Dinner Rolls

Prepare the dough:

1. Mix the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a cup and allow to sit for about 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together 5 cups of all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt. Next, add shortening and mix until flour is semi-crumbly.
3. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment- beat on low for about 2 minutes. Increase the speed and allow it to mix for at least 10 minutes. The dough will start to pull away from the sides and the dough will become pliable.

1st Rise:

1. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or a clean damp kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise in my microwave for 2 hours.)
2. Grease a baking sheet.

Shape the rolls:

1. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Cut the dough into 1 ½ inch pieces (I like to weigh each dough to 50g for uniformed dinner rolls). Then shape each piece into a smooth ball using your hands and place on the greased cookie sheet.

2nd Rise:

1. Cover dinner rolls with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 30 minutes.

Bake the rolls:

1. Brush the top of dinner rolls with vegan butter (optional), and bake for 17-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven allow dinner rolls to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.