Happy childhood memories of Thanksgiving often come rushing back once you come through the front door and smell the fragrant aromas of the holiday dinner. One of my most vivid Thanksgiving recollections involves my Aunt Mollie’s homemade baked bread.
She always served a feast fit for a king, including baked turkey and goose, dressing, sweet potatoes and an assortment of pies. However, it was the big, thick slices of her homemade bread slathered with freshly made butter that made the holiday so special.
My aunts used to take turns shaking the jar that had been filled the day before with buttermilk left from that day’s milking so it could curdle and then be made into butter. After the curdled milk was put into the large glass jar, you had to shake it vigorously back and forth until a large clump of butter formed. When spread over a fresh piece of hot bread, you could almost forget about the rest of the meal, that is except for the delicious pies!
Home-made bread or rolls have a way of making holiday meals special, and here’s a recipe for the lightest, fluffiest rolls ever! It’s a little different recipe because the rolls are made with mashed potatoes.
Hope you like the recipe and have a happy Thanksgiving!
POTATO DINNER ROLLS
1 package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm potato cooking water (or milk), divided
1/2 cup hot mashed potatoes
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
Soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm potato water. Combine mashed potatoes, butter, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup potato water.
Add yeast and egg to potato mixture; stir in 2 cups flour. Add additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Place dough ball in a buttered bowl, turning to butter top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
On a well-floured surface, shape into rolls; place on greased baking sheets or in a 13-by-9-inch pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size again, about 1 1/4 hours. Slash tops, if desired.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about 24 rolls.
Note: For hot rolls in less time, refrigerate the dough overnight after it has been mixed, kneaded and placed in a covered, buttered bowl. Shape into rolls, let rise and bake as directed above. Allow about 1 1/2 to 2 hours from refrigerator to serving time.
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