Pillsbury-Style Hot Rolls Mix (with Dinner Rolls & Sticky Buns – options)
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in… The Joy Of NOT Cooking – Any More Than You Have To (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Nov. 1983, p. 134)
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING about the Hot Roll Mix that may save you some time and trouble! When I was putting the ingredients together, testing the best combination for an at-home version of the store brand mix, I found that the smaller the quantity you made, the easier it was to mix and blend the ingredients.
If you double or triple the mix ingredients (to store for 90 days or longer), per directions in the recipe; remember to also double or triple, as the case may be, the mixing time. The milk powder must be thoroughly distributed throughout the flour mixture.
You can sift it or shake the mixture through a wire sieve several times or you can use a portable electric mixer on low speed to blend the dry mix ingredients. But, for every 3½ cups of the mix, you will follow the yeast, water, sugar portions, as noted in the recipe.
For a quick-rise hot roll mixture, in which you don’t want to wait through two risings, add an extra package of yeast to the water and sugar, when you prepare the rolls. You will have more of a yeast flavor in the rolls with the added package, but it will double in bulk in half the time.
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 level TB Crisco
1 TB sugar
¼ cup dry milk powder
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a medium-size mixing bowl, blend all ingredients thoroughly, using a wire whisk or potato masher. (I prefer the whisk.) When mixture is even in texture and of very fine particles, equal almost to that of gravel, store the mixture in a well-covered container and keep it at room temperature, to be used within 90 days. You can keep it up to 6 months if you refrigerate it. And it keeps up to a year if you freeze it. Makes 3½ cups of mix [enough from which to make 6 rolls].
TO USE THE MIX: (for Dinner Rolls)
1 envelope dry yeast
½ cup lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
3½ cups Hot Roll Mix [above]
Soften yeast in warm water and stir in sugar. Let stand in a cup until it bubbles. (About 5 minutes.) Stir it into the Hot Roll Mix. Be sure that all dry particles are completely moistened in the yeast mixture.
Knead it with lightly floured hands – in the bowl – until smooth and elastic in texture. You should not have to use more than 2 or 3 TB flour, while kneading this dough. Place dough in greased bowl, turning dough once to grease top of it. Invert a second bowl, greased inside, over the bowl of dough and let it rise about an hour or until doubled [in size].
Punch it down and knead it about 8-10 times, in the bowl. Let it rise again, until doubled. [Split and] shape into 6 balls, equal in size. Place in greased muffin wells. Wipe top of each in soft butter or margarine and let rise until doubled, in a warm place. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6 rolls.
HOT ROLLS’ STICKY BUNS (option):
Prepare the Hot Rolls’ Dinner Rolls (above). After the last rising [divide and] shape into 12 balls [and set aside]. Prepare the following syrup:
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 TB butter
2 TB honey
2 TB water
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a small saucepan, combine [ingredients], over medium-high heat. Stir until it comes to a boil. At once, remove from heat. Divide equally between 12 ungreased cupcake wells. Drop the 12 balls of prepared dough into these. Let rise in warm place 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan half a minute and invert onto greased platter. Scrape down any excess syrup mixture and spoon over rolls. Makes 1 dozen.
See also…
