Feather Bed Rolls

This recipe was typed, so there's no way to tell who the contributor was. Mysteeeeeerious!

WARNING: This recipe has not been fully tested. Lisa Ashton tried it a few years ago and it did not turn out well, so further testing is necessary. Proceed at your own risk.

FEATHER BED ROLLS
1 cake yeast*
2½ cups milk
2 t. sugar
½ cup shortening
1 t. salt
5 cups flour

Scald the milk, then remove it from the stove and add shortening and sugar. When cool, add yeast cake that has been dissolved in water, and the flour and salt that have been sifted together. Beat the mixture, then let rise until doubled in bulk.

Beat again, and fill muffin pans one-third full.* Let rise again until doubled in bulk. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven.*

*A couple of notes: a cake of live yeast equals about three ¼-oz. packages of active dry yeast, or a bit less instant yeast; you don't have to dissolve either of these in water, although active dry yeast does benefit from being "proofed" beforehand. The recipe doesn't specify, but grease and flour the muffin pans to make sure the rolls don't stick. And a "moderate oven" translates to between 350° and 375° F -- start at the low end of the range and check the rolls after 20 minutes to see if they're done; if not, give them a few minutes more time.

Contributor: mysteeeeeeeerious stranger (probably Catharina Kest)