School Folk Dinner Roll and Pastry Dough Recipe

This recipe is a great introduction into bread and pastry making. An amazing all purpose dough recipe using commercial yeast, flour, milk, eggs, sugar, butter, and salt. The milk, butter, and sugar leave you with a very soft, lightly sweet yeast roll that is exceptionally versatile.

I have used this dough endlessly for dinner rolls, hoagie rolls, sausage rolls, mini bread loaves, regular-sized bread loaves, cinnamon rolls, danishes, hamburger buns, focaccia, etc. 

I came about this recipe in such a peculiar manner.

I was looking for another bread recipe to explore on Pinterest when I saw this meme-like recipe with a photo of a woman, with a proud smile, holding a beautiful cookie sheet of yeast rolls—these looked like the type of yeast rolls you get around here at a Texas bbq joint, if you’re familiar with southern yeast rolls. 

This meme-looking photo didn’t have link to a website or anything.

This white graphic had the woman’s photo, a list of ingredients, a simple paragraph of directions, and was titled “Recipe for Hot Rolls (from school food service 1968-1990)” and there was nearly 100 comments raving below this single photo.

I wasn’t looking for a spiritual or magical recipe, but this recipe hit a soft spot for me spiritually and emotionally.

The synchronistic part is before the sanctuary, I had a former life of a teacher. My history in education is—peculiar to say the least: I graduated high school at the age of 16, but began working as a volunteer aid with the Lifeskill Special Ed department when I was just 15-years-old;

I then worked in this position on and off until I was 18; I began substitute teaching while going to school for my undergraduate degree in education; I then subbed until I got a kindergarten classroom position (my dream job at this time) the fall after Graduating from undergrad.

My mother was a teacher and is now a school counselor. I say all of this because the folks who nurture children in our education system are held near and dear to my heart.

There are obviously issues with the public education system, the history behind it, current standards, etc. However, the individuals that I’ve worked with over the years were lovely caring folk. I spent so much time in these spaces with these individuals that they became my folk. 

This recipe signifies and honors a chapter of my life. A chapter of those folks lives as well.

But I wasn’t thinking about that when I found this recipe. I found the recipe, everyone raved about it, I fell in love with making it, and then it grew into a magically spiritual recipe for me. 

So, part of this recipe is the deep ancestral work of doing it out of love, honor, acknowledgment, and gratitude for the wholesome folk within our education system—an homage to those folk ancestors within my life. 

The other part is the practical magic aspect of giving myself and my family magically infused food to nourish their inner mind, bodies, and spirits. 

I have left you the recipe below, with the magical associations I’ve personally used for this recipe throughout my exploration. Feel free to use your own, use mine, or none at all.

Engaging the magical associations call upon each ingredient spirit and its property:

• when you are prepping your recipe

• while you add it to the mixing bowl

• at the end of baking

Nourishing School Folk Hot Rolls Recipe & Magical Associations

• 3c AP Flour - Heart Opening, Abundance, Fertility

• 1TBSP, or 7g (1 package) of Yeast - Vitality/Growth

• 1/4 c Melted Butter - Nourishing

• 1c Warm Milk (~110 degrees) - Nourishing

• 1 Eggs - Nourishing , fertility, protective

• 1/4-1/2 c Sugar - Loving/Sweetness

• 1 tsp Salt - Protective

Hot Roll Making Process 

• Dissolve yeast in warm milk (in mixing bowl or a stand mixer bowl)

• Let stand until yeast dissolves

• Add 1 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp. salt

• Mix w/mixer until well co mbined

• Add melted butter and egg

• Mix well 

• Slowly add remaining flour

• Dough will be sticky, so flour or oil your hands based on preference. Knead dough until gluten begins to develop. You are starting to read the dough----look for the dough to start collecting off your hands and the bowl, merging into a nice smooth dough ball. Add tbsp of flour into dough if necessary. You still want the dough to be a little sticky, which will result in a more tender crust.

• Use the window pane test if new to baking yeast doughs

• Place dough into a bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Then cover the bowl with a towel. This will help keep more heat and mostuire in, promoting a better rise. Let dough double or tripled in size. Place on a warm spot in the house

• Pull dough out and press rolls into rectangle shape-

• Cut with a big knife into 8 or 12 rectangles or use a biscuit cutter (or the opening of a metal or plastic cup).

• Place into a buttered or lined baking tray. Place them farther apart to allow them to spread into sandiwch or burger buns. Place them close together for pull apart style rolls. Cover with thin towel.

• Let rolls rise double in size again for optimal success----at least 1 hour. Sometimes colder days or colder houses will take longer. Place on a warm spot in the house

• Bake for about 30 minutes (or until golden brown) in 350 oven

• Gently rub tops with butter as soon as they come out of the oven for the softest rolls

This recipe is near and dear to my family's heart—please use it and let me know what you think! Just remember to give your gratitude to the school folk that it came from, if that is your kind of thing :)