IN a bowl mix 3/4 ounces of yeast or 1 package of dry yeast with some milk (less than 1 cup) until dissolved. Add 2 eggs and beat.

Mix in 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 3 1/2 cups of flour. Slowly add more milk (for a total of 1 to 1 1/4 cups for the entire recipe), mixing thoroughly. Cut into 6 ounces of butter at room temperature until blended. Knead dough. Let rise until double in size (1 to 1 1/2 hours). Knead again and let rise 40 minutes.

Roll dough on a floured board, shaping into a log. Cut log into 28 pieces of equal size. Shape each piece into a ball and roll them all in 1/2 pound melted butter.

Using 2 floured, buttered 9" ring molds, place 7 balls in each mold, leaving equal space between. Place the remaining balls on top (equal numbers for each mold), spacing evenly.

Let dough rise in mold. Brush tops with a beaten egg. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes. Serves about 16.