Today my guest is Ann Roth, who shares her mom’s recipe for what is possibly the ultimate comfort food: homemade white bread.
I love to cook, and many of my novels feature heroines who love to cook, or who wish they could master the skill. I wasn’t always interested in cooking, in fact, never thought about it. Until I was sixteen. That year, during summer vacation, my mom decided I should learn to cook. She taught me to make two delectable dishes—fried chicken and homemade yeast white bread. These days, my family prefers unfried fried chicken to the greasy, fried stuff… but that’s a recipe for another time.
The bread recipe Mom shared with me is perfect for a novice bread maker. It requires limited kneading, yet rises tall, with a wonderful texture and sweet taste. It goes well with stews and soups, or toasted with butter and jam or honey, or with melted cheese on top. (I am making myself salivate…)
The same recipe also makes light, delectable rolls. Friends and family alike love them, and every Thanksgiving I serve them to rave reviews.
My mother is gone now, but I remember her later years, when instead of making the rolls, she sat on a stool, directing the cooking.
Here is her recipe.
Mom’s bread and yeast rolls
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 heaping Tbs. Crisco
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2 packages yeast
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 7 – 7 1/2 cups unbleached flour
In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt and Crisco. Add 1/2 cup boiling water and stir to dissolve Crisco. Set aside to cool.
While mixture cools, in a small bowl combine the yeast with 1/2 cup lukewarm water; stir to dissolve. When Crisco mixture has cooled to tepid, add yeast, 2 beaten eggs and 7 cups flour. No need to knead this right now, just mix with a big spoon (will be very gooey). I like to use a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth, set in a warmish place, and let rise for 2 hours.
For bread:
Turn onto floured surface. Knead three times. First though, remove rings and other jewelry, as the dough is sticky, and your hands will be a mess. Divide in half, roll into balls and place each ball into a greased bread pan. Cover with a damp cloth, set in a warmish place, and let rise for I hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Use a dinner knife to carefully loosen the bread from the pan. Slide onto cooling rack to finish cooling. Delicious warm or at room temperature.
For rolls:
Flour a surface, turn out dough and roll to 1/’2 inch thick. Don’t overhandle, or the dough will be tough. Cut out rolls. I use a round cookie cutter, but a floured glass will do. Use a dinner knife to crease each roll, then fold over and pinch the edges together. Set on greased cookie sheets. Cover with a damp cloth, set in a warmish place, Let rise 1 hour. Bake at 425 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, until golden brown.
Leftover rolls or bread may be wrapped and frozen, but I doubt you’ll have leftovers for long.
For more recipes and a list of my books, visit my website at ann@annroth.net.
Ann,
Thanks so much for being my guest today! (Do you think this recipe could be adapted for a bread machine?)
Hi, Rosemary-
Thanks for having me!
I don’t think this recipe is a good candidate for a bread machine, as it needs minimal kneading. It really is easy to make.
Your bread recipe sounds delicious. What a wonderful gift your mother gave you. I’m looking forward to your unfried fried chicken recipe, too. And now I must go eat something!
Hi, Lorrie-
We’ll save the chicken recipe for another time.
Let me know if you try the rolls/bread, and how you like it.
I love this recipe for its simplicity….also never underestimate the power of crisco in baking…to our modern views it seems strange but it makes a lot of baked items better.
John, you will love this recipe! In fact, you have tasted those rolls on Thanksgiving.
The Crisco is probably what makes the bread so fluffy. It sounds great for special occasions. I can sense the bond between you and your mom in your words. What a great memory for you!
Thanks, Sylvie. My mother was a terrific cook.
yum, mom! thank you for sharing!! xoxoxo
You are welcome, Katie!!
Wow, Ann! Mom always loved you more!!!! just kidding….many memories of that bread! Great to see you on this site!
Love,
Sis
Thanks, Dana. It’s great to be here.
I’ll bet your house smells amazing by the time it’s done…
Oh, Sarah, it does! Which reminds me of a cool tip. If you ever want company (or prospective buyers, if you’re trying to sell your place) to love your house and feel at home, bake bread before they’re due to arrive.
Hello Rosemary and Ann: Sorry I am late responding. Just got my “sea” legs back after a week-long mishap with the comuter … Yikes.
Ann, your stories must blend the ingredients of memory, love and sweetness because your story of your mom and this recipe certainly does !! Reminded me of watching my mom kneading her dough for pasta or bread or whatever. She said it made her strong.
I can’t wait to “taste” your mom’s bread and the stories you bake
I thought you ran into a wild “commuter”! (That ride to work is murder, ain’t it?)
Ooops … that is the “computer” See I am not back all the way
Thank you, Florence! I hope you enjoy the bread/rolls and my stories.
Ann, thanks again for being my guest, and good luck with your release!
You are most welcome, Rosemary. I had a great time!