Just Like Grandma’s

While we were at the grocery store on Saturday Jeff grabbed a package of cinnamon rolls and said, “Let’s get these!”.  But I am a mean old witchyperson, so I said no and smacked his hand and made him put them away.

Then on Sunday morning I woke up early, and made some the right way.  Because I’m a mean old loving witchyperson.

Grandma’s recipe – it’s never failed me before, and I swear it’s pure magic.  Love these things.

Speaking of magic – before the second rise:

(and here I go, posting my dirty stove for all the Internet to see…)

And after the second rise:

HOLY HELL I LOVE YEAST.

But a bunch of raw cinnamon rolls don’t do ya much good, will they?  So then you bake them, and ice them…

And eat them.

I ate this one:

It was every bit as delicious as it looks.

This one, too:

(is there anything better than a Sunday morning with fresh baked cinnamon rolls and a whole Internets’ worth of entertainment?)

And then I died.  Again.

NOM.

The end.

…oh, all right.  If you’re just gonna whine at me, I’ll give you the recipe.  But remember – this is Grandma‘s recipe.  My grandma.  So don’t mess with it! 😛

Grandma’s Cinnamon Rolls

1c warm water

1 packet (2 1/2 tsp) yeast

2T sugar

1t salt

1/2c dry milk

1/4c shortening (just no getting around it.  Gotta use shortening.)

~3c flour (varies)

2T melted butter

cinnamon-sugar mixture

Icing:

2t vanilla

2T melted butter

powdered sugar (~1c, maybe?)

milk (~1/3c? maybe?)

Combine water, yeast, and sugar in mixer bowl; let sit until yeast activates.  Add salt, dry milk and shortening; beat well.  Gradually beat in flour, until a soft dough is formed.  (At this point, I take the dough out of my KitchenAid and knead by hand).  Knead ~6-8 minutes, or until you’ve got nice pretty happy glutenstrands.  Let rise for 1 hour, using your preferred method*.

Turn dough onto lightly floured board; punch down and roll to about 12″ x 20″ rectangle.  Spread butter evenly on top, then sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar.  Roll from long end to long end (so you have a tube ~20″ long), pinching the seam closed when you’re done.  Transfer roll to a cutting board** then cut into 12 discs of even width.  Place in a greased 9 x 13 pan*** and let rise a second time.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.

Icing:  combine all ingredients in small bowl; whisk together until smooth.  Icing should be runny but not liquidy (adjust amount of powdered sugar and/or milk as needed – amounts above are just guesstimates.)

Pour icing on warm rolls.  Consume with great abandon.

*I learned about this rising method a few months ago, and haven’t done it any other way since:  When you first get started, heat oven to 200 degrees, then turn it off.  When dough is ready to rise, just pop it into the warm-but-not-hot oven in its bowl or on its bread board (whichever), and cover with a cotton cloth.  The oven will cool so slowly that it’ll create a perfect, cozy environment for the dough without causing it to lose humidity.  And I guess the cotton cloth is optional if you don’t live in cat- or dog-friendly house.

**Because I don’t like to get icky stuff – butter or cinnamon – on my bread board (it can make the board unsanitary, and you shouldn’t be washing a bread board frequently anyway).  So I’m extra careful  when I brush on the melted butter, then transfer to a bamboo cutting board when its time to slice the roll.

***After much research, I’ve determined that the best pan for this is a cheap-o aluminum one like you can pick up at Dollar General (which is where I got the one above).  Darker colored pans (ChefMate, Wilton, etc. – and everything at Target)make the rolls get too brown and cook unevenly.

Enjoy! 🙂 I’d love to hear if anybody tries the recipe. Just think – it’ll be just like standing in my Grandma’s kitchen.

PS>Bonus points if you have a Currier and Ives plate to eat off of.

~~~

EDIT 2/2/11:  I have since tweaked this recipe a bit.  I now use a 2:1 ratio of white sugar to brown sugar and sprinkle it liberally on the flat dough.  I also use a TON of cinnamon (more than you would think is humanly possible or necessary).  Then I roll them long-ways rather than short-ways, to increase the number of layers in each roll.  This makes them more tender and delicate and flavorful.  Highly recommended!