Grandmother Rucker's Refrigerator Rolls

Rhonda always makes these for big family gatherings and holidays. You can also cut the batch size down to serve these delicious airy rolls for a regular Sunday dinner.

1 pkg. or 1 cake yeast
11⁄2 Cups lukewarm water
1⁄2 Cup evaporated milk*
1⁄4 Cup sugar
8 Cups plain flour, sifted and divided
1 tsp. salt
3 TB shortening
1 large egg

Soften yeast in a small amount of the lukewarm water. Add yeast and remaining water to evaporated milk. Stir in the sugar. In a roomy bowl, sift 3 Cups flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening until blended to a pebbly consistency. Beat egg slightly and add to yeast/milk/sugar mixture. Add this to flour mixture and beat well. Add the remaining 5 Cups of flour, 1 Cup at a time, to make a soft dough. You may not need the full 5 Cups to get the right consistency—you don’t want the dough too hard or dry. Knead by hand on a well-floured board for about 10 minutes. Put into a large greased bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator and use within 8 hours. When wanted, shape the dough into rolls and let stand in a warm room for 1 hour before baking. If you want to use the dough right away, keep at room temperature, shape into rolls, and let rise for 1 hour before baking. We brushed the rolls with a beaten egg for a glossy finish. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for about 20 minutes.

Yield: about 4 dozen rolls Prep. time: 20 minutes
Rising time: 1 hour Baking time: 20 minutes

* Evaporated milk is liquid condensed unsweetened milk sold in a can. It should not be confused with “condensed milk,” which is a very thick, very sweet canned milk product used for desserts.