This versatile dough is ideally made in a stand mixer, but a food processor works surprisingly well, too.
No stand mixer? Don't worry. Fit your food processor with the standard chopping or dough blade, then make the milk mixture according to the dough recipe (above), including whisking in the eggs. Combine remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, flour, and salt in food processor. Pulse to blend. Add milk mixture; process until combined. With processor running, add 1/2 cup room-temperature butter, 1 piece at a time, blending well between additions. Process until dough is soft and silky, 2-3 minutes longer. Dough will be sticky but should not be greasy. If it is greasy, process for an additional 1-2 minutes. Transfer dough to the buttered bowl and continue Master Sweet Dough recipe as directed.