My Aunt Rose's rolls

[TEX]

3/4 cup milk
1/2 c shortning
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 pkgs yeast
1/2 c warm water
4 1/4 to 4 3/4 flour

Scald mild
add shortening, sugar and salt; cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in water. Add 1 1/2 c flour to milk mixture, beat well at low speed 1 minute. Add eggs and yeast. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth, satiny and no longer sticky, 5 to 8 minutes. Place in lightly greased bowl, invert to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and turn onto board. Shape as desired into rolls. Brush top lightly with melted butter, let rise until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes. Bake in moderate oven (375) 12 to 15 minutes or until brown.

And the greatest thing about this recipe - after it has risen the first time - you can freeze the dough. Mother told me that Aunt Rose sometimes froze the dough so the last time I made this I froze half of the dough - it sat in the freezer about a month until yesterday - I took the zip loc full of dough out - sat it on the stove (gas with pilot lights) and just walked away - an hour or so later it was warm and rising. When it was about doubled I made rolls and proceeded as in the first instructions - they were wonderful.

[pcrowder]

Ok, I have a question -- for years and years I've been reading on different recipes how you should scald the milk and then let it cool to lukewarm. Does anyone know WHY you have to do that? Is it to get the butter or shortening to melt?? I've always been curious, as alot of times I use butter in the recipes instead of shortening, and my butter is at room temperature to begin with.

Thanks!
Pat

[TEX]

Ok, I have a question -- for years and years I've been reading on different recipes how you should scald the milk and then let it cool to lukewarm. Does anyone know WHY you have to do that? Is it to get the butter or shortening to melt?? I've always been curious, as alot of times I use butter in the recipes instead of shortening, and my butter is at room temperature to begin with.

Thanks!
Pat


I have wondered the same myself - mind you - when I make this recipie I just heat the milk in the micro enough to melt the butter - it works just as well. What I suspect is that before milk was pasturized it had bacteria that would either hurt the yeast or really multiply because of the milk and yeast so my guess is that scalding was to get rid of any bad things. - just a guess though

[pcrowder]

Hmmm hadn't considered the bacteria angle. Tex - I do the same with the microwave to melt it - and sometimes, if I'm out of shortening in the kitchen and my knees hurt too much to go down to the basement just for that, I'll even use cooking oil -- changes the texture a little, but nothing too bad. I end up just adding a little more flour.

[Grizzy]

This might help some.. if not we'll keep looking :)

http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/scald

~Grizzy~

[King Hugh]

Thanks for the recipe Tex, can't wait to try it.

2 Questions though...I bought my yeast in 1 pound packages...this recipe doesn't really call for 2 pounds of yeast does it?

And, is there any reason you can think of that this wouldn't work in a bread machine on the dough setting? I'll pull it out to rise, shape & bake...but for the mixing and kneading the machine would be nice.

I'm not lazy....just frugal with my exertion....:sarcastic:

Thanks;
D

[Mom5farmboys]

I have wondered the same myself - mind you - when I make this recipie I just heat the milk in the micro enough to melt the butter - it works just as well. What I suspect is that before milk was pasturized it had bacteria that would either hurt the yeast or really multiply because of the milk and yeast so my guess is that scalding was to get rid of any bad things. - just a guess though

I have to agree with the germ theory too, I'm guessing they boiled it to pasturize it. I always melt my butter and then add the milk usually its just perfectly lukewarm when I do it that way.

[Gracie]

Hi Hugh,

Its not 2 pounds, but 2 packages. And on the bread machine, sorry, but have never used one, but don't know what it would hurt to give it a try. Should you use the machine and you like the way it turns out, if you'd post your results, it might well be a time saver for others using the recipe.

Hope this helps,

Gracie

[TEX]

Hugh, I think this recipe is pretty fool proof - I mix it up in my Kitchen Aide Mixer

And here is a conversion chart for figuring out home much yeast to use - lol - I buy the Giant packages of yeast also.

http://www.theartisan.net/convert_yeast_two.htm

Also another link about bread making - it answers some questions like how much yeast in a package and converting bread maching recipies to use by hand or vise versa

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Baking-Questions-Bread-and-Yeast/Detail.aspx

[Anon001]

What I had read awhile back.....

Fresh raw milk was scalded, not to kill bacteria, but to kill enzymes that would kill the yeast. With store bought milk the enzymes are absent so it doesn't have to be scalded. People at home using fresh raw milk were not concerned with the bacteria in the milk. A fridge has more bacteria in it than a gallon of milk has.

Scalding and pasteurizing are not the same.

If you have a recipe with scalded milk, it is an old recipe.

Paul

[TEX]

Paul, on thinking about this I am sure it is a very old recipe. Aunt Rose will be 70 soon and she learned from all the old ladies in the county. Old or new - it's still good and I will still scald the milk.

[Anon001]

Tex, it seems (in my experience) that the older recipes are always the best.

Paul

[King Hugh]

Thanks Tex....and forgive me for being thick....I just want to make sure I've got this right...so the 2 packages of yeast that your recipe calls for is equal to 5 teaspoons of yeast from a bulk package?

How many teaspoons are in a small package of active dry yeast?
There are 2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast in a .25 ounce packet.

Hugh, I think this recipe is pretty fool proof - I mix it up in my Kitchen Aide Mixer

And here is a conversion chart for figuring out home much yeast to use - lol - I buy the Giant packages of yeast also.

http://www.theartisan.net/convert_yeast_two.htm

Also another link about bread making - it answers some questions like how much yeast in a package and converting bread maching recipies to use by hand or vise versa

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Baking-Questions-Bread-and-Yeast/Detail.aspx

[TEX]

Hugh I just made it and I used 2 Tablespoons and it worked perfectly.

[King Hugh]

Fabulous....Thanks again for sharing Tex. I'm a bread / roll guy....can't wait to try them out!!