Step 1
Place yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in water. Let stand until frothy about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Place remaining sugar flour and salt in a separate bowl; mix to combine. Make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture milk eggs and butter. Mix with a wooden spoon until a thick sticky batter forms.
Step 3
Cover dough with a clean damp dish towel and place in a warm place. Let rise until almost tripled in volume 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Step 4
Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Punch dough down to deflate. Mix briefly in the bowl to get rid of bubbles.
Step 5
Dust a work surface with flour. Scrape dough out and dust the top with flour. Cut into 4 pieces then cut each piece into 3 pieces.
Step 6
Press down 1 piece of dough with your palm. Use your fingers to gather it into a ball. Flip so the smooth side faces up and roll briefly to form a ball. Place roll in the prepared baking pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Line up rolls in a 3x4 grid in the baking pan. Spray the surface of the rolls with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap.
Step 7
Place baking pan in a warm place and let rise until almost doubled in size 30 to 45 minutes. Halfway through the second rise preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Step 8
Bake rolls in the preheated oven until surface is golden brown 15 to 18 minutes. Use parchment paper overhang to lift rolls onto a cooling rack. Serve warm.