Aunt Jane's Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls
Every year, our family converges at the beach for Thanksgiving. We spend the week packed together in rented houses, a mix of cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles and family friends, enjoying each other's company (mostly). When we aren't playing games or swimming or paddle boarding or making music, we're making food. Or thinking about food. We have a big potluck dinner on Thanksgiving day and over the years, we've mostly settled on who brings what. (It's determined by requests for repeats and Cousin Henry's masterfully organized spreadsheet.) Sometimes someone goes rogue and tries something new with the carrots or even the turkey (spatchcock, anyone?) — but the one absolute, the thing that never changes and everyone counts on, is Aunt Jane's Dinner Rolls.
Aunt Jane is the matriarch of the family and she's been making the rolls for decades. Everyone loves them. They are warm and buttery and absolutely delicious. They are a constant and Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them.
Over the past several years, Aunt Jane has been teaching her grandchildren and their cousins how to make the rolls. When the children were very small, she'd let them roll out some dough and cut out some rolls. She never fussed that the dough was getting overworked or the rolls were wonky. As the kids got a little older, she'd let them do more, teaching them the nuances of the process and sharing her baking tips and tricks. The kids really look forward to making the rolls with her each year. It's a family tradition.
This year, the kids are going to make the rolls on their own, with Aunt Jane supervising. They've all been working up to it and they're ready to shine. Aunt Jane has been sharing her wisdom and experience and recipe with them and they cherish it. Years from now, some of them may spend Thanksgiving with other families instead of this one, experiencing different traditions. But wherever they are, they'll be able to make Aunt Jane's rolls and think of her.
Download Aunt Jane's Dinner Rolls recipe.
Want to listen to a story while the dough rises? I suggest "Grandma's Brownies."
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