Great-Grandma Hiatt's Rolls

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(Parkerhouse Method)

I was about to write that these are my mom's rolls, but then I remembered that the recipe I have is written in a recipe binder my Grandma gave me (my mom's mom) and in it, it says "My Mother's Rolls". I love these rolls! I also think it's neat that I learned to make them from my mom, and she learned from hers, and so on. I'll be sure to pass these on to my children too. They are fluffy, flavorful, and amazing. I think of the movie "Julie and Julia" when I make and eat these, because I believe what makes them so amazing is an abundance of a certain lovely ingredient: BUTTER. Mmmm. They are buttery and amazing. It may take some time to get the hang of roll-making if you haven't done it before, but it is worth the time and effort. I made these on Christmas Eve at my in-law's and I made them again yesterday, and I'm happy to say that I have now mastered them. I'll try to include lots of tips. By the way, at Christmas I used my mother-in-law's KitchenAid and yesterday I used my Bosch. Both were equally delicious.

(Method 2 for rolling out)

For me, these tend to take about 3 1/2 hours from start to finish (with all the rising times and baking time).

Great Grandma Hiatt's Rolls

2 1/2 T. yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1 T. sugar
2 c. milk
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, melted
5-7 cups flour
1/2 c. sugar
4 tsp. salt
1/2 cube butter, melted - for rolling out

Combine yeast, warm water, and T. sugar in your mixer. Let sit until yeast begins to puff (about 5-10 minutes). Melt cube of butter and combine with the milk. Add to the yeast mixture and combine. Add 2-3 cups flour until about the consistency of pancake batter (or slightly thicker than cake batter). Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.

Add the 1/2 c. sugar, salt and flour about a cup at a time. Knead and continue adding flour until a soft dough forms and it clears the side of the bowl. Don't add too much. Dough should be sticky and soft. Knead for about 8-10 minutes.

Put in a bowl and cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Roll out dough or form into balls for rolls:

There are 2 ways I like to make these rolls. Method 1 (Parkerhouse, above): Melt the 1/2 cube of butter. Take dough out and separate into two pieces (I find it easiest to roll the dough out half at a time). Flour a board or your counter and, with a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Use a large circle cookie-cutter or the lid of a wide-mouthed jar (that's what I use) and cut out circles from the dough. Dip each piece into the butter and fold in half (I think they call these "parker house rolls") and put on a dark-bottomed cookie sheet. It will brown much better than aluminum or glass. Place rolls right next to each other on the cookie sheet. Continue until all the dough is used. I am able to fit all the rolls on 1 large cookie sheet (or, technically, a jelly roll pan) when I make these (with no space in between). 

Method 2 (below): Divide dough into 3-4 even pieces. Roll each into a circle. Slice like a pizza/pie (your desired size) and roll up wide end first and place on the baking sheet. These rolls should not touch each other, allow enough space for them to double in size. Continue with the rest of the dough.

Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown on the top. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with butter.

Rising times may vary depending on the weather and the temperature of your house. If you're making these for the first time, allow plenty of time and watch them often. They may take a long time or they may rise really quickly.