Saturday, November 5, 2011

Cinnamon Rolls


Ree Drummond (see the link on the right) says these are the best cinnamon rolls ever. They are. If you want to see her pictures and explanation, go to her link, but I’ve written it here too. They aren’t hard to make because there is no kneading.

These make a lot of rolls.


It’s easiest to make them in round aluminum pans. That way, you can give some away, freeze some, and you won’t tie up any of your regular baking pans. It makes about 7 pans of rolls. Your kitchen will smell wonderful. People would come from miles around just to sit in your kitchen and breathe. Then they will want to eat.

Cinnamon Rolls
1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
9 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour or whole wheat, or a mixture
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 c. Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
¼ cup Cinnamon
_____

MAPLE FROSTING:
1 bag Powdered Sugar (2 lbs.)
1 tbs. Maple Flavoring
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Melted Butter
⅛ teaspoons Salt 

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). This is so the sugar can melt.

Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast.


Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.




After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt.


Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls:


Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle.


Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape.


Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough.


Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.



Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.


Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

The easiest way to cut cinnamon rolls - dental floss.
Repeat this process with the other half of the dough.


Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes,


then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting,


mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable.


Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Make sure you get the frosting all around the edges and in the corners.

These are going to a linger longer after church tomorrow, so I can’t eat them all today.

These are really, really good.


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