My Grandma’s Roll Recipe {and KitchenAid Giveaway!}

We are teaming up with Just Ask (an initiative to encourage people to assess their personal and family history for risks of ovarian or breast cancer) and TodaysMama to share a recipe, spark a conversation about your health history, and win a fun prize!! 

Have you noticed that the kitchen seems to be the gathering place in your home? I think of hanging out, talking and laughing and sharing delicious goodies, and creating happy memories  with my family and friends there. Do you have memories like that? Just Ask is reminding us to not let the conversation stop at cookies, but to just ask about your family genetic history. Finding out if your family has a history of ovarian or breast cancer with Just Ask gives you a chance to manage your future.

We inherit lots of things from our families like our genes (and I have inherited special things such as snorting when I laugh!), but we also inherit things like traditions and recipes. So as part of a blog tour with TodaysMama we have been asked to share a favorite recipe we inherited from our family–I am sharing my grandma’s delicious rolls!

These rolls have been passed down from my grandma, to my mom, and to me! They’ve been a favorite at family meals (my husband can put away half a dozen of these in mere minutes) and holidays for as long as I can remember and they always make me think of these two women I love and admire so much. I had so much fun talking with them about the recipe, taking photos and listening to their tips and tricks and the fond memories associated with these rolls. I’m excited to one day teach my daughters how to make them and I’m happy to share them with you today!

 Grandma’s Potato Refrigerator Rolls

2 1/2 tsp SAF-instant yeast

2/3 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup mashed potatoes (instant, prepared according to package instructions)

1 cup scalded milk (heat milk on stove until tiny bubbles appear on edges but do not boil; pour in separate bowl to cool down a little before adding it to the mixture)

2 eggs, well beaten

1 1/2 tsp salt

4-5 cups flour (we use Gold Medal Wondra quick-mixing flour–it’s lighter and works so well with this recipe)

1 cube melted better

1. Combine oil, sugar, and mashed potatoes in mixer.
2. Add yeast and mix together.
3. Add milk, eggs, salt, and 2 cups flour to mixer. Beat thoroughly.
4. Gradually add 3 cups of additional flour, enough to make a dough. Mix for about 10 minutes.
5. If you’re using a mixer, you can let your mixer knead it for you. Otherwise, after mixing for 5-7 minutes you can dump out the dough and knead it by hand for 5 minutes.
6. Form dough into a ball, put it into a bowl sprayed with Pam and cover with a towel. Let rise 1 hour.
7. Punch down the dough and refrigerate until ready to roll out (can be 30 minutes or even overnight).

As the recipe mentions, my mom and grandma use Wondra flour, it makes a difference! (We are not affiliated in any way with Wondra, but my mom really buys it in cases!) Sprinkle the flour on the counter surface and take the dough out of the bowl.

Each batch makes 3 dozen rolls. Divide the dough into 3 equal balls (each ball will make 12 rolls). You can weigh them on a kitchen scale to make sure they are evenly divided.

To roll out the dough, take one dough ball and pat it down a little bit. Take your rolling pin and start rolling out from the center of the dough. You’ll want to create a circle that is about 1/4 thick and maybe 1 1/2 feet in diameter (but it really doesn’t have to be perfect).

Take some melted butter and spread it all over the dough. My mom likes to cut the dough into triangles with a pizza cutter, it makes it so easy! Just like you’re cutting a pizza. Cut into 12 triangles. Then you start rolling the triangles into crescent shaped rolls.

Roll the triangles by starting on the wide end, rolling away from you towards the pointy end of the triangle, keeping it tight as you roll it up. Make sure the little “flap” is tucked under. Then bend the ends into a crescent shape.

Place the rolls on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat the process with the other 2 dough balls. Let all of the rolls rise for about 2 hours.

Bake at 380 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Baking time will vary with different ovens so be sure to keep an eye on them! Believe me, I speak from experience! It’s pretty much a family joke now because my grandma, my mom and I ALL have burnt the second batch so many times! That must be genetic too. 😉

Brush the tops of the hot rolls with melted butter and serve with butter and jam! My husband practically inhales these, they are SO GOOD.

 I’m so glad these rolls are in their 3rd generation in our family! We love these rolls and had so much fun making them together for Thanksgiving this year!

We want to help you create warm memories in YOUR kitchen with your loved ones, so thanks to Just Ask and TodaysMama.com we are giving away a KitchenAid 5-Qt Artisan Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer to a lucky reader! You can use it to make my grandma’s rolls! 🙂

To see the ways you can enter to win the giveaway, click on this link to get to our special Facebook giveaway entry form. Make sure to take the quick quiz at the end to check your hereditary risks for breast and ovarian cancer and gain another entry in the giveaway.

Giveaway ends 12/13/2012 at 11:59 MST. The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be notified via email on 12/14/2012. The winner must respond by 12/15/12 so we can get the prize shipped out in time for Christmas! 🙂

Remember, you must enter the contest by completing the steps on our Facebook Tab (liking our Facebook page, signing up with your email, sharing the giveaway on your Facebook page, liking Just Ask, and taking the quiz.) Commenting on this post is not an entry. Good luck!