for Maddie’s Cookbook for Birthday #20!
From our Better Homes & Gardens (1968?) cookbook, with Dad’s changes and notes shown in boldface red font. The triple-recipe portions are also shown in boldface red font. Read the green paragraphs that follow the black ones, before proceeding with the BH & G recipe:
The roll dough recipe I use is a triple batch. There are never enough to go around and the triple batch is the largest I like to handle. It takes four hours without exception. (In saying this, Dad means it takes a four-hour block of time, but that’s mostly rising time.)
1 package active dry yeast This means 3 Tablespoons (9 whole teaspoons), for Dad’s triple batch.
¼ cup warm water ¾ cup
1 cup milk, scalded 3 cups
¼ cup sugar ¾ cup
¼ cup shortening ¾ cup
1 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon (= 3 teaspoons)
3 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour 10 ½ cups, but added in portions as Dad describes in these notes
1 egg 3 eggs, and he always uses large eggs
Soften yeast in warm water (110 degrees). Combine milk, sugar, shortening, and salt; cool to lukewarm. Add 1 ½ cups of flour; beat well. Beat in yeast and egg. Gradually add remaining flour to form soft dough, beating well. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise till double (1 ½ to 2 hours).
I mix the yeast and water first, then set it aside to activate (goes bubbly). (A note about temperature control. The water for the yeast must be about 80 degrees F. Just like a formula bottle next to your wrist)While that's in motion I mix the dry stuff. That is the powdered milk, sugar, salt and only 3 1/2 cups of the flour. (The triple recipe is 10 and 1/2 cups flour) Then I add really hot water from the tap (3 cups). I mix the water and the dry stuff with a blender. Then while it's still hot I add the shortening (I like crisco best). The shortening then melts and mixes better. Then the three eggs from the fridge. The eggs cool the mixture just enough to be about 80 degrees farenheit. Then I add the yeast/water mixture and blend it all up.
The rest of the flour (6 and 1/2 cups) is added to a large mixing bowl, I pour the liquid mixture in and stir with a long handle wooden spoon. It will get stiff and hard to stir. Set aside about 1/2 cup flour for keeping the roll dough from sticking to the table and for teasing the dough away from the mixing bowl. Then it all goes on the table for kneeding. Once kneeded you let it sit on the table while you clean the large mixing bowl. Then grease the mixing bowl with crisco (not a lot, just enough to allow the dough to rise and not stick). The dough goes back into the large mixing bowl. Put a cotton dishtowel over the dough so it doesn't get too dry. Let it rise two hours at 80 degrees F.
Turn out on lightly floured surface and shape as desired (“see drawings”, says the cookbook, but see Dad’s notes instead). Cover and let shaped rolls rise till double (30 to 45 minutes). Bake on greased baking sheet or in greased muffin pans in hot oven (400 degrees) for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 2 dozen Cloverleafs, Butter Fans, or Bowknots, or 3 dozen Parker House.
After it has about doubled in volume, then dump it out on the table and kneed it again. Then flatten with a rolling pin and cut large circles with a biscuit cutter. Fold them in half and put on a pre-greased (or Pam spray) pan to rise 1 and 1/2 hours again. They can even go longer if the room is not around 80 degrees. 107 degrees in the garage is too warm.
Then bake for 10 or 11 minutes. Do not over bake. Test one pan, each oven is slightly different. They may need to cook for 12 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, get them immediately off the cookie pan and onto a rack where they can cool.
Voila, eat with butter that melts and is soooo good.
