Overnight Dinner Rolls

These rolls were so buttery and delicious.  They are similar to my mom's roll recipe for Butterhorns, which isn't posted here (someday) but you make the dough and let it sit in the fridge overnight (or up to 4 days!).  This was perfect for Thanksgiving; I made the dough the night before and then used half of it to make rolls for Thanksgiving.  The next day, I used the remainder of the dough to make fresh rolls to go with our Thanksgiving leftovers.  Everyone loved these rolls.  This recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe- I'm starting a new tag since I use so many of her recipes.

Overnight Dinner Rolls
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 cup warm water
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup (2.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 large egg
1 cup + 4 cups all-purpose flour (25 ounces total)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 2 ounces) butter, melted
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces) butter, chilled
Melted butter for brushing dough and baked rolls

1.  In a medium bowl or 4-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together the water, evaporated milk, sugar, yeast, salt, egg, and 1 cup of the flour. Add the melted butter and mix until a smooth batter forms. Set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, add the remaining 4 cups flour. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the 1/2 cup chilled butter into the flour. Toss the flour and butter together until evenly combined. Alternately, you can cut the butter into cubes and cut it into the flour using a pastry blender/cutter or two butter knives (or forks) until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. (I opted for the pastry cutter- it wasn't that hard at all.)

3.  Pour the yeast mixture over the flour/butter and use a fork or spatula to mix until the dough starts to come together. Mix just until the dough forms a rough, lumpy ball and the flour is evenly moistened.  (Click on link for original recipe, above, under the recipe title, for more info and a tutorial.)

4.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours and up to 3-4 days.

5.  When ready to make rolls, divide the chilled dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece (or one at a time, depending on how many rolls you want to make – the remaining dough can go back in the fridge) into an 11- or 12-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick or slightly less than. (I use a large glass cutting board lightly coated with cooking spray for the rolling.)  It should be fairly thin. Brush the dough circle with a tablespoon or two of melted butter.

6.  Cut the circle into 8 equal pieces, using a pizza cutter. Roll each wedge into a crescent shape starting at the wide end. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet a few inches apart. At this point I brush the rolls with a bit of melted butter.  Cover lightly with a towel or greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

7.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes until golden and baked through. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter, if desired.