Maybe I am the only one in the world who feels this way, but there are a lot of things that intimidate me when it comes to cooking. Working with dough is one thing that I have always been intimidated by. I watch people make bread and pastry doughs on cooking shows all of the time, but I always feel like they know more than me.

Since I have always had this fear of making bread, the bread machine was a great way for me to practice and start learning how to work with dough. When using a dough cycle, all you have to do is throw in the ingredients and wait until the machine beeps. When you hear the beep, you know that the dough has already risen and is ready to either be rolled or put directly into the pan to bake your loaf.

Since I have been more open to working with dough, I offered to bring the rolls to our Christmas dinners. I am always worried that a dish isn’t going to work out so I made sure to do a practice run since I have never made rolls before. I was extremely worried that they wouldn’t turn out or that my poor kneading or rise times on these would make a flat & yucky roll.

Now that you know how worried I was about working with dough, you will know that this recipe is completely foolproof. Despite being nervous, I am happy to report that these rolls were amazing. They honestly looked like something you would get in a bakery and I had to convince my husband that I actually did make these and didn’t buy them.

These rolls are buttery and light. They are great out of the oven or cold. In fact, we had two leftover from our Christmas dinner and we fought over who would get to eat them on the way home.

I guess what I am trying to say is…make this your year to overcome something that you might be intimated by in the kitchen. Maybe it is pie crust? Maybe you have never roasted a chicken? Maybe you just don’t know how to cook at all? This might be the year for you to learn a new skill in the kitchen that you can feel really proud of.

What is one thing that you have never tried and wish you could do? Is there something you have always been scared to do because it seemed too difficult? Please share!

Buttery Bread Machine Rolls Recipe #65340 (Courtesy of Recipezaar.com)

1 cup warm milk (70 to 80 degrees F.)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

In bread machine pan, put all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. 4. Divide dough into 24 portions. Shape dough into balls. Place in a greased 13 inch by 9 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.

**Amy’s Notes**- I actually cooked these for about twelve to fifteen minutes at 350 because that seemed to work better. Otherwise, I prepared these just as directed.

Is anyone else annoyed with my constant changing of the recipes in my house? I am never quite satisfied with a recipe until I have tried several variations on it. Don’t believe me? In April, I shared two variations on pizza dough. I revisited my recipe when I found a new cookbook and I really liked that variation too. Then more recently, I shared my discovery for another great recipe and shared how to simplify the dinner process by storing your ingredients in a bag.

I really believed that the last one was *the* star in all of my recipes. I had planned to never revisit this recipe again. Unfortunately, I ran across a copy-cat recipe for a Pizza Hut dough that I just had to try. The results…worth the reevaluation!

Let me preface by saying that I do not like Pizza Hut. It is way too greasy for my taste and has never agreed with my stomach too well. I didn’t try this recipe because I love Pizza Hut so much, but I was simply intrigued by the ingredient list.

Although this recipe has a few more ingredients than my past variations, it is by far THE BEST pizza dough. I promise not to lead you astray and hope that you might get a chance to give this recipe a shot. It is worth the effort.

This dough is light and airy and does not rest heavy in your stomach. I think this is attributed to the addition of the baking powder.

This dough also has a great texture to it, which comes from the addition of cornmeal. It is not enough to give it a grainy texture, but simply adds to the bite and makes it more pleasing to the mouth than the flat flour, oil, yeast, water combination.

I hope that you can try this one. Don’t forget to throw a few extra of these into a bag to enjoy in the weeks ahead. This recipe yielded a large crust and an order of cheesy bread for our family. The cheesy bread was prepared by rolling out the dough, drizzling it with olive oil, sprinkling with cheese & garlic salt and throwing it in with the pizza dough after it has been prebaked. You can cut these (before baking) with a pizza roller.

I topped the pizza with a can of crushed tomatoes, which had been simmering on the stove for about fifteen-twenty minutes. I added a little salt, a pinch of sugar, and a little dried oregano to the sauce. It turned out perfect! I topped the pizza with part of it and then used the rest as our dipping sauce.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as you have enjoyed the past variations!

Pizza Hut Style Pizza Dough

1 1/3 cups water
2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cornmeal
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine, according to manufacturer’s settings, and run dough setting. After the machine beeps, roll out the dough. You can roll the dough into two 9×13″ pizzas (great for kid’s lunches!) or into two medium pizzas or a large pizza and an order of breadsticks (as instructed above). Parbake the crust with a drizzle of olive oil on it at 450 degrees for ten minutes. Remove the crust and add sauce and toppings. If making breadsticks, add your breadsticks at this time. Place into the oven for another ten to fifteen minutes or until golden and bubbly. Enjoy!