy bread dough to make. You can shape them as dinner rolls, cloverleaf rolls or a loaf of bread. This bread recipe requires no kneading.
I got this recipe from my Mom. She made these rolls a few times a year. The rolls are similar to my grandmother's Potato Rolls, which were Mom's everyday rolls. When Mom made this recipe, she would share some of the rolls with me.
First, mix the bread dough, then place the dough in a large greased bowl. The bowl should be large enough for the dough to double in size. Lightly spray some wax paper with cooking spray. Cover the greased bowl with the wax paper then with a dish towel. Place the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 12 hours. The yeast will slowly grow in the refrigerator. I've had the rolls double in size in as little as five hours, so, I make them late in the evening with plans to shape them into rolls first thing the next morning.
The next day, punch down the dough then shape the dough into rolls. I usually make a mix of cloverleaf rolls and dinner rolls. This recipe will make 36-rolls. I usually make 12 cloverleaf rolls and 24 dinner rolls.
Cloverleaf rolls are made in a muffin tin by placing three one-inch balls of dough in each muffin tin cup. Let the rolls rise until about doubled in size then bake.
Dinner rolls are made in a baking pan by forming two-inch balls of dough. I use the 9x13 inch metal pan that Mom used to make dinner rolls. The pan will hold 24-rolls by placing the balls in a four balls by six balls grid. The rolls will raise and fill the pan. Let the rolls rise until about doubled in size then bake. Mom liked to let the rolls rise until they were about one-inch above the edge of the pan.
Let the rolls cool for a few minutes before removing them from the muffin tin or baking pan. Butter the top of the rolls by taking a stick of butter and gently coat the top of each roll. The rolls will look shiny on top and have a buttery flavor. I use vegan butter to "butter" the tops of the rolls so that the rolls are dairy-free.
The rolls will stay soft stored on the counter for a couple of days. They can be frozen then thawed on the counter. I freeze the rolls packaged as single servings. The night before I want rolls, I will thaw the amount of servings that I need.
I hope you enjoy the Refrigerator Rolls!
Refrigerator Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast This is equal to about two packets of yeast.
- 1/2 cup water, lukewarm for dissolving yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar to test yeast
- 2 jumbo eggs
- 7-9 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
Make Bread Dough
- Mix boiling water with 1/2 cup sugar, salt and shortening. Cool until lukewarm.
- Soften yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Add 1/2 teaspoon sugar to test yeast. If yeast does not grow within 15 minutes, repeat with fresh yeast.
- Once the sugar water mixture has cooled and the yeast is growing, mix the two into a large mixing bowl.
- Add beaten eggs and mix well.
- Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.
- Put dough in a large bowl coated with shortening. Turn dough over a few times so that the dough is coated with the shortening.
- Cover bowl with greased wax paper then a dish towel.
- Put in the refrigerator overnight.
- Punch the dough down while still in the bowl.
- Split dough in half. You could make the dough out into just one shape of rolls, if you prefer.
Cloverleaf Rolls
- Using one half of the dough, shape dough into about 1-inch balls. Place three balls into greased muffin tins.
- Cover with greased wax paper and let rise in a warm place until doubled. This could take 1/2 - 2 hours.
Dinner Rolls
- Using the other half of the dough, shape dough into about 2-inch balls.
- Put balls of dough onto a greased baking pan.
- Cover with greased wax paper and let rise in a warm place until doubled. This could take 1/2 - 2 hours.
Bake Rolls
- Bake rolls, either dinner rolls or cloverleaf rolls, at 400F for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- You can use a stick of butter or vegan butter and coat the top of the rolls, if you would like to do so. Coating with butter or vegan butter is optional.
- Let rolls cool for a few minutes then remove from the muffin tin or baking pan. Don't leave them in the muffin tin or baking pan too long because they will sweat.
