I'm No Longer a Failure

I have arrived! I have done it! There have been times when I thought that I might exit this world, never having truly made it . . . but I have now done it! I could make my mom's butter rolls when I lived there at home, so I thought I'd have no problem getting married and replicating the process. Hmmph. 16 years! For 16 years I have struggled with that stupid roll dough. My Mom's always turn out delicious. My sister Michelle graces us with the same delicious rolls for Easter and Thanksgiving. I hang my head, and bring the jello. Yes, I followed the recipe. Mom's original recipe, and Michelle's modified recipe. Nope, I still ended up with a sticky goo. Yes, I added more flour (but not too much! Just until the dough forms a ball and clears the bowl!) Still goo. Made the rolls numerous times while talking to my Mom on the phone - still goo. It rises fine. The dough tastes the same. Even the rolls taste pretty good, but the dough is goo, and hard to handle, and I'm so frustrated by the whole experience by the time I get the dough in the pans, that I refuse to try again for a month or more. "Just put a little flour on the counter before you roll it out." Roll it out? I can't even handle the dough, let alone roll it out! "Put a little cooking spray on your hands so the dough won't stick as much." I have cooking spray clear up to my elbows, but I'm still stuck fast! "Okay, instead of cutting out the dough, and then folding them, just try squeezing out a little section of dough, and then tuck the edges under." Aaaaargh! Still goo! I can't lift it, tuck it, nada! Goo! Goo! Goo! I've nicknamed my roll dough, Claw dough. I have to just grab a clump of dough, and shake it off my hand as best I can, dropping it very ungracefully into the pan. 16 years!!!!!!! But no more. I have arrived. As I made the dough today, I all of a sudden looked at my glass measuring cup and wondered if it actually measured correctly or not. Bingo! I was getting a good 1/4 Cup more of water in my dough than I needed. No wonder it was goo! It was amazing to watch the dough clear the bowl as it mixed (it used to clear the bowl and then settle back down into goo). It was amazing to take the dough out of the bowl after it had risen, and be able to form a ball of dough in my hand (Touch that stuff before? Are you kidding me? It would have sucked me under into gooey land forever). It was amazing to roll out the dough (Yes! I could actually roll it out, and it didn't even stick to my counter or my hands or my rolling pin). (Look at those cute little hands helping his Mama!) No more claw dough for me! I can now make my Mother's Butter Rolls like she does! I called to tell my Mom my success. She was ecstatic for me! Nothing could have made my Mother prouder. She told me that she was sorry it had taken me so long to figure it out and that it was amazing that I hadn't given up long ago. Well Mom, there are some things worth striving for, and your Butter Rolls are one of them!