We finally got a chance this past week to make Grandma's Yeast Rolls. I am informed by my mother that they really go back to her mother, Jessie Driver. If Grandma Jessie were alive, I bet that she would tell us that they had been passed down to her as well. I love that about family recipes!
If you have ever had Grandma's yeast rolls, two things are noteworthy. First, they were always hot. Second, they kind of melt in your mouth. The texture is amazing! While Shelby and I had great fun making these, I must say, they were not like Grandma's! I forgot about the part where she used to put them in the oven a little before we would sit down for dinner. The recipe makes two pans of rolls, so she would pop the second pan in after she took out the first. This way your first AND second (and for many third and fourth) rolls were always hot. The butter would ooze out of it as you took your first bite. By the time I got everyone to the table, my rolls were a little bit cold and the butter definitely was not oozing out! They were still tasty, but just not quite the same.
The texture of our rolls just wasn't quite right either. When I told my mother this, she said that Grandma used to always swear that her rolls weren't as good as her mother's either. She was certain that Grandma Jessie must have left out a "secret ingredient" just to confuse her! The texture of our rolls was definitely good, just not quite like Grandma's.
I remember the first time I made Grandma's rolls. I was working at Arkansas Children's Hospital and I called her for the recipe. This was easily 15 years ago. I jotted it down in my very poor handwriting on some scraps of paper. It is barely legible. (This may be why they didn't turn out quite right! Ha!) I have saved this in my recipe drawer all these years, even though I haven't made them again since then.
Here are the ingredients you will need for the yeast rolls:
*2 cups milk (I used 2%)
*1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
*1 1/2 sticks butter
*1 envelope plain yeast (not rapid rise)
*6 cups all purpose flour
*1/4 cup water to dissolve yeast
*1 large egg
*1 teaspoon salt
Here is a picture of some of the ingredients:
1. Heat 2 cups milk until lukewarm - hot enough to dissolve 1 stick butter and 1/2 cup sugar, but not boiling. Once dissolved, pull the pan off the burner to cool contents. For rapid cooling, place the pan in ice water.
The apron Shelby is wearing is one that either me or my sister, Lauren, made in Home Economics in junior high school as a present for my Grandma.
2. In a cup, dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in 1/4 cup tepid water (100-110 degrees F). Set it aside to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Pour cooled milk mixture and yeast into mixing bowl. Gradually beat 4 cups flour into batter and beat until smooth. Let rise at room temperature for an hour.
4. Beat an egg and add a teaspoon of salt. Pour into dough mixture with the additional 2 cups flour. Knead until dough is elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl and flip the dough over to coat both sides. Cover and put in the ice box. (Yes, my recipe said "ice box," not refrigerator, because I was quoting my sweet grandma!) I think I remember that this dough can be stored for several days, but we let it sit overnight before we made it into rolls the next day.
5. When ready to roll out your dough, rub flour on your rolling surface. Divide dough into smaller sections and roll 1 at a time to make it easier.
6. Use a round cookie cutter (we used the edge of a glass cup about 3 inches diameter) to cut out circles. These will form your rolls. Melt last half stick of butter to rub on the front and back of the circles of dough. Fold them into semicircles and place neatly in a round glass pie pan. (We only had one round pie pan, so we used a smaller casserole dish for the second batch.)
7. Once made into rolls, place in warm, dark place to rise for at least 2 hours. My grandma would put them in a bathroom cabinet!!
8. Place oven rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tops are light brown.
Here is the finished product, minus the roll I ate. The ones in the front are a little browner than they should be. You want yours to look more like the one's in the back left.
Reviews by the Tripcony men (a.k.a Shane and Garrett):
"These versatile rolls are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are excellent for a snack or dessert. I like my best for breakfast with scrambled eggs and cheese stuffed inside." - Shane Tripcony
"These rolls are delicious, puffy, and good. I like mine best with spaghetti." - Garrett Tripcony
I hope you will enjoy making these with your own family. Would love to know how they turned out, or if you have any questions about the steps.
Enjoy!
The Tripcony Family
