Grandma's Rolls

Fresh-baked bread soothes the soul.

That said, here's my Grandma's roll recipe:
Mix 1 cup warm water, 1 tsp sugar, 1 package yeast - Let the yeast bloom.

Mix
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1 cup warm water

Add
6 cups AP flour, gradually. Knead, let rise. Punch down and form into rolls. Place in greased pan, let rise again. Bake at 375 until brown and delicious.

Sounds simple, right? Well, it wasn't for me at first. Here's some of the places I went wrong, and how I fixed them, as well as some things I've changed.

Warm Water - Yeast will bloom faster if the water is 80-90 degrees F. If it's up over a hundred or so, it'll kill the little guys. Use a thermometer.

Yeast - I prefer Rapid Rise yeast. You can skip the blooming step. I take about half the flour and mix the salt and yeast directly into it. Just don't forget to add the extra cup of water.

Where to rise - If I've got time, I let the rising happen in the refrigerator. It takes longer, but the rolls end up tastier.

Kneading - This is all about making holes in the dough for the yeast to blow up with CO2. I use the Alton Brown recommended method: Spread the dough out flattish, and make a trifold wallet with it. Repeat for five or ten minutes.

Oil - Grandma doesn't use extra virgin olive oil. I do. It's yummy.

Water - Depending on where you're at, the tap water may have enough chlorine in it to kill yeast. For instance, I was never able to make bread with tap water in Fayetteville or Dallas. To be totally safe, use bottled water. You can usually find 8-oz bottles, which is convenient, because 8 ounces equals one cup.

The Pan- Don't be afraid to pack them in - It'll make them rise taller. Tall rolls are tasty rolls, and they look good too.

The Pan, part 2 - Heavy is good.