2-8-14 Cinnamon Rolls

At Steiner Christmas, A. Jill brought these absolutely fantastic cinnamon rolls for the meal. She directed me to this website for the recipe, to which I have made a few minor adjustments. While I haven’t spent much time on the website and can’t really vouch for its content, I absolutely can vouch for these rolls. They are, as Tori said this afternoon, “insaneness.” I guess that means they are really good. And they are. Really. Really. REALLY good. Then Tori told me I really should post the recipe. She said it’s not nice to keep these a secret.

They might seem like a lot of work, but they really aren’t. The four steps are spread out over time, though, so you can’t just decide to make these for supper and start at 4:00. They do take some planning ahead, and, well, okay, they are some work, but what good thing comes without effort, huh?

WARNING – these are in NO way, shape, or form a healthy food. Zero. Zip. Zilch.

And.

They are very addictive.

But if you want to treat your loved ones to the most delicious treat they’ll ever taste, just occasionally, for a special treat now and then, not like every day or anything, these fit the bill.

Go ahead, give ‘em a try. See if your family goes crazy over them like mine does.

Cinnamon Rolls

1 quart milk

2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons yeast

9 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

1 scant teaspoon baking soda

1 heaping tablespoon salt

2 cups melted butter

brown sugar

cinnamon

 

Step 1. Heat milk, butter, and sugar in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside for about an hour; cool to warm.

Step 2. Sprinkle yeast over the milk; let it sit for one minute. Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a relatively warm place for an hour.

Step 3. Remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining cup of flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)

Step 4. On a floured surface, roll half the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin. Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup butter over surface of the dough and spread out evenly. Generously sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Don’t be stingy here. Gooey is the goal! Beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. Cut roll into 1” slices, using a sharp knife or a 24” length of thread. Pour a generous layer of butter in the bottom of a baking pan (foil pie pans work nice, as do standard 9x13 cake pans). Place the sliced rolls in the pans. Repeat with other half of roll dough. Cover pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise for at least 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove towel and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until light golden brown.

While rolls are baking, make icing:

1/4 cup melted butter

3/4 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 (2#) bag powdered sugar

Remove the pans from the oven, and immediately spread with icing. Be generous. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor.

Enjoy!

I’ve made these several times since Christmas, and one batch consistently makes between 4 and 5 dozen rolls, depending on how tightly the rectangle is rolled and how thick the slices are. They also freeze well and are almost as good leftover as fresh (especially when treated to 15 seconds in the microwave)(or 15 minutes at 350 in the oven, which works out great with our Sunday morning casserole).

One more note – last Friday I mixed up two batches to step 4 and stuck them in the refrigerator. I rolled & baked one batch Saturday morning. It worked fine; they were wonderful. The girls rolled & baked the other batch Sunday afternoon for me. It worked fine; they were wonderful.

So how about it? Wanna try it?

Let me know how it goes!

And have a wonderful weekend!