Refrigerator Rolls

Posted by Donna:

I love homemade bread. It took me two or three years to learn how to make homemade rolls. I always watched Mother make them and it looked simple to me---that is until I started making them myself. Some things, like bread, take lots of practice---learning what consistency the dough should feel like, how long to knead it, and the right amount of time for it to rise. It takes more than just following the recipe at times. This is my mother's recipe, and they're definitely a real "comfort" food. Hope you enjoy them as well.

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter flavored crisco
2 cups milk
1 cup water

Bring these four ingredients to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Cool to lukewarm. After the mixture has cooled down, dissolve 2 pkg. of yeast in 1/2 cup cool water. Make sure the yeast is completely dissolved. Do this in a large bowl. Then, pour the lukewarm mixture ino the bowl with the yeast. Mix very well. Add 3 cups sifted self-rising flour and mix well. Cover with a paper towel and let rise until it has doubled in size. I have a particular bowl I use for this. I have put marks on the bowl with a magic marker, just so I'll know when it has doubled. This usually takes about 1 1/2 hours or a little longer at my house. It may vary at your home. Just make sure it has doubled in size. After it has doubled in size, stir down the dough with a spoon. Sift together 5 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/8 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. baking powder. Add this dry mixture to the dough and mix well. Again, cover with a paper towel. This time, you just have to let it rise 45 minutes. Then, put the dough on a floured board or wax paper sprinkled with flour. Knead for 2 minutes; then roll out for rolls. I probably roll mine to about a 1/2 inch thick. One word of caution---- you know how bread shrinks back up when you roll it out. You can divide your dough into two balls and that helps that problem some. With practice, you learn how thick you want your dough to be. Cut your rolls out with a biscuit cutter. Place in greased pans. Let rise until they have doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees until brown---around 10 minutes.

I always make my rolls several days before I need them. After I put them in greased pans, I don't let them rise, but cover them with foil--several layers----and freeze them. On the day I want to bake them, I take them out and let them rise for 5 or 6 hours. This recipe makes anywhere from 32 - 40 rolls. It all depends on how thick you make your dough when rolling it out.

I realize rolls take a lot of work; but, they are definitely worth it. There are just those things that are worth doing for your family. Remember, you're making memories with these rolls!!!!! Sweet, sweet, memories!!!!

By the way, don't ask me why Mother named these refrigerator rolls because I don't know. They're just homemade rolls; but, when she passed this recipe on to me, she called them refrigerator rolls. I've just stuck with that name. It's just another one of those special things you do just because your mother did.