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If I've heard it once, I've heard it a dozen times:
"Make homemade cinnamon rolls? From scratch? Are you crazy? That
takes all day!"
Actually, it depends upon the recipe.
I have several recipes for homemade cinnamon rolls
that do, indeed, take at least all afternoon, if not all day --
scald the milk and let it cool to room temperature (30 minutes); mix
the dough and let it raise for an hour (1.5 hours); punch down the
dough and let it raise for another hour (1 hour); shape into
cinnamon rolls and let raise for another hour (1.5 hours); and then,
finally, bake the cinnamon rolls (30 minutes) -- for a grand total
of 5 hours from start to finish.
But it doesn't have to be that way. You really can
make homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch in two hours or less.
Here's my recipe:
- 2 cups of warm water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons dry yeast (or two packages of dry
yeast)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup Canola oil (I use Canola, but you can
use any kind of cooking oil) (you can also use shortening, if you
prefer)
- 6 to 7 cups of flour
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let sit for
a minute or two. Add the sugar and salt. Mix. Add the cooking oil
(or shortening), 2 eggs, 2 cups of flour and beat until smooth.
Stir in 3 more cups of flour. Begin kneading the
dough, adding the final cup of flour. If the dough seems too sticky,
knead in more flour, a quarter to a half cup at a time.
Let the dough "rest" for 15 to 20 minutes. (I
leave it sitting on the counter and use the time to wash up the bowl
and other utensils and to clean off the counter top.)
Roll the dough into a rectangle that's 24 to 30
inches long by about 16 inches wide. Spread with soft butter and
sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Starting at the wide end, roll
into a log.
Cut the cinnamon rolls into equal sized slices
(approximately one inch wide each or slightly more) and place into
two greased 9x13 pans. Put in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (or until the
cinnamon rolls are golden brown).
Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then turn out of
the pans.
This recipes makes two dozen cinnamon rolls. If
you want REALLY BIG cinnamon rolls, cut into 12 equal pieces 2
inches wide.
Total amount of time needed from start to finish
(including time to bake) is about 2 hours.
About The Author
LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books, "Christmas in Dairyland
(True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)" -- "Give Me a Home Where the
Dairy Cows Roam" and "Cream of the Crop (More True Stories from a
Wisconsin Farm)." You are invited to read sample chapters, order
books and to sign up for the FREE! newsletter from Rural Route 2 --ruralroute2.com
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