I love rainy days, (they bring out the in cook in me). There is nothing better than the smell of baking bread on a day where its cool and overcast. So to start you will need to make your butter.

• Whipping cream
• a pint mason jar with lid
• a strong arm

you can measure out the cream if you want to or be spontaneous and guess. Note; (1 cup of cream makes about 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup butter milk) I filled my mason jar about 1/2 full, put the lid on, and shook it for about 10 minutes roughly. shake until the butter and butter milk separate. For the first 5 minutes or so it will just be like shaking a jar of milk, then it will get hard to shake because it now has turned to whipped cream, keep shaking and all of a sudden it will get sloshy sounding again. this is your butter forming into a ball with the buttermilk being left over. save the buttermilk for baking. gently rinse your butter under cold water to rinse the rest of the butter milk out. This will help your butter keep longer and keep it from turning rancid fast. store in the fridge for up to  5 days. (you can add salt or other flavoring to your butter after you rinse it.( ex: garlic, cinnamon, honey, ect.)

Dinner Rolls

• 3 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• pinch of sugar
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 cup of tepid buttermilk (use the byproduct from your butter)
• 1/4 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 1/2 -5 cups flour, plus extra as needed
• canola oil for greasing

In a glass measuring cup, sprinkle the yeast and pinch of sugar of the warm water and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Beat on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the yeast mixture and another cup of flour, and beat for another minute. Beat in remaining flour, 1/2 cup of flour at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl sides. Switch to the dough hook. Knead the dough on low speed, adding flour 1 Tbsp at a time if the dough sticks, until a very soft dough forms, about 1 minute. The dough should be softer than typical bread dough, yet smooth and springy.

Transfer the dough to a deep oiled bowl and turn the dough once to coat it with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease two 8 inch round cake pans. turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. divide the dough in half and roll each half between your palms into a 18 inch rope. Cut each rope in to eighteen 1 inch pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, and place the balls, sides just touching, in the prepared pans.  Cover loosely with plastic and let rise at room temperature until puffy, 30-45 minutes.

preheat oven 375 degrees. Bake the rolls until light golden brown. 18-23 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pans or transfer to a rack. serve warm.

side note: I made another small batch of butter to eat with my rolls, but this one I added a pinch of salt too. also these rolls are really good with a peach raspberry jam.