Soft No-Knead Dinner Rolls

1. Place yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in water. Let stand until frothy, about 5 minutes.

2. Place remaining sugar, flour, and salt in a separate bowl; mix to combine. Make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture, milk, eggs, and butter. Mix with a wooden spoon until a thick, sticky batter forms.

3. Cover dough with a clean, damp dish towel and place in a warm place. Let rise until almost tripled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Punch dough down to deflate. Mix briefly in the bowl to get rid of bubbles.

5. Dust a work surface with flour. Scrape dough out and dust the top with flour. Cut into 4 pieces, then cut each piece into 3 pieces.

6. Press down 1 piece of dough with your palm. Use your fingers to gather it into a ball. Flip so the smooth side faces up and roll briefly to form a ball. Place roll in the prepared baking pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Line up rolls in a 3x4 grid in the baking pan. Spray the surface of the rolls with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap.

7. Place baking pan in a warm place and let rise until almost doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes. Halfway through the second rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

8. Bake rolls in the preheated oven until surface is golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Use parchment paper overhang to lift rolls onto a cooling rack. Serve warm.

Cook's Notes:

If your yeast doesn't go frothy, sorry to say it's not active so your buns won't rise.

You can use whole or low-fat milk. Scalding hot milk and hot water kills the yeast. I heat milk for 45 seconds on high in the microwave, and use warm tap water. It should be neither too hot nor too cold when you touch.