Feather Light Overnight Rolls

Mom and I brainstormed yesterday about how to simplify our big Thanksgiving dinner preparations. We decided to get done what we could ahead of time. One of the things we're doing is preparing the rolls this weekend. You get them to the point where they are all shaped and need to raise to bake, and then you freeze them. So I'll mix them tonite, stick them in the fridge and let them do the 1st raise overnight, roll them out in the morning, stick them on a cookie sheet in the freezer, then pop them in a ziploc after they're frozen.

Next Thursday morning I'll pull them out and stick them back on the cookie sheet (lightly covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out) and let them raise until early afternoon, then bake them right after the turkey comes out of the oven, and in my perfect little plan they will come out of the oven, moist and golden, just as we sit down to our feast!

And then everyone will ooh and aah and tell me they're just too beautiful to eat...(okay, reality check - the most appreciation they'll probably garner is that my brothers will wolf down most of them before the rest of us get any)... But anyway, this is a recipe I got from Meridian magazine last Thanksgiving and it quickly became my all-time favorite roll recipe.

FEATHER LIGHT OVERNIGHT ROLLS - Light and irresistible. Can freeze rolled dough

1 cup water

1 cup butter (2 squares)

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 cup cold water

4 beaten eggs

2 pkgs. yeast (1/4 oz. each)

1/2 cup water

7 1/2 cups flour

Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add butter, sugar, and salt. Once butter is melted, remove from heat. Pour into large plastic container. Add 1 cup cold water. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water (not hot). When first mixture is lukewarm, add yeast mixture and beaten eggs. Stir briefly. Add flour and stir together. Cover container with lid and refrigerate overnight. When ready to roll out, divide in thirds. Flour surface of breadboard. Roll dough out in a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread dough lightly with butter. Cut dough down the middle. Shape each half into about six triangles. Roll each up beginning at the wide end to form crescent shape. Oil baking sheet. Put on 3 baking sheets (about 12 per sheet). Let rise about 4 hours. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes.

If doing ahead, freeze after dough has been shaped into crescent rolls and placed on cookie sheets. Once frozen, put into plastic freezer bags until ready to use. Return them to cookie sheets and let rise about 6 hours or until light. Proceed with previous baking instructions.

We have also talked about pre-baking our pie shells (MC's acknowledged for the many years my hubby did that!), and I have a freezer apple pie filling recipe i'm going to try (I'll tell you how it went next week), and I've also found a mashed potato recipe that can be done in the crock pot ahead of time (not a freezer recipe per se, but here's the link if you're interested http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Mashed-Potatoes/Detail.aspx). So here's to a less stressed Thanksgiving day!