GRANDMA LITTRELL’S PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

TAMMY GIBSON (Springfield, Tennessee) shares that her grandma, FANNIE PEARL FUGETT LITTRELL (Mendon, Missouri), “was such a gentle soul and cornerstone in our lives. She never judged us and was always there to encourage us. We were very fortunate to have our grandparents so close to us. We lived on a farm outside of town, and my grandparents lived in town. Every day my grandparents would come out to the farm to spend the day working, canning, gardening, etc. I never saw my grandmother measure anything for a recipe; it was always a pinch of this, a dash of that, a smidgen of that. It really made it hard to replicate! I was very young when I first got to help Grandma cut these rolls and smother them in butter—what a mess we made! I remember having to stand on a chair to even reach the table, but Grandma always let us help.”

3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling out dough

Pinch of salt

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

1 package yeast, dissolved

1 large egg, beaten

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Melted butter to brush tops

1 Measure 3 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Add the salt and blend thoroughly.

2 Dissolve the sugar in the yeast and add the beaten egg; then combine with the flour mixture.

3 Add the shortening and knead into a medium soft, smooth dough, using more of the flour if necessary.

4 Let it rise until doubled in size. Knead it down lightly and let it rise again until doubled in size. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured cutting board.

5 Roll gently into a sheet ⅓ inch thick. Cut with a floured biscuit cutter. (Tammy’s grandmother used a water glass.) Brush with melted butter and fold in half. Let rise until very light.

6 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or less time if your rolls are small.

MAKES 2 TO 3 DOZEN ROLLS, DEPENDING ON SIZE.