From the Recipe Box: A Starter with a Story
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Some recipes are more than a list of ingredients. They are handwritten reminders of the people who made them, the tables where they were shared and the traditions that bring families back together. In this new feature, REMC employees and members open their recipe boxes to share the well-used cards, favorite dishes and cherished stories that have been passed from one kitchen to the next.
A Starter with a Story
For more than 50 years, one small jar of sourdough starter has connected Robin Monday’s kitchen to the people, memories and family traditions she holds dear.
Robin Monday, a Member Service Representative at Southeastern Indiana REMC, has a sourdough starter that is more than flour, water and time. It is a living piece of family history, carefully fed each week and shared through loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls and the unmistakable scent of dough rising throughout her kitchen.
The starter came to Robin through her husband Rick’s Uncle Richard Monday, a man known for making just about everything from scratch. Yeast rolls, homemade noodles and the kind of kitchen staples that make a house feel welcoming were all part of Richard’s repertoire. For Robin, who loved cooking and baking herself, Richard became both a kindred spirit and a helpful resource.
If she was short on an ingredient, whether it was cream of tartar or something else a recipe called for, Robin knew she could run over to Richard’s house. Their shared appreciation for homemade food grew into a special bond.
Richard had a close friend from his time in the Army, and he and his wife, Mary Helen Clowers, lived in Tennessee. Richard visited them often. On one of his final trips there, Mary Helen shared with him a loaf of her homemade bread. Richard asked if she would share two jars of her starter, one for himself and one for Robin.
Robin was thrilled when that jar made its way to her kitchen. At the time, the starter was already about 45 years old. As Richard became less able to keep up with baking, Robin used it to make bread and cinnamon rolls to deliver to him whenever she could.
After Richard passed away, family members shared memories of his recipes and the foods they had enjoyed together. Many wished they had asked more questions or spent more time learning the secrets behind his beloved rolls. For Robin, caring for the starter became a meaningful way to hold on to that connection.
Today, the starter is more than 50 years old and still aging beautifully. Made simply with potato flakes, water and sugar, it needs weekly attention from Robin, who faithfully feeds and cares for it.
And it is still hard at work. Robin uses the starter for blueberry bread, cinnamon-raisin bread, plain loaves that are especially good toasted with strawberry jam, and pretzel bites with cheese, a favorite of her youngest son, Troy. But her famous cinnamon rolls may be the most anticipated tradition of all.
Each Easter, Robin makes cinnamon rolls for the family. On busy baking days, as many as 10 pans may be rising at once, covering the island and counters while the kitchen fills with the warm, heavenly aroma of sourdough yeast, cinnamon and home.
It is a tradition shared with Rick and their four children, Scotty, Jackson, Lori and Troy. And it all began with a small jar of starter, passed from Mary Helen Clowers to Richard and then to Robin, carrying a little bit of love forward with every batch.
Robin’s Cinnamon Rolls
1 Cup of Starter
6 Cups of Bread Flour
1/2 Cup of Sugar
1/2 Cup of Oil
1-1/2 Cup of Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Cup Butter, Softened
2 Cups Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Mix all ingredients, cover and set for 12 hours. After first rise, roll dough into a large rectangle. Spread with softened butter, then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up and cut into equal-size rolls. Place in greased baking dishes, cover and let rise for 8 hours. Just before baking, drizzle each pan with heavy whipping cream. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Cool completely and ice with your favorite icing.
Mary Helen’s Sourdough Starter
3 TBS Instant Potato Flakes
1 Cup of Warm Water
1/2 c. of Sugar
Feed Starter 1 time every 3 days.
Discard prior to feeding.
