Lion House Dinner Rolls

So I’ve been searching for the perfect dinner roll recipe. And all of the ones I’ve tested have been good. But they just were not the one.
I was channel surfing and stopped on Good Things Utah and they had a guest from the Lion House baking rolls. I’ve seen this recipe a few times before but always tossed it aside because it’s made with milk powder. The idea of milk in powder form just gives me the hibbie jeebies. Where does it come from? I picture people harvesting the dry milky crusties that you find around the rim and lid when your milk almost expired.

Anyways turns out rolls made with real milk are so so and rolls made with fake powder milk are really good. Who knew?

Add your flour gradually and keep dough as soft as you can handle. A soft dough will produce a lighter roll.





Lion House Dinner Rolls


2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
1 egg
5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour



1. In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves.

2. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed.

2. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).

3. Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise until double in size, about 45 minutes.

4. You can really shape your rolls anyway you want to. Roll them into a ball and throw them into a greased pan or muffin tin or follow this next step for authentic shaped Lion house rolls


Scrape dough out onto floured board. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 18 pieces of dough.Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan.

5. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Serve with Honey Butter. Makes 1 to 1 ½ dozen rolls.