Every family has recipes that are passed down through generations and, in other words, recipes that connect us to the past. During the holidays, this tradition allows us to connect with loved ones and find joy in simple pleasures, such as eating a well-made bread roll.

Bread rolls are an important staple that belong on every Thanksgiving table. They are a core comfort food that define the holiday meal for many, and often the first thing people reach for.

Specifically, my family’s comfort food is my grandmother’s bread rolls. When you pick one up the dough is soft, yet the outside is hard and tough as though it could endure a storm. Its light tan color looks like sand, and when I take the first bite I always hear the crunch of the crust.

However, the scent of the rolls is what draws people in. It’s a comforting combination of yeast, butter, and sugar that's warm, like pulling a blanket over yourself on a cold fall day. This sweet almost-nutty smell mixed with a yeasty aroma could make anyone want to take a bite.

I grew up always loving these rolls, but found a new appreciation the first time my grandmother and I made them together. It was a lot more work than my 10-year-old self expected. After you make the dough and knead it, you have to let it rise three times, which makes the process an all-day experience.

Instead of a simple ball of dough, I now see my grandmother smiling at me. The first bite takes me back to moments in the kitchen, listening to stories about her youth. The delicious taste is the same, but these bread rolls mean more to me now. As I eat one, I think about time spent with my grandmother and it’s no longer just a roll, it's a time machine.

If anyone is interested in adding a new staple to their thanksgiving table this year, here is my grandmother’s recipe for her bread roll dough. I definitely think you should check it out.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of flour

• ⅔ cups of Crisco shortening

• ½ cup of milk

• 2 tablespoons of sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tablespoon of yeast

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• ½ cup of warm water

Instructions:

1. Mix the dry sugar and salt together in a bowl.

2. In a pan, pour the Crisco and milk and start bringing them to a boil.

3. Next, combine the boiled Crisco and milk with the sugar and salt mixture.

4. Then, in another bowl, add the warm water to the yeast in order to activate it.

5. Finally, add yeast mixture to the bowl with the boiled liquids, sugar and salt. The dough should now rise when fully baked.