The Rolls

These are the melt-in-your-mouth rolls that inspired us all. They are irresistibly buttery, uncontrollably fluffy, and absolutely delicious.

Warning: No other roll will taste good to you ever again.

without further ado:

Grandma's Rolls
Make about 50 rolls
Takes about 1.5 hr

Note: this recipe is recorded by me taking notes while watching the Pro.


Get out
3 eggs, so they can get to room temperature. Then, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Heat together in the microwave for 2 minutes:
3 c milk
1/3 c shortening
1/3 c sugar
until warm through. Be sure it's not too hot for the yeast by sticking your hand in and touching the bottom. If you're nearly getting burned, it's too hot.

Put about
2 c flour
2 t salt
2 T active dry yeast
in the mixer, add warm milk mix, and mix on med-low until combined.
Add 1 egg at a time, until all three are mixed in.
Mix on med-low for 1 min.
Add flour, 1 c at a time until dough looks like thick pancake batter (less than 4 c)
Add flour and mix with wooden spoon until still really sticky. Let the dough rest for 10 min.
Meanwhile put about
3 c flour
on a pastry cloth.

Once dough has rested for 10 minutes, pour it out onto the floured pastry cloth.

And fold until doesn't stick to hands, but it will still be barely sticky.

Do not add too much flour!

Let the dough rest 10 min covered by the pastry cloth.

Grease 2 jellyroll pans with Crisco.


Melt a cube of butter in a shallow dish.

Once the dough is done resting

"Crisco" your hands. (If my grandma says it's a verb, it's a verb!)

Pinch off dough a little larger than golf ball size.

Roll to push air out and flatten.

Dip one side in butter,

wipe butter on the top of the previous roll and fold butter to inside. Press edges.

Lay rolls 5x5 on your jelly roll pans.
(Note, John, Audra and I helped, so these rolls are not as uniform as when Grandma does it herself. Also, she always gets exactly 50 rolls.)

Rise covered, until doubled in size (20-30 min).

My grandma cleans her pastry mat like this

Now we wait

Bake at 350, 15-20 min
Endulge!