Elementary lunchroom rolls

At my elementary school, our rolls were wheat but just as good. I remember they’d also top them with honey and serve them warm as snacks.

Edit - sorry I didn’t contribute help

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sorry I didn’t contribute help

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That's alright.

I'm sure someone will give up the secret recipe

Those rolls aren’t difficult...they’re made with shortening and milk (aka dry milk solids or DMS in baker talk), and a bit of sugar. The shortening and milk give the characteristic soft, snowy, bouncy crumb. Recipes abound on the web, here’s one with photos: LINK

You need to roll dough into balls and place close enough together so they’ll touch as they rise and bake to ensure the classic browned tops and snowy sides.

If anyone can come up with the cinnamon roll recipe, I'll give you my firstborn.

Not that whole wheat shite, either. White refined flour, or no firstborn for you.

Nope. Firstborn's still up for grabs. I mean a cinnamon roll without marshmallows or mashed potatoes.



It's such a simple thing to make, yet my bread always comes out too stiff and tough and dry. I've tried different flours, not kneading as much, different fats, etc., and I just can't get it. I remember that stuff used to be almost moist and didn't have much gluten at all. I don't know what they did, if they had different flour, mixing techniques, fat source, yeast, methods, oven temps, times, etc. All I know is that when it was cinnamon roll day, everyone knew it getting off the bus and that day at school was just a little bit brighter.

I can't make a cinnamon roll like those lunchladies could to save my life. Of course, they had 40 years of experience on how to do it.

Made some Vienna Bread rolls the other week using Peter Reinhart's recipe.
Not exactly what you're looking for but they were good regardless

I'll give it a try.

Rhodes frozen dinner rolls are good
Have to have the time to let them rise, I put them in oven with the light on to help with time

know a teacher and you can probably get the hookup

sister is in education, we get that and the heavy duty cookware :)

This is a recipe for cafeteria rolls, but it goes back to school cafeterias in the 1930's and 1940's. Best approximation of my grandma's cafeteria rolls that she made every day. FYI -- my Grandma passed and left no recipes...my Mom and cousin tried to get as close as possible to some of the things that she cooked. This is her roll recipe from when she was the boss lunch lady.

INGREDIENTS
2 Cups milk, scalded
½ cup sugar
½ cup shortening
¼ cup warm water
1 pkg yeast
6 cup flour
2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix 2 cups milk, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup shortening & cool to lukewarm.
2. Mix ¼ cup warm water & yeast. Add to milk mixture.
3. Add about 6 cups of flour & 2 teaspoons of salt & mix.
4. Cover until mix doubles in size.
5. Punch down and refrigerate.
6. Roll out into individual rolls and let rise until they double in size (ready to bake when lightly pressed with finger & indention pops out.)
7. Bake at 425.