Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

¼ cup warm water (110F) 

1 packet active dry yeast 

1 ¼ cups buttermilk, room temperature 

2 tbsp honey 

1 ½ tsp salt 

2 ½ - 3 ½ cups flour 

Combine your active dry yeast with 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl.  Mix the water and yeast with a fork to blend. After 5-10 minutes, the yeast should look slightly foamy. 

To your your yeast mixture, add buttermilk, honey, salt and 2 cups of flour. Stir vigorously. This is made easier if you have a stand mixer, where you can proof the yeast in the attached bowl and use the dough hook to knead it for you. It isn't too difficult to do by hand, though. All you need is a big wooden spoon. Add the remaining flour a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough stops sticking to the sides of the bowl and clings instead to your spoon or dough hook.

Kneading is the best part, so place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it with the heel of your hand. As best as I can describe without a video clip, here is how you knead dough. Press the dough down with the heel of your hand, fold over the top half of the dough. Rotate the folded dough 90 degrees (1/4 turn) and repeat. Continue kneading, adding a bit more flour to prevent the dough from sticking, for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Place it in an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 - 2 hours, until doubled in size. If you kitchen is cold, this rise will take 2 hours, but it will probably take less time if your kitchen is warm.

Take your risen dough and turn it out onto your lightly floured surface. Use a knife or a bench scraper to divide the dough in half, then divide each half into six even pieces, for a total of 12. You can shape these pieces into any shape you like. Rounded balls are probably the simplest, but it is even easier to drop them into lightly greased muffin tins. To make knots, roll each piece of dough into a rope and tie it. 

Place all your formed rolls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or one that has been lightly greased. Cover the baking sheet with a large, clean dish towel and let the rolls rise for about 20 minutes.

Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes until golden.