Retro Recipe to Remember Mom

I'm thinking about my mom today, born in 1908 in rural Montana. She was the youngest of six, a first-generation American. She and her family were sugarbeet sharecroppers and lived in a railroad boxcar. Humble beginnings. 

English was her second language, and she dropped out of school in the 6th grade. But, she was a phenomenal baker. These rolls were her specialty. 

Mom started baking these sweet rolls when they appeared in a Pillsbury bake-off cookbook as a 1955 Grand Prize Winner. Pillsbury has updated the recipe, and the link for that is here. However, I'm going to share the original with you below.

Photo Credit: Pillsbury

Ingredients

• 2 packets of active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup hot scalded milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 unbeaten eggs
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• nut filling (below)

Instructions

1. Soften the yeast in warm water; set aside.
2. Combine the butter and scalded milk in a large mixing bowl. Cool to lukewarm.
3. Add the yeast/water, sugar, salt, and eggs.
4. Stir in the flour to form a stiff dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
5. Prepare the nut filling.
6. Roll out dough on a floured surface to a 22x12-inch rectangle. Cover half of the dough, along the long side, with the filling. Fold the remaining dough over the filling.
7. Cut crosswise into 1-inch strips. Twist each strip 4 or 5 times. Then hold one end down on a greased baking sheet and begin to wind into a spiral. Tuck the end under. Repeat with the remaining strips. 
8. Cover and let rise in a warm place until light and doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.
9. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. 

Nut filling - Cream 1/3 cup butter. Blend in 1 cup of sifted confectioners sugar. Add 1 cup walnuts, ground or chopped very fine.