I have talked about these cinnamon rolls before. These are the cinnamon rolls my Nana makes and my whole family has so many fond memories of eating these at their breakfast bar! She mastered them many years ago and walked me through it when I was in high school. I took a professional baking class where I learned how to make dough for bread, rolls, and so many other things! It wasn't until Gonzo and I had been married a few years that I wrote down a detailed explanation of the entire recipe because I was going to be making them for all the coaches families for Christmas! Sheesh that was a heck of a way to start making them. By the time it was all said and done I made 4 full recipes of the rolls! I felt like I had mastered the rolls by then!
I don't make these often enough! The are delicious and bring back so many wonderful memories! My reason for making them today is I am giving them to my brother (whose birthday is today) and my dad (whose birthday was last week but he will be here tomorrow)! I will go through the recipe in steps. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Step 1:
In a bowl combine 1/2 cup of warm water. Make sure the water is not too hot. I always go by the test it on my wrist method. Sprinkle two package of active dry yeast over the water. Stir and set it aside to activate the yeast. You will know the yeast is activated when it starts to foam up from the center out in the bowl. You can also sprinkle in a tiny bit of sugar to help speed up the activation process.
Step 2:
While the yeast is activating combine 1 1/2 cups of room temp. milk, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 2 tap. salt, and 2 eggs lightly beaten in a sauce pan on the stove over low heat. Add 1/2 cup of room temp. shortening (butter flavor, or regular). Stir this mixture over low heat just until the shortening is broken down. Take off the heat and let this mixture cool for a few minutes until it is cool to the touch.
Step 3:
Add the yeast mixture to the milk mixture and stir. If the milk mixture is too hot it will kill the active yeast. Give it time too cool. This is why it is good to make sure all you ingredients going into the milk are room temp.
Step 4:
Measure 3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour in a big bowl. Pour the milk/yeast mixture over the flour and mix with a fork. Measure 4 more cups of flour out on the counter and make a well in the center. Pour the very wet mixture in the center of the well and bring the flour around the side over the top. Continue to do this until your dough has formed a ball. Put the dough in a buttered bowl and butter the top of the dough ball. Cover with a hand towel and place in a warm place to rise. I have a proof setting on my oven and use it. If you don't have that you can set it on your dryer while it running, or turn the oven on its lowest setting for about 10 minutes and turn it off to create a warm place. It should double in size in about 30 minutes or a little longer.
Step 5:
While the dough is rising you can make the best part of these rolls! we add a butterscotch/ caramel mixture to the bottom of the pan before we add the rolls. in a saucepan combine 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1tbsp. corn syrup. Stir these together just until the butter is melted and combined with the sugar. You mill have to stir it quickly to get the butter to combine and not separate. If you are adding pecans you will add them to this mixture. I double this recipe for one recipe of the dough. The measurements I gave are for one recipe! Set this mixture aside and prepare your pans by spraying them with Pam. Pour the butter/brown sugar mixture in the pans just to coat the bottom of the pan! Once you taste this you will see why I double it!!!
Step 6:
Once the dough has doubled in size punch the dough down in the center and cover it back up to rise again. About another 30 minutes. Mix the cinnamon/sugar mixture. 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
Step 7:
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out in a rectangular shape. If you think it is too much dough to roll out at once you can divid the dough and and only roll out half. I like to roll the dough pretty thin about 1/4 inch thick. I spread room temp. butter over the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon/ sauger mixture over it leaving a little on the edge uncovered to seal the roll. Roll the dough up starting with the long edge. Cut the log in half, half again, half again until you have rolls that are about 3/4 inch wide. Place them in the pan octopus of the butterscotch/caramel mixture. Leave a little space in between each roll to allow rising room. Once you have them in the pan push the down with three fingers. Not sure on the purpose of this except that that's what Nana does! So just do it! If you are baking immediately let them rise for another 30 minutes before baking at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. If you are not baking them right away wrap the pan and place in the freezer until needed. If frozen let them set out to thaw and rise for about an hour to two hours before baking at 375 for 20 minutes.
Step 8:
While the rolls are baking make the icing. Mix 1/2 stick of room temp. butter, 1/2 bag powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and enough evaporated milk to get the consistency desired. Let the rolls cool for a few minutes and then pour the icing over them while they are still warm.
The top picture below is the dough rolled out with the butter and sugar ready to roll. With that picture you will see a picture of the rolls cut in the pan before I smushed them down with my fingers. The picture below that is a picture of the olds after they have risen in the pan before baking. The last picture is the cinnamon rolls baked and iced! There is quit a bit of icing but you have to know these are for my brother who will be sharing with his pregnant wife who LOVES icing! You can add the amount of icing you like.
No comments:
Post a Comment