To prepare the dough, put the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment  Lightly stir together, then cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Once the yeast has bloomed, add the remaining sugar, the egg, butter, salt, and 1 cup of flour.  Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 

Add the remaining flour gradually, as you may not need all of it (I didn't).  You want a stickier dough.  Beat or knead on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (about 2 minutes).

Keep the dough in the mixer and knead for an additional 2 minutes (or you can turn it onto a lightly-floured surface and knead by hand for a couple minutes).

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil and place the ball of dough in the bowl, briefly turning it to coat all sides in the oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours, or until double in size. 

Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan (glass preferable to metal) or two 9-inch baking pans (you can use alternative pans if you want).

When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air ("knocking it back") and divide into 14-16 equal pieces.  I like to use a scraper tool for this, see link below.  Perfect isn't necessarily here. 

Shape each piece into a smooth ball.  I kind of roll it into a rough ball, place it in the palm of my hand and pull pieces out to tuck under the ball (to make it smooth on top), then gently roll the knit/seams on the counter.  See photos above. 

Arrange in your prepared baking pans, leaving a little room between them since they'll grow on their second rise.  Cover the pans with plastic wrap and allow to rise again until puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  Rotate the pan halfway through.  If the tops are browning too fast, you can cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter (or honey butter), then allow to cool slightly before serving.