[CaptTom]

Question on rolls. I see the recipes call for a substantial amount of sugar. I guess it's important? Or can I reduce the amount called for?

It's important that the yeast have something to eat. Sugar certainly gets the proofing going. Add it to the liquid, then add the yeast, and let it develop for a few minutes, if your recipe doesn't already call for doing that.

It sounds like your recipe is for a sweet roll. These can be very good, but, no, sugar is not necessary to make good bread or rolls. If sweet isn't what you want, find a different recipe. Don't replace sugar with sugar substitutes in any bread though. The recipe is counting on the yeast feeding on the sugar.

For me, eating rolls freshly-baked makes a huge difference in taste. It could be why those in-house made rolls at restaurants taste so much better.

 

[CaptTom]

Sorry if I misunderstood. To me, "yeast rolls" means any dinner rolls made with a yeast-based dough, as opposed to, say, biscuits made with baking powder for leavening. If there's a more specific meaning, by all means find a good recipe and try it exactly as written, then adjust to suit your preferences.