Oma's dinner rolls

Many of today's cookbooks and cooking shows are popular because of their hand-holding instructions regarding what the internal temperature should be, how thick to slice or what the consistency should look like. I love Cook's Illustrated (and their various spin-offs) for that very reason. Plus, they tell you the "why" behind everything you're doing, and that can help with other recipes. Sometimes, though, I come across recipes that are so wordy and detailed that I easily lose my place and get bogged down by the verbosity.

But I know I've found myself a good old-fashioned recipe when I read short phrases like "roll like jelly roll" or "bake until done." That's what I got with Oma's recipe for dinner rolls, so I had to call my mom just to go over the game plan, lest I ruin my one contribution to the family Thanksgiving feast. Mom assured me that it's pretty hard to mess these up.

The more I thought about these simple old recipes, the more I realized what they said about the times. These recipes were written for seasoned home cooks and bakers who were familiar with their ovens and didn't need time tables or thermometers. Cooking and baking were part of a daily routine. I also thought about children in the kitchen and the things they would just learn from their parents, things that were never spelled out in recipes. I know my own mom learned a lot that way, too. And then I was thinking how my dad has asked me, "Where did you become such a good cook?" and, after crediting my mother with inspiring me, of course, I've said, "I just follow the recipe," and how my answer could still astonish him, perhaps because he doesn't know how explicit recipes have become in recent years. Perhaps he figures the recipes I read are like the one I'm about to share with you, from the old family cookbook.

Oma's Dinner Rolls
(with my notes in parentheses)

Preheat oven to 375

1 c milk (I used 2%)
1/2 c Crisco
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c sugar
1 c warm water
2 tsp yeast
5 1/2 cups of flour (though I didn't use quite this much, and my mom never does, either)

Bring milk to boil; dissolve Crisco, add salt and sugar; add warm water and yeast; add flour (I started with 3 1/2 and worked my way up). Stir well, refrigerate (put sprinkle of flour on top and cover). (I chilled it overnight.)

Make 3 balls. Roll; spread with melted butter (rolled out to 7"x12-13" rectangle). Roll like jelly roll (length-wise). Cut and put in muffin pan. (Each ball should make 8 individual rolls, though I got a few extra.) Bake until done (started checking at 10 minutes, took them out when they were turning golden).