January 10, 2015 - 12:55pm
Need Some Help
I'm trying to recreate dinner rolls that my late grandmother made many years ago. Nobody in our family has a clue how she did it. They were very heavy, doughy, & yeasty, not like the light as cloud ones you find in the store today. Point me in the right direction & I'll report back on how they turn out. Thanks.
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Welcome, Uncle Harley! Hope you have wonderful bread baking adventures.
Since there are thousands and thousands of baking recipes out there, we need some more clues about Grandma's rolls.
What nationality was she? Or maybe what nationality was the recipe?
What shape were the rolls? How big were they?
Any whole wheat, rye, or other types of flour in them? You can sometimes guess by the color of the inside of the roll.
Any particular flavors added to them: caraway, herbs, garlic, cinnamon, etc?
Do you know if she used a starter, or only yeast?
Did she have a favorite cookbook that she always used?
i love a good mystery. Good luck on your quest!
She was American with European ancestry. The rolls were 2 1/2-3" cube, white flour, no extra flavors, really firm crust on top. Never saw her use a cookbook. I think she had everything memorized.
If you look in old cookbooks from the early to mid 1900's, you may find your Grandmother's roll recipe. Back then, the recipes generally called for more flour and yeast than today's recipes. Breads tended to be heavy, doughy and yeasty by today's standards. "Sticks to the ribs" Grandma might say.
In the 1924 printing of the "Boston Cooking School Cookbook" the basic roll recipe calls for: 2 cups scalded milk, 3 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 yeast cake dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water, approximately 5.5 cups of flour. The directions have you add the butter, sugar, and salt to the hot milk; add dissolved yeast when liquid is lukewarm; beat in 3 cups of flour, cover and let rise until "light." Punch down and add 2.5 cups of flour to make kneadable dough. Let rise again; punch down dough on a slightly floured surface. Cut and shape rolls and let proof rise. Bake in hot oven, 12 to 15 minutes.
Look in book shops that sell used books (you can search online sources too) and local antique shops. You will find lots of old cookbooks and they are not too expensive. Some may need a good airing out! Don't overlook the many fundraiser cookbooks published by churches and schools…you may find exactly what you are looking for. Happy baking!
i have the Farm Journal Baking Book lurking around here somewhere, just not finding it at the moment. It's full of family recipes, many State Fair winners, and I thought I'd take a look in there for you. I think Embth has a good idea with the fundraiser cookbooks As well. I'm sure you are right that Grandma had the recipe memorized; my own Hungarian Grandma tried to teach me retés (strudel) by feel!
Were the rolls free-standing cubes, or did she bake them side-by-side in a pan like dinner rolls?
Farm Journal published many good cookbooks. I have "Farm Journal's Homemade Breads" as well…. it's likely available on Amazon.com Many dinner rolls were made with "potato water" (saved after boiling potatoes), or mashed potatoes or both. Uncle Harley may want to try an old-fashioned potato bread recipe or two in his quest.
Did you learn to make the strudel? How old were you at lesson time?
when Uncle H. mentioned the texture of the bread. I often save potato water for bread...even took home the potato water from my sister's house at Thanksgiving!
About strudel: I did eventually chase Nagymama (Grandma) around the dining room table with a measuring cup until I could get her to measure what "just right" meant! She start teaching me when I was about 6, but I really got into baking around 13. Other kids would play sports or hang at the mall on weekends; I baked bread and listened to Bach. What a misfit!
I have been making bread (cookies, cupcakes, etc) with my young granddaughters. The "almost 5" is catching on to a couple of the bread making steps. I keep it fun and if they wander off, that is OK. The jobs they are most enthusiastic about are frosting cakes (although much of frosting goes directly into the kids) and putting "sprinkles" on top. It is fun to hear that you are still an avid baker….your Grandmother would be very pleased!
live? That might make a difference in her choice of flour.