Did you know that six species of grains have been used by man for many millennia? In ancient times when man first turned from nomadic to settled life because he had learned how to grow food, he raised millet, oats, barley, and wheat. Rye came along in the late classic period, and corn, or Indian maize, has been known only since the white man's discovery of America. Probably the oldest cereal on our planet is millet. Records tell us that the Chinese were raising it about 2800 B.C., and it was raised by the Mongol and Khirgaz nomads for an unknown time before that. Scientists think wheat originated in Abyssinia. Did you appreciate that raised bread cannot be made from millet, oats, barley, or corn? Raised bread is one of man's great chemical discoveries.
Use one yeast cake, one cup scalded milk, one-half cup lukewarm water, three tablespoons shortening, one and a half teaspoons salt, three tablespoons sugar, three and three-fourths to four cups flour.
Pour hot milk over shortening, salt, and two tablespoons of sugar, and let cool. Add yeast and other tablespoon sugar to lukewarm water, and let stand until foamy — about 15 minutes. Add this to milk and stir in half the flour. Beat this well to insure a good texture in the rolls.
Add rest of flour and knead well. Roll out to about one-fourth inch thick, and cut out for rolls with a cookie cutter. Brush each roll with butter and fold over. Place in greased pan. Set to rise and leave for about two hours.
Bake in 350 oven for about 20 minutes. Brush with butter again when rolls are done. Some folks like rolls with just butter, but me — I like plenty of butter or margarine, plus a generous amount of grape jelly.
