Cinnamon Rolls

I had a "hankering" for cinnamon rolls but I needed an excuse to make them, other than I wanted them. Some friends of ours won three dozen cookies from me (one dozen per week for three weeks) from a service auction a couple of weeks ago. I called them up and asked if they wanted cinnamon rolls this week instead. Luckily they said yes! I tried a different recipe from the one I usually use and according to this family and another one that got rolls, too, they seemed to turn out pretty well. I doubled the recipe and rolled them a little thinner than I normally would just so that I could extend the recipe a bit, since I was taking them to two families as well as our own. It ended up making two rolls short of four dozen cinnamon rolls! I used about three cups whole wheat flour in the rolls (remembering I doubled the recipe 3 whole wheat cups out of 13 cups of flour). I liked it but I think I might just use half of that next time.

Cinnamon Rolls
by Michelle Webb from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups hot water
2 Tablespoons yeast
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 1/2 cups flour -approximate
1/4 cup butter, softened - not margarine
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2-3 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Milk

Heat shortening, margarine, 3/4 cup sugar and water until shortening and margarine are melted. Cool to room temperature. When cool, add yeast, salt, eggs and baking powder. Allow yeast to activate (5-10 minutes). Add flour and knead for 5 minutes. Dough will be smooth and a little sticky. Allow to rest 15 minutes. Knead down again and roll out to a rectangle approximately 32x24 inches. (Mine wasn't quite that big and I only used half my dough at a time since I doubled the recipe.) It will seem thin. Smooth 1/4 cup very soft butter all over the dough. Mix 1 cup sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar together and sprinkle over dough. Using a rolling pin, gently press sugars into the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon over the sugars. Roll dough up from the long side. Using a length of sewing thread (I use a pizza cutter or just a knife), cut each cinnamon roll approximately 1 inch thick by looping thread around the dough, then pulling it firmly to cut the dough. Place each roll into a greased baking pan with at least 2-inch sides. (I just use my jelly roll pan.) Cover and let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 28-35 minutes, until tops and edges are lightly golden. While still hot, mix 1/4 cup softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a few drops of milk until you have the consistency of a glaze (I doubled the glaze recipe and had to use probably about 1/4-1/2 cup of milk before it finally reached the right consistency); drizzle onto the hot rolls. Serve warm and enjoy. Makes 14 cinnamon rolls.

My notes: My kitchen doesn't get warm. Not enough to make dough rise. I learned a long time ago that in my house we have to make dough raise in the oven or it won't raise at all. Unless it's August and then we can put it in the garage to raise. I turn the oven on to bake at the warm setting - about 150 to 200 degrees. Once it's warm I turn the oven off, wait a couple of minutes with the door open, and then stick the rolls/bread/etc into the oven. If the oven is still hot I'll leave the oven door open until it has cooled off a bit and then close the door. You want the oven a little warm, not hot. If it's too warm the dough will get too hard on top and not expand like it should.