Easy Yeast Rolls (or Monkey Bread)

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for kneading
• 1/4 lb margarine (you'll use less)

Recipe

• 1 heat the water to between 105 and 115 degrees f.
• 2 if working with kids, explain that this temperature will wake up the yeast but not kill it.
• 3 dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl.
• 4 stir in the sugar, oil, salt and egg.
• 5 stir in 1 cup of flour until smooth.
• 6 this is officially known as a"sponge" since it does not have all the flour of the final dough.
• 7 cover with a dishcloth and set in a warm place (over a bowl of warm water, in a slightly warm oven, in the microwave beside a cup of warm water, etc.).
• 8 let rise for 15 minutes. note: if the sponge is not bubbly and increased in volume, either the yeast was bad, the water was too hot, or the water was too cold). throw it away - it will not make palatable bread! if you are sure that the water was the correct temperature (and you did not set the bowl to rise in a hot oven (smile)) get some new yeast.
• 9 this is useful time for cleanup and setting up for kneading.
• 10 grease a square 9 inch pan.
• 11 if you want to make monkey bread, use a ring pan or a bundt pan and do not grease it.
• 12 stir down the sponge (ooh and aah over how much it has grown first!) and add 1 1/2 cups flour.
• 13 blend until well mixed.
• 14 turn out onto a floured surface.
• 15 knead 3 minutes adding flour if the dough is sticky.
• 16 if using the square pan, divide the dough into 16 pieces (good math exercise!), and shape quickly into balls.
• 17 if making monkey bread, divide the dough into 32 pieces (more math) and shape quickly into balls.
• 18 for the square pan, arrange the balls in the pan and smear tops with softened margarine.
• 19 for the monkey bread, roll each ball in melted margarine before arranging the balls in the ring or bundt pan.
• 20 cover the pan with the dishcloth and set back in the warm place (described above).
• 21 let rise for 25 minutes (depending on the timing with kids, i have been successful with as little as 20 minutes and as long as 30.) preheat oven to 425°f (move the pan first if that is where the dough is rising, of course).
• 22 bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown.
• 23 remove from pan to a rack or plate to cool.
• 24 to make them even better (and more fattening), brush the tops with melted butter.
• 25 if you made monkey bread, eat the bread like a monkey by pulling off chunks.
• 26 the monkey bread is also excellent if you roll each dough ball in cinnamon sugar after rolling in margarine and before placing in the pan.
• 27 this makes a good breakfast bread.