In a bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together 1 ¼ cup of flour and yeast.
In a medium saucepan, heat together milk, sugar, butter and ¾ teaspoon salt until warm ( not hot! ) and the butter is almost melted.
Add the milk butter mixture along with eggs to flour yeast mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds.
Increase the speed to high and beat 3 minutes.
Decrease the speed to low and slowly add the rest of the flour.
Transfer the dough onto your counter top, lightly dusted with flour. Knead until smooth and elastic.
Place in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Turn the dough few times in the bowl to coat it with the oil. Cover with kitchen towel.
Place in a warm and draft-free place. ( see notes for tip )
Let rise until doubled in size, at least 1 hr.
Punch the dough down. Transfer the dough onto counter top. Divide into two parts and let rest for 10 minutes.
Line a 13"x9" baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with cooking oil or grease with leftover butter wrapper.
Shape the dough into 20 balls. Place in 4 rows of 5 in the prepared pan, making sure to leave enough space between them to rise. Cover and let rise in pan until doubled in size, about 20 to 30 minutes ( see notes for tip ). At this point, you can also cover the rolls and refrigerate overnight. ( see notes )
Bake rolls in 375 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Immediately remove from pan onto wire rack.
Cool completely or serve warm.
Notes
Notes: If you are having trouble finding a warm and draft-free place for the dough to rise, use this tip: in a microwave, heat up a cup of water to boiling in a microwave-safe cup. Place the covered bowl with dough in the microwave and shut the door. Let rise until it doubles in size. The steam from the boiled water will create the perfect environment for the dough to rise.For the second rise, you can preheat your oven to 225 degrees and let the rolls rise there. When doubled in size, pull them out, increase the temperature and when it's ready - bake!If you decide to make the rolls a day ahead and bake them the day you serve your dinner, refrigerate the covered pan overnight. Place it on the counter top while you preheat the oven, to let the dough come to room temperature. For a crispier tops, brush the rolls with egg wash before baking. Simply whisk together 1 egg with 2 tablespoon of milk, cream or half-and-half and brush the tops.I used salted butter successfully in this recipe. If you decide to give it a try, simply omit the additional ¾ teaspoon of salt.