French Bread Rolls

So this recipe seems pretty similar to the french bread recipe I recently tried and loved, but they turned out so good in roll form that I had to include this recipe in my cookbook as well. Oh, these are beautiful! I used them for hamburger buns, awesome sandwiches, sloppy joes, you name it! And inexpensive to bake. These can be a yummy dinner roll or made larger for buns. I brushed the top with butter to keep them soft and moist.

1 1/2 c warm water
1 T active dry yeast
2 T white sugar
2 T vegetable oil
1 t. salt
4 c all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 min.
To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt and 2 c flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 c at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 min. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hr.

Deflate the dough and turn onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12-14 equal pieces, and from into round balls. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled , about 40 min. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake 12-13 min., or till golden brown.