Many of us can look back upon a fond memory of one of Grandma’s recipes. For some was her signature apple pie. For others, it was Grandma’s gravy that she made for every Thanksgiving meal. For many, it was her dinner roll recipe.

“I know surprisingly little about my great great grandmother, Sophronia Louise Browning. But what I do know, what I have always known, is that these are Grandma Browning’s rolls. Ever since I was a small child, that is what they have been called. Never dinner or yeast rolls, never simply bread, her name was always attached to this dough, like the recipe itself was consubstantial with her very being.” – Jacob B.

There is something iconic about the food that Grandmas make. It creates memories, and it sticks with us for our entire lives. Jacob B.’s memories of Grandma Browning’s rolls are probably similar to the memories you have of something your Grandma made. It’s funny that a simple recipe for dinner rolls becomes her recipe. It was probably a recipe perfected over generations, and it was so perfect that everyone knew her rolls from everyone elses (and of course there was no comparison).

It’s not always just about remembering the flavor and exerience of having Grandma’s signature dish every year. It’s also about the memories you made with your Grandma. Many of us can remember helping our Grandmas cook in their kitchens every year, and this might be what really made their food so delicious.

“As a child, standing on a stool, my hands on her cutting board, squishing the dough between my tiny fingers, I remember Grandma I smiling down at me, telling me that this was very special bread, that this bread had to be kneaded for exactly twenty-five minutes. No more. No less. And to this day, whether in the mixer, or by hand, I ensure that it kneads for exactly that long. If I close my eyes I can still remember the smell of her kitchen, the sound of her gentile, contented humming, the way she seemed to glide from counter to counter, as if in some elaborately choreographed food ballet.” – Jacob B.

The smell of her kitchen, the sound of her voice, and her one, very specific instruction, are what made her rolls so good, and what makes Jacob remember them so fondly.