The Secret of Hot Rolls

I remember as a little boy that Mother made almost all of our bread.  Not only biscuits at breakfast and rolls at supper, but hamburger buns and bread for slicing as well.  I just took it for granted.   In fact, Bruce and I were excited when we went out somewhere and they served factory fresh sliced white bread.  We failed to realize that our family did not have money to spend on bread.  As time went on and things got better we started seeing loaves of Wonder bread show up from the store.  You know the “Wonder bread for those formative years that helps build strong bodies in 12 ways.”  We reminded dad ,”Don’t forget the bread Fred, Don’t forget the Bread!”  It wasn’t until years later I longed for homemade bread of any kind and realized how special it was.  Mother started limiting her bread making to special occasions and hot rolls.  She was working outside the home and just did not have time to spend making bread. 

Her hot rolls are still famous and scrumptious today and people have been trying to figure out why for years.  People copy down her recipe with great care but the rolls are not the same.  I know granddaughters have stood by her side hoping to catch her putting in a secret ingredient that was not in the written recipe.  Still the end result, while very good, did not quite taste the same.  I am certain others have watched those James girls measure, mix, knead and prepare thinking, “this time I have it!” only to be a little let down that when they did it, somehow it just was not like Mom’s   Will the secret of the hot rolls be lost when the James girls are gone?  I think not, read on.  Hold on Cuz!  Because after over fifty years I think I have learned the secret of the hot rolls!  Yipee!   Mother (Hazel) told a story New Year’s Eve that gave it away.  

Most of you know that Grandpa Dewey drove the school bus.  It made sense.  After all a large part of the school population lived right here on the mountain.  Why, the bus was half full when he left the driveway.  In addition to driving for school, he also drove for extracurricular activities like ball games.  So, when there was an away game, he drove team, equipment, spectators, and of course all the James kids to the game.  When the game was over he drove them all back home.  Those  James kids who were the first ones on that bus early this morning… they are now the last ones to come dragging off the bus very late that night.  Mother reminded me that there were no McDonalds on the road and there was not a concession stand at the game.  They were all tired and hungry and would have to get up even more early in the morning to catch up on some chores that had gone undone because of the game.  Mother says one of her best memories is getting off that bus and starting in to the house and smelling hot rolls.  Grandma Velma would stay home and make hot rolls for them to enjoy when they got home.

Grandma did not go to the game.  She stayed home and worked all day to prepare that special treat.  She did not have yeast.  She kept a stone crock in the kitchen with sour dough.  They added stuff to that crock regularly and kept the live sour dough for such special occasions.  They did not have hot rolls on a regular basis.  All the time and work that went in to making hot rolls was reserved for a special treat like her children coming home late, tired and hungry.

Now, I know what the secret ingredient is.  It is a mother’s love.  The love that makes her stay home while everyone else goes to the game.  The love that causes her to get up in the middle of the night two or three times to see if it is time to knead the dough again.  The love that makes her willing to give up any pleasure for even the smallest benefit for her children.  Thank you, Mother.

So, there you have it.  Just keep adding that love in to all that you do.  Your kids may be like me and it takes them fifty years to figure it out, but someday they will discover the secret that makes your hot rolls so special.
And that's the way I heard it on the mountain,
Tony Peoples