adapted from: Our Best Bites
2 c. whole milk*
1/2 c. plus 1 Tbl. sugar, divided
1/3 c. unsalted butter
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 pkgs. (4 1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast
2/3 c. warm water
8-9 c. all-purpose flour, divided
3 large beaten eggs
*Whole milk is recommended, but if you're in a pinch 2% milk will work, but try to stay away from 1% or skim.
Combine milk, 1/2 cup sugar, butter and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool until lukewarm (this is really important, because if it is too hot, it will kill the yeast).
While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 Tablespoon of sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes. If the yeast hasn't bubbled, you'll need to repeat this step with new yeast.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes. Add beaten eggs. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft and sticky- it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. (If you add too much flour, these rolls will be heavy and dense). Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half. Spray two 9x13-inch glass pans with cooking spray. Pat first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut into 12 equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 16-17 minutes or until golden brown. When done, remove from oven and rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls until each roll is covered in butter.
Jenn's Notes: I cut this recipe in half and got 12 rolls. I used 2 eggs and 4 cups of flour total. When you are done mixing, the dough is still pretty sticky, but it firms up during the rising process and was very easy to work with. During the second rise, my rolls took longer than 30 minutes, more like 45 minutes. So, plan a little extra time, just in case. I bake mine for 17 minutes. These rolls were still delicious and very soft the next day, but I couldn't tell you about the 3rd day, because I didn't have any left.