Soft No-Knead Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 0.25 cups white sugar , divided
• 0.5 cups warm water
• 4.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 2 room-temperature eggs , lightly beaten
• 3.5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
• cooking spray

Instructions

1. 1

   Place yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in water. Let stand until frothy, about 5 minutes.

2. 2

   Place remaining sugar, flour, and salt in a separate bowl; mix to combine. Make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture, milk, eggs, and butter. Mix with a wooden spoon until a thick, sticky batter forms.

3. 3

   Cover dough with a clean, damp dish towel and place in a warm place. Let rise until almost tripled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4. 4

   Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Punch dough down to deflate. Mix briefly in the bowl to get rid of bubbles.

5. 5

   Dust a work surface with flour. Scrape dough out and dust the top with flour. Cut into 4 pieces, then cut each piece into 3 pieces.

6. 6

   Press down 1 piece of dough with your palm. Use your fingers to gather it into a ball. Flip so the smooth side faces up and roll briefly to form a ball. Place roll in the prepared baking pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Line up rolls in a 3x4 grid in the baking pan. Spray the surface of the rolls with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap.

7. 7

   Place baking pan in a warm place and let rise until almost doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes. Halfway through the second rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

8. 8

   Bake rolls in the preheated oven until surface is golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Use parchment paper overhang to lift rolls onto a cooling rack. Serve warm.