40-Minute Yeast Rolls

I told you we make them huge!

This is my no-frills, very basic yeast roll recipe, and it is fabulous.  I use white whole-wheat flour in my house for just about everything, but have used enriched all-purpose flour too.  These rolls, when made small, are great for family dinners and potlucks (recipe yields 20-24 small pull-apart rolls), but we make 6-9 huge rolls with each batch of dough for burgers, sandwiches, etc.
Another note.... they rise for 40 minutes.  Total time, start to finish, is less than an hour, but a bit more than 40 minutes.  Sorry for any confusion.

To market, to market:
7 tsp active-dry yeast (if you're using the packets, just use 3 of them)
1 cup plus 1 T very warm water (not hot, or you'll kill the yeast- think baby's bathwater temp)
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (depends on how sweet you want them, I go with 1/3 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 cups white whole wheat flour (if you use AP flour, that is FINE- just realize it may take another half cup of flour to get the right consistency, as white/processed flour is "wetter" than whole wheat)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast and warm water.  Let sit for 5 minutes, until yeast dissolves and is quite frothy.  Add oil, sugar and salt, and stir to combine.  Add 2 cups of the flour, and mix on low speed until smooth.  Change to a dough hook, and set the mixer to low, adding flour a tablespoon at a time, until a smooth, elastic dough is achieved (the dough will still be tacky/slightly sticky).  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (the ultimate in quick-cleanup baking! love!) or spray baking sheet with a bit of canola oil spray.  Roll dough into balls (about the size of golf balls for small dinner rolls, or about the size of baseballs for sandwich buns) and place on baking sheet spaced 1/2 to 1 inch apart.  As the dough rises, the rolls will start to touch.  This is fine! It yields a higher rise.  Lay a clean tea towel (dish towel?) over the rolls, and let rise in a warm spot for 40 minutes.  Remove towel and bake at 425 degrees for 7-9 minutes.  Done!

Dough prior to rising

Dough after rising

More notes:  Letting the dough rise for longer is fine, but don't exceed 70 minutes.  It tends to go downhill from there, in taste and appearance, rather quickly.
I coat my hands in cooking spray to roll out the dough.  Less sticky that way.
If you don't have a warm place to let your dough rise, try this:  When you start making the dough, turn your oven on to 350, for just one minute.  Then turn off the oven, and open the door a bit.  When you're ready to let the rolls rise, feel one of the racks in the oven to make sure it is not hot, just warm, and place your rolls on the rack to rise, shutting the oven door.  Using this method, you don't have to cover them with a towel, and I don't even preheat the oven when it's time to bake.  I just make sure they've risen enough, turn the oven on, and pull them out 9 minutes later.  How easy is that?!?!