Cinnamon Rolls

I'm sorry. I should just apologize now. This recipe is pure deliciousness. It will be hard to contain yourself. So only plan on making them when you have somewhere to take them. But, man oh man, are they good!!!! Besides, it's the Pioneer Woman's fault. It occurred to me yesterday that I'm trying an awful lot of her recipes. I promise that this is not a Julie/Julia thing between Ree and myself....unless I can end up with a book and movie deal. Hey, I have student loans to think about.

I had never made homemade cinnamon rolls before this recipe. I was nervous, but all turned out well. I have a couple areas of adjustment for next time. For example, my dough will sit farther back on the counter. It was thisclose to spilling cinnamon/sugar/butter onto my floor. You should also know that this is a messy endeavor. Or at least it was for me. Maybe next time will be better. BUT, the important thing to know as you're seeing this mess on your counter is that they will be sooooo worth it. Yum. Okay, my final note before her recipe is that I didn't make the maple icing. I had worked a 12 hour shift that day and had to return for another 12 the next day, so I was simply too tired for the couple extra steps. Alright, let the baking (and deliciousness) begin!

Dough
1 quart Whole Milk (I used 2%)
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon (I can't even guess at this. I think it depends on how much you like cinnamon.)

Icing
1 bag Powdered Sugar (I didn't use a full bag. Maybe 3/4?)
1/2 cups Milk
1/4 cups Melted Butter

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, 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). **Because I didn't read and realize how time consuming this was going to be, I ended up stopping here.

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.


See the mess? Totally worth 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.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.



Icing: 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.