I grappled in my mind for bit on whether to share this recipe for homemade yeast rolls. I mean….they are so mouthwatering, buttery, salty, sweet, fluffy, and just like the pringles slogan “you can never eat just one.” I thought, this must be a time treasured secret that only I and a few others in my family are privy to. Then it hit me….you are crazy! There are 8,170,000 results when googling homemade yeast rolls and if any of you have watched the social dilemma, you know nothing is private anymore. So here you go…. My beloved homemade yeast roll recipe, which in fact was shared with my mother by a close family friend many years ago who was given the recipe from her mother and grandmother and so the story goes.
I’ve even included a picture of the copy of the copy of the original, because it has been so long since we lost the original and have held on to this crumpled-up dough-slathered paper for years. I thought I better get it into the cloud for safe keeping.
And if you are a client of wild thyme and have fallen in love with these rolls, don’t worry, we still prepare them for holiday events, and can make them to order any day of the week. Our Thanksgiving catering menu is live and you can order as many dozen as you wish along with all the trimmings, turkeys, and pies you wish. https://wildthymecooking.com/thanksgiving-catering/

Allow me to translate. I have also taken the liberty of making a few minor adjustments to the photo over the years. Do not fret if you see slight measurement differences between the original and the recipe below.
Homemade Yeast Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups of warm water
- 3/4 cup of butter flavored crisco
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 1 pkg of yeast or 2 1/4 tsp of yeast
- 1 1/2 TBSP of salt
- 7-8 cups of all purpose flour
Directions
Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to bloom for about five minutes. Set aside. In a another separate saucepan or microwave safe bowl, melt the butter flavored crisco until mostly melted through but not bubbling hot. (meaning, just melt the majority and let the rest be softened enough to easily work into the dough…don’t have it so hot it’s bubbling because it could kill the yeast).
In a large separate bowl, add the flour, remaining sugar, and salt. Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour and add the yeast mixture and melted crisco. Mix until it is well combined and knead a couple of times so all of the flour has been mixed well with the wet ingredients. Place dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or flour sack and allow to rise for one hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
After the initial rise, roll out the dough to about a1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut out yeast rolls using a round cutter (same as a biscuit cutter). Place in a pan close together or on a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment and spray the pan well with nonstick cooking spray to keep rolls from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Melt a stick of butter and brush the tops generously with butter, the sides generously with butter, and frankly slather those beauties with as much butter as your heart desires. Season the tops of the rolls with salt and pepper.
Now don’t get to ahead of yourselves, because the rolls need a chance to rise again for about 30 minutes once they are in the pan. Allow your oven to preheat to 400 degrees and then after the second rise they are ready to go in and bake. Allow the rolls to bake about 20 minutes or until brown and crisp on the outside and perfectly cooked through in the center. Remove from the oven, brush with more melted butter and add a scant more salt and pepper to the tops. Let them sit as long as humanly possible before devouring them all at once.
You’re welcome…

You can thank me in the comments below and just remember it is always nice to share.