Grandma Kaiser's Cinnamon Rolls

 aka Cinnabraid.

This family here is tired of Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls. Can you even believe that? Yes. It's true. That's how spoiled they are. So when I make a batch to give away or take somewhere, those ppl that are here will have some fresh from the oven; but they won't touch them the next day. For sure spoiled, that's all there is to it. 

So instead of PW Rolls, the troops have been requesting Grandma Kaiser's Cinnamon Rolls which are an entirely different texture than the PW Rolls, and since I enjoy baking, I've been making GK Rolls lately. I've streamlined the recipe a bit so wanted to update it and add a few pictures for details. 

Updated recipe:

Scald 1 quart milk, 1 cup canola oil, and 1 cup sugar; cool for an hour.

*If that seems familiar, it's bc that's exactly how PW Rolls start out. I doubled the GK Roll recipe, figuring if I'm going to make the mess I'd rather get double the product for the mess, you know?*

Pour cooled mixture into mixer, and add 4 eggs, 1/2 cup warm water, 2 tablespoons yeast (no need to double the yeast. I mean, it's yeast! It adequately doubles itself.), and 2 teaspoons salt. Mix well, then add 7 cups flour. Mix again, and add 5-7 more cups flour, depending on texture and feel of the dough. This isn't an exact art - just add flour until dough cleans the side of the bowl and it's just a very little bit sticky when touched. Set mixer to knead for about five minutes. Let dough rise until double, about an hour.

To form crescent rolls, try this hack shared by a friend (wish I could remember who)(I think it was Charity maybe...??)

 - use a pizza cutter to cut rolls after they're rolled out

 ...IF you have a stone countertop...clearly this is a new-fangled hack; with the older laminate countertops this would destroy the top.

Finished crescent rolls with a couple more piles waiting to be shaped.

Roll dough to about this shape for the cinnamon rolls.

Spread with softened butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar; roll into a log and seal edge. To slice the log, wiggle a portion of sewing thread (mine is purple) under the log, as shown,

cross the thread on top of the log, and pull; the thread will cleanly slice the log into neat pieces. 

I've also made these dinner rolls with the GK Rolls recipe. These are amazing. They're like biting into a sweet cloud; with butter they've been described as "candy." I concur.

After dough is shaped into crescents, cinnamon rolls, cinnabraid, or dinner rolls, let rise again until double, about 45m - an hour (depending on air temperature, humidity, etc.). Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or so.

Cool. 

Frost with Best Frosting Ever and enjoy right away or freeze. 

*Dinner and crescent rolls are best fresh. No need to cool these babies. Just slice them in half, slather with butter, and splurge*

I find it interesting how different these cinnamon rolls are than the PW Rolls. All delicious, all the same sugar and butter and milk and salt and yeast; but with the eggs added, the texture is so much lighter and fluffier. They're not nearly as rich and heavy as the PW Rolls. Ha, probably bc the hot PW Rolls absorb the frosting, but Idk for sure!

One more note: lately I've been baking the cinnamon rolls on cookie sheets so they don't touch; then when I frost them and freeze them individually, kids can pull them out for an individual quick breakfast.

Or snack...