Grandma's Yeast Rolls — The Baked Good That Carries the Chain Forward

Rosh Hashanah was Wednesday and Thursday, and the table was full and the food was right and the year began with honey and challah and brisket and the particular noise of twelve people eating and talking and arguing and laughing, which is the sound of family, the fundamental frequency of the Feldman household, and hearing it again — fully, in person, in the dining room with the chairs pulled close and the elbows touching and the gravy being passed — was like hearing music after being deaf, like tasting food after being sick, like every metaphor for restoration that I have taught in forty-two years of English classes, made real in my own dining room.

Sophie started kindergarten Thursday. I drove to White Plains with rugelach for the teacher — the tradition unbroken, the third generation: Ethan's teacher got rugelach, and now Sophie's teacher gets rugelach, and someday Noah's and Hannah's teachers will get rugelach, because Feldman children enter the education system accompanied by baked goods, and this is non-negotiable. Sophie wore a dress with butterflies on it and a backpack bigger than she was and she walked into the classroom with the confidence of a girl who has been read to by her grandmother since birth and who knows, in her five-year-old bones, that learning is not scary, learning is what the Feldman women do. I watched her walk in and I thought of David, and before David, of myself, on the Grand Concourse, walking into P.S. 26 with Sylvia's rugelach in my pocket. The chain. Always the chain.

Marvin was at the Rosh Hashanah table. He sat and he ate and he did not say the blessings — not this year, not even the lip-moving — but he held his fork and he ate the brisket and he smiled when the children were loud, and the smiling at the children's noise is stored somewhere the disease has not yet reached, and I am grateful for every unreached place, every preserved response, every smile.

The rugelach went to Sophie’s teacher because that is what Feldman women do — we bake, and we bring it, and we do not explain because no explanation is needed. But the thing about a table full of twelve people after two years of smaller, quieter versions of yourself is that you want something warm coming out of the oven that everyone can reach for at once, something soft and pull-apart and generous, the way the evening itself felt. These rolls are what I made to round out the Rosh Hashanah table this year, and they are the kind of recipe that deserves to be passed down — the kind Sylvia would have recognized, the kind Sophie will someday make herself.

Grandma’s Yeast Rolls

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 2 hr 45 min (includes rise time) | Servings: 24 rolls

Ingredients

• 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (105—115°F)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)

Instructions

1. Proof the yeast. Combine warm water, yeast, and 1 tsp of the sugar in a large bowl. Stir gently and let sit for 5—10 minutes until foamy and fragrant. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast is inactive — start again with fresh yeast.
2. Mix the dough. Add the remaining sugar, melted butter, beaten egg, and salt to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add flour one cup at a time, stirring after each addition, until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Knead. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8—10 minutes, adding flour a tablespoon at a time as needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and springs back when poked. It should feel soft but not sticky.
4. First rise. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Set in a warm, draft-free spot and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Shape the rolls. Punch dough down gently. Divide into 24 equal pieces (a bench scraper and kitchen scale help here). Roll each piece into a smooth ball by cupping your hand over it on the counter and rolling in small circles. Place in two greased 9x13-inch baking pans, rolls just touching.
6. Second rise. Cover pans loosely with a towel and let rolls rise again until puffed and touching, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake rolls for 18—22 minutes, until the tops are deep golden brown and the rolls sound hollow when tapped. Rotate the pans halfway through for even browning.
8. Finish and serve. Remove from oven and immediately brush the tops generously with melted butter. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan before serving. These are best eaten warm and pull-apart, right from the pan, with everyone reaching at once.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 118 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 102mg