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Danny Gaulden's Great Grandma's Treasured Rolls

3	cups	flour
1/4	cup	sugar -- up to 1/3
1	teaspoon	salt
1/3	cup	melted shortening -- (be sure it's not rancid)
1	large	egg
1	cup	warm water
2 1/4	teaspoons	active dry yeast
I use Pillsbury or Gold Medal "bread flour". They work best because they have a higher gluten content, but recipe will work fine with regular or unbleached flour as my Grandma used. I like to use my bread machine to do the mixing and kneading work. It is much easier. If you have one, do this: Combine all dry ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and yeast. Put bread machine on dough cycle and let it do the work. After dough cycle has finished, place dough on floured work table, and grease hands with a little lard or shortening. Pinch dough off into large egg sized chunks and roll in hands a bit to shape, then place roll on GREASED baking pan. If dough tries to stick to your hands, re-grease hands, or shake a little flour on the dough to firm it up. Continue doing this until all dough is used. Recipe should make about a dozen rolls. Space the rolls about 1/2 inch apart for high risers, or 1 inch apart for a rounder roll. I like'em both ways, depending on the mood I'm in that day. Cover roll pan with a slightly warm damp towel or cloth and let rolls rise until almost double in size, then bake at 350F for aabout 20 to 25 minutes. After about 15 minutes, you can remove rolls from oven and butter the tops, then finish baking. This is optional. If you don't have a bread machine, or want to do it with a mixer or by hand, proof the yeast by mixing the yeast with 1/2 of the warm water, and about 1 or 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Let stand on the side in a large cup or small bowl while mixing the other ingredients in another bowl. The yeast mixture will start to froth and works as a jump starter. After mixing the remaining ingredients, (remember to add the other 1/2 cup of warm water and the rest of the sugar), add the yeast mixture, and knead dough until smooth, shiney, and elastic--10 minutes or more. Let the dough rise in a greased covered bowl until double in size, then beat down, and kneed again for a few minutes. Form rolls, place in greased pan and follow above instructions. For a fantastic pulled pork bun, form dough into larger, flatter rolls, about twice the size of an egg and bake for about 5 to 8 minutes more. Add sesame seeds for an extra treat, if desired. Hope all of you find this old recipe an addition to your "good recipe list". Posted to the BBQ List on June 4, 1998 by Danny Gaulden