John Reed's "Mystery" Rolls

We have lived in this town for thirty-five years. When we first moved here we happened to meet a really nice older couple, John and Boyce Reed. Over the years our lives were woven together in a multitude of ways. Their daughter, Pauline, became my friend and Sunday School teacher and taught me how to make the best coconut pie EVER; son-in-law, Jim, taught my husband in a class at the same church. Their granddaughter, Claudette, was our regular babysitter. It took all of our "village" to raise their grandson, Justin! (He finally decided what he wanted to grow up to be and became a dentist who practices locally.)


The Reeds backyard became the location for a portrait that was done by Liz Powers of my daughter and me which still hangs in our current home. As a toddler, our daughter would ask to go play with "my friend John." He hung a swing in his backyard that was great entertainment for her; he even let her hold a baby wren once that was newly hatched in a nest on his patio. I doubt that she remembers that, but I do.


I've taught his great grandchildren. We helped them celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary  Their great grandson plays ball and is in the same school class as my grandson....and the list continues.


I always admired and appreciated the way that both of them were genuinely interested in others. Even though Mr and Mrs. Reed have passed on, our lives still connect in so many ways with theirs. One of the those ways is through this roll recipe which we call Mystery Rolls (our daughter's interpretation for "Mr. Reed" rolls).


Right after we met the Reeds, they invited us over one Saturday night for hot rolls and strawberry jam. It was Mr. Reed's habit to make rolls every Saturday evening. These were his contribution to the family Sunday dinner the next day. Oh my goodness, how good they were. Pauline serves these each year when she hosts a luncheon and invites the entire town - or so it seems. Nobody turns down that invitation! (I'll share her coconut pie recipe one of these days.) I never make these that I don't remember all of those connections. We cherish those memories.

I promise that you won't be disappointed in these rolls.  They are absolutely terrific.

If you would like to read a small bit about Mr. Reed's life, you can link here at Rootsweb. The narrative falls far short of the man he was.

Mr. Reed's Mystery Rolls

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup boiling water
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

1/4 cup sugar
1 package yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water (add a bit of the sugar to feed the yeast)

Cream margarine and sugar; add boiling water and allow to cool slightly. Beat egg into yeast and water. Add to the creamed margarine (which is cool enough not to kill the yeast); add the salt and add the flour one cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.


Mix well, but do not over mix. The dough will be very soft and sticky. Do not add extra flour.Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled.


Turn the dough onto a well-floured cloth and mash or roll out to between 1/4 and 1/2-inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter. Oil both sides of the individual pieces and fold into pocketbooks. Place closely together in a well-oiled pan with just enough room to rise. Allow to rise until doubled (45 minutes to 1 hour). Cover the pans with a clean cloth while rising.

Bake at 400 to 425 degrees for approximately 12 minutes or until lightly browned. This recipe will yield approximately 2 dozen rolls. You may warm them at serving time in a 200 degree oven for a few minutes. They freeze well if you want to make them ahead. Mine never seem to make it to the freezer before they are gone.

These are absolutely fantastic with strawberry freezer jam and butter. Actually, they are awesome eaten straight out of the pan!


Linked to:  Full Plate Thursday