Fleischmann's Yeast Hour

There are certain types of music I prefer to listen to while working in the kitchen, specifically when it comes to baking. You may not believe me, but I'm perfectly willing to swear that I get better results when I surround myself in as much sweetness as possible. For instance, folding chocolate chips into dough requires a voice that's sweet and smooth, even a little smoky, like Jo Stafford, or a wistful clarinet solo like the ones you'll get from Benny Goodman. Listening to the old stuff also reminds me that it's good to take my time and to put a little extra care and tenderness into the process. I start thinking of old kitchens and the ladies who wore curlers and flour-dusted chiffon aprons and listened to their radios and didn't think about calories.

It's especially true when I play the Mills Brothers. Three- and four-part harmony, and lyrics about lazy rivers and rockin' chairs are the perfect companions to my Sunday morning baking, and during the hours of waiting for dough to rise. And apparently more appropriate than I realized, since I just learned from Wikipedia that they used to costar with Rudy Vallee on a radio show called the Fleischmann's Yeast Hour. What a name.

Then the aromas begin to waft from the oven into the room where I'm lounging like a grandma, prompting me to put down my knitting needles and check on these little puppies.

(Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Glaze, rather than the cream cheese frosting it calls for)