Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Follow the recipe - Grandma's Buns

 
For as long as I can remember, my mom always made homemade yeast rolls for every holiday. She would make two separate batches because she thought that doubling the recipe didn't work as well, and she would fuss and fret the entire time - hoping the dough would rise. It always did, and her rolls were perfect every time.
 
My mom made it look so easy, and in my mind I always knew that as long as she was alive I would never be responsible for bread on a holiday. Well, the baton has been passed and now I find myself fussing and fretting over bread dough.
 

I made Mom's bread dough recipe {also known by her grandkids as "Grandma's Buns"} for Thanksgiving and they didn't turn out so well. I didn't really fret about the dough rising - I'd learned long ago that it always does. But I did the unthinkable and changed the recipe just a little. It seems like a lot of the older recipes that my mom passed down call for shortening and I just don't care to use that. So, I substituted melted butter for the melted shortening and the result was less than desirable. Hm - I thought butter made everything better! :o\


The bread just didn't have the same soft texture that it did when made with my mom's hands, and I really hated to just throw all those rolls into the trash. So I used some last weekend to make some breakfast casseroles using the rolls as my base. They were delicious!


I crumbled one roll into the bottom of a greased ramekin and topped it with a well beaten egg plus a little milk/salt/pepper, a piece of crumbled bacon, and some grated cheddar cheese. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes until the egg is set and oh my yummy! These were really good.


I know my mom would have shaken her head and made that little tsk-tsk sound when I came up with the idea of using melted butter instead of shortening in this tried and true recipe. But, I also know that she would be impressed with my resourcefulness in using some of the rejected rolls in a breakfast dish. And! I froze the rest and have plans for a bread pudding so there will be no waste.
 
And when I make these rolls at Christmas time?
Melted shortening.

10 comments:

alexa said...

That's a very creative use of the rolls you weren't so happy with, and they look just lovely! I have just jotted down your 'recipe' and will give these a go. We often have bread or rolls here which need using, and there are only so many breadcrumbs you can freeze±

Jo said...

The first thing that came to my mind when reading this is Mother knows best! Breakfast looks good x

debs14 said...

We have a saying here 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'!
I wonder if your mum ever tried alternatives? My Mum's pastry was always so much better than mine ever is and I swear it's because she used shortening in hers!
I know she'd approve of you finding ways to use up the leftovers. And very delicious they look too!

Susi said...

I also thought Mother Knows Best! Looks tasty! And I'm sure that Bread Pudding is going to be also!

Ruth said...

Mums really do know best! Your breakfast rolls look delicious ... if only I liked egg!

Karen said...

I want one of these RIGHT NOW! They look delicious, and I'm hungry.

Maria Ontiveros said...

Now those look dangerous to eat for a different reason . . . LOL!
So sorry you spoon post went a little south on you. You could still use the spoons in a Christmas display.
Rinda

Amy said...

Oh, the kids would LOVE these! What an excellent idea :)

Just saw about the spoons too - why not turn them into some sort of decoration - they look so cute, too good to waste!

scrappyjacky said...

I'll definately be trying these,Deb....they look and sound delicious.
I have a sneaky suspicion that my mum's pastry was better than mine because she used shortening.
A spoon decoration would be a very good thing.

Sian said...

They do look really good - and I have just noticed that my word verification is going to be "comforts" which couldn't be better as what I'm going to say about the spoons is this - it's the reaction that matters when something like this happens, and you have shown your mettle. You have demonstrated that you are willing to fix things and a trustworthy blogger will always be popular and well loved. Good job.

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