If you love soft white dinner rolls and have a crowd to feed, this is the recipe for you! The dough is easy to work with and just takes a couple of hours to rise at different stages. Pulling 24 beautiful dinner rolls out of the oven is gratifying and will impress any on-lookers.
04Grease the inside of a large bowl with oil and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning it over a few times to make sure it is lightly but completely coated with oil. Cover the bowl with a clean damp towel and place it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size.
05Grease a half sheet pan (an 18-inch by 13-inch baking sheet for 24 portions) or a quarter sheet pan (a 9-inch by 13-inch baking sheet for 12 portions) lightly with butter.
06Punch down the dough and divide it into four equal portions. Cut each portion into 6 even pieces so that you have 24 portions of dough. (If you want the rolls to be perfectly even, weigh the dough on a scale and then weigh each dough ball.) Roll each portion of dough into a smooth ball and place all the balls in evenly spaced rows on the buttered baking pan. (The dough balls can be frozen at this point if making ahead – see notes.)
07Cover the sheet pan with a damp towel and let the dough balls rise for another hour, until they have doubled in size. The dough balls should be touching at this point.
08Pre-heat the oven to 375°F while the dough balls are rising.
09Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are golden brown on top. As soon as you remove from the rolls from the oven, brush them with melted butter.
10Line a serving bowl or basket with a clean tea towel and place the rolls inside, topping with another towel to keep them warm. Serve immediately.