Recipes from the School Cafeteria

One of the best part about going to school, was eating hot rolls in the school cafeteria. The lunch ladies would fix the best homemade hot rolls. They would start making them early in the morning. Right before lunch time, the intoxicating aroma would take over the entire school. The rolls would always be huge and perfectly shaped. They were delicious. Another day to look forward to was "Cinnamon Roll Day". They were always gigantic and sometimes you would get seconds if they had any left over. I was a lunch lady for a short time. I had a lot of fun working in the lunch room; hanging around all the kids. Those were the days.

Here is a collection of some of the recipes collected by the lunch ladies from the school cafeteria. I hope they bring back good memories.

How To Make School lunch rolls
Easy Recipe Ingredients & Directions

This recipe came from the files of a retired cafeteria manager from Pascagoula, Mississippi.

2 ½ pounds plain flour
½ cup dry milk
½ cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup instant yeast
3/4 cup melted, cooled butter or shortening (room temperature)
3 cups lukewarm water

Sift together all of the dry ingredients. Mix Well, Add yeast, lukewarm water and cooled melted butter. Beat 15 minutes (important). Let rise.
Roll out to 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. Cut out rolls with cutter. Place on greased pans. Let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees F until done. Butter tops. Serves 65.

Cafeteria Yeast Rolls

3 packages yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cubes melted butter (3/4 cup)
7 cups flour
1/2 cup dry milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1. Put yeast & water in mixing bowl and add sugar. Let set until dissolved, then add melted butter.
2. Add flour, dry milk and salt. Beat well.
3. Shape into rolls, place on greased sheet & let rise till double in bulk.
4. Bake about 15 minutes at 425 º.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : This is an old cafeteria recipe that is so easy to make if you have a heavy duty mixer. It only requires one rising and it's impossible to mess these rolls up. If you don't have a heavy duty mixer, only add part of the flour so you can mix them well and then knead the remainder of the flour in.

RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT CINNAMON ROLLS
(makes a bunch!)

1. Dissolve 3T of Yeast & 2 T of Sugar in 1C of
lukewarm water

2. Add 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water

3. Scald 2 cups of milk,
Add 2/3 cups of shortening
& 10T of Sugar (just less than 3/4C),
2T of salt, stir until dissolved
Cool.
Beat 2 eggs and add to milk mix.
Pour that into the yeast water from step 2.
Gradually mix in 10-12 cups of flour Till the
dough is thick

4. Kneed till smooth

5. Put in a greased bowl and raise 1 hour
punch down and let raise another 45 minutes

6. Roll in a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Butter dough completely with softened butter
(try 1/4 to 1/2 cup of butter).
Sprinkle with brown sugar until it's covered
(1-2 cups at least).
Sprinkle with cinnamon until covered.
Add raisins or (walnuts) as desired.
Roll up the entire rectangle and slice into 1" sections.
(for large rolls flatten with the palm of your hand).
Place pieces in buttered pan or cookie sheet.
(if you pack them in, just touching, they look just like
the ones from the cafeteria when they are done)
Let stand 45 minutes.
Bake 15-20 minutes at 350F.
Remove from oven and glaze.

Note:

If you want to add raisins, put the raisins in a
small amount of water then in the Microwave for
a minute or two. Drain them WELL, maybe squeeze
excess out with your hands. Add to the dough after
a few cups of flour, then mix and add the rest of
the flour.

To cut into nice even pieces, use a string. Slide the
string under the long roll, bring the ends up to the
top, cross and pull. This will cut the rolls without
smashing them.

Glaze: Mix powered sugar, Margarine (or Butter),

vanilla, and milk until it looks and tastes right (try
a cube of margarine, lots of sugar, a tsp. of vanilla,
and milk until the glaze is smooth.) Don't glaze the
rolls until they are ready to be eaten, If you want
to save them till later, put the glaze in an air-tight
container.
After the rolls cool, you can cover them in plastic.
They're still good re-heated in the microwave.
(30-45 seconds)

These recipes are some of the best kept secrets by the School Cafeteria. Homemade Hot Rolls and Cinnamon Rolls are a tradition passed down to every lunch lady in America. Bring back good memories by making some of these homemade hot rolls or cinnamon rolls today.

Source:
www.reciperewards.com/school_cafeteria.html
www.recipelink.com
www.alumnisandstorm.com/Recipes/RecCR.htm