Countdown to Thanksgiving - What about making rolls in advance?

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving Day is just a few days away. Some people start cooking weeks in advance, some a few days in advance. Me? I always wait until Thanksgiving Day to do anything. Yes, it means some long hours in the kitchen, but I'm not into football and there really isn't much else on TV worth watching - maybe a Christmas movie later in the day, but by then I'm already done cooking. And since I've gone away from doing a turkey (nobody in my house really likes it), it doesn't require a lot of fore-thought.

But in case you are one of those people who like to start in advance, here are a couple of great dinner roll recipes that you mix, put in the fridge, form into rolls on Thanksgiving morning and let sit on the counter until you're ready to bake them, even if it isn't until evening! Enjoy!



Refrigerator Rolls - recipe is from my aunt Marie

Melt: 1/4 cup butter in large kettle
Add: 2½ cups water and 2 pkts yeast (if you buy bulk yeast, use 2 Tb.)
Add: 3/4 cup sugar, 2½ tsp. salt, 4 eggs, 7½ cups flour

Stir until mixed. Let rise in refrigerator until doubled. Stir down and shape into rolls while dough is still cold. (It will last 3-4 days in the fridge.) Can be used as donuts and sweet rolls, too!

Note: no baking instructions are listed, but when I've made these I bake them at at 350° for about 30 minutes. You can also bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes.


Potato Refrigerator Dough - recipe is one from Uncle David's family

Measure into mixing bowl 1½ cups warm water. Add and stir to dissolve 1 Tb. dry yeast. Stir in 2/3 cup sugar, 1½ tsp. salt, 2/3 cup shortening, 2 eggs, 1 cup lukewarm mashed potatoes*. Mix in 7 cups flour. Knead until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl. Cover with damp cloth. Place in refrigerator. About 2 hours before baking time, roll out and shape as desired. Use for dinner rolls, sweet rolls, or donuts.

Note: Again, no baking instructions listed, but works the same as the above recipe.


If you want to wait until nearly the last minute to start your rolls, here are a couple of recipes that are good to make on Thanksgiving day. The first recipe came from my grandma, who got it from one of the ladies she worked with at the school cafeteria in Mesa, AZ. Grandma loved working there! She loved the association with her coworkers, and she loved the students! Many of the kids I went to school with would comment that "the redhead" was their favorite lunch lady. I have to agree. She had to be to work early in the morning, which was great when my brother and I were on the early morning session of school (two schools using the same facilities, until another jr high was built and our school session started at 6am) because then we wouldn't have to walk. Not that we minded the 20 minute walk to school, in the dark, but getting a ride was always preferred! Grandma would swing by and pick us up at about 5:30 or so on her way to the high school. It was good bonding time for us in the those early morning hours.

Back to the recipes.


No-Knead Bread - from the school lunch ladies, particularly my red-headed grandma

Mix 1½ cups warm water and 1 Tb. yeast in a large bowl. Add 2 Tb. oil, 2 tsp. salt, 2 Tb. sugar, and 3 cups flour. Beat well with large spoon and cover. Let rise for 30 minutes. Beat batter and spread in greased loaf pan or spoon into greased muffin cups. Smooth top and shape with a floured hand. Let rise until ½ inch from the top of pan. Bake 45 minutes at 375 degrees.


Basic Bread - a recipe I've made since I was 8 years old.
Can be made with either white or wheat flour, or a combination. I've even used rye flour in the mix. Turns out great every time!

2 cups warm water (*Grandma always said "pee warm - and you know how warm that is!")
1 pkg. yeast (2 tsp.)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tb. salt
1/4 cup salad oil or 1/4 cup melted butter (I like the butter flavor)
5-1/3 cups flour

If you have a machine, put ingredients in and turn it on. Otherwise, just mix all ingredients, except flour, in a large bowl. Then add flour a cup and a time, stirring after each addition. When it becomes too hard to stir, turn out the dough on floured surface and knead. Dough should be soft and barely past the sticky stage. You'll know you've kneaded it long enough when the dough stretches easily, instead of breaking, when you pull a handful. Shape dough into balls (this recipe makes about 2 dozen rolls, so just judge how large you want them) or other desired shapes. Place in a greased cake pan (or cookie sheet or muffin tin, depending on what you want) and let rise until double in size. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Tomorrow I will post info on pies! Wednesday will be side dishes, including stuffing (some of you might call it dressing).