I bolted awake at 4:40 this morning to what I thought was wind shaking the house in a thunderstorm. Turns out, there was an earthquake in downstate Illinois that was felt as far east as Ohio and west to Nebraska.
If you're wide awake at that hour there really isn't much of an excuse if you fail to make breakfast. Cinnamon rolls sounded good.
The last time Illinois was rocked by an earthquake I was sitting in my mother's kitchen having a cup of coffee. Suddenly, the dishes in the sink started clanging about.
"It's the cow upstairs taking exercise." she stated, matter of factly.
It wasn't. She didn't like her upstairs neighbour any better after finding out it was an actual earthquake, but it did become a favourite family story.
These cinnamon rolls are not the ones I have in my archives so I'll call them Cinnamon Rolls II. This recipe comes from the Better Homes And Gardens Homemade Bread Book. I've very nearly baked my way thorough that volume and like everything else, this recipe was simple and the results delicious. The only change I made was the addition of 3/4 cup raisins which I plumped in hot water and drained well before using.
You Will Need:
For the dough:
3-4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons regular granulated yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
For the filling/topping:
3/4 cup plumped raisins
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon
icing made from confectioner's sugar and water mixed until smooth
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of the flour and yeast. In a saucepan, heat the butter, sugar, salt and milk until just warmed and the butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm. Add to flour and then add the two eggs. Mix 30 seconds on low speed on a hand mixer and then three minutes on high, scraping sides as needed. By hand, stir in 1 1/2-2 more cups of flour until no longer sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic-about ten minutes. Place in a buttered bowl, turn to coat and cover. let rise until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours).
Punch down dough and divide in two. Cover and let rest ten minutes.
Roll each half into a rectangle and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with Cinnamon sugar and raisins. Roll carefully and seal seam. Cut each half into 12 pieces and place in a well-buttered 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise again until almost doubled 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake rolls 18-25 minutes or until golden. While still hot, spread with sugar glaze.
If you're wide awake at that hour there really isn't much of an excuse if you fail to make breakfast. Cinnamon rolls sounded good.
The last time Illinois was rocked by an earthquake I was sitting in my mother's kitchen having a cup of coffee. Suddenly, the dishes in the sink started clanging about.
"It's the cow upstairs taking exercise." she stated, matter of factly.
It wasn't. She didn't like her upstairs neighbour any better after finding out it was an actual earthquake, but it did become a favourite family story.
These cinnamon rolls are not the ones I have in my archives so I'll call them Cinnamon Rolls II. This recipe comes from the Better Homes And Gardens Homemade Bread Book. I've very nearly baked my way thorough that volume and like everything else, this recipe was simple and the results delicious. The only change I made was the addition of 3/4 cup raisins which I plumped in hot water and drained well before using.
You Will Need:
For the dough:
3-4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons regular granulated yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
For the filling/topping:
3/4 cup plumped raisins
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon
icing made from confectioner's sugar and water mixed until smooth
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of the flour and yeast. In a saucepan, heat the butter, sugar, salt and milk until just warmed and the butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm. Add to flour and then add the two eggs. Mix 30 seconds on low speed on a hand mixer and then three minutes on high, scraping sides as needed. By hand, stir in 1 1/2-2 more cups of flour until no longer sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic-about ten minutes. Place in a buttered bowl, turn to coat and cover. let rise until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours).
Punch down dough and divide in two. Cover and let rest ten minutes.
Roll each half into a rectangle and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with Cinnamon sugar and raisins. Roll carefully and seal seam. Cut each half into 12 pieces and place in a well-buttered 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise again until almost doubled 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake rolls 18-25 minutes or until golden. While still hot, spread with sugar glaze.
Great minds -- I made cinnamon buns today too. Considering the weather is literally freezing and we're expecting snow, it seemed the thing to do.
ReplyDeleteAbout 10 years ago, my husband discovered a former teacher's (she also taught his mother!) recipe when he reshingled her roof and she brought him some buns fresh out of the oven. He came home raving about them and saying how much better they are than his mother's -- something I've never repeated to her.
The recipe is fairly similar to the one in the post, but after the first 20 minutes of baking, you pour a syrup made of 1/2 cup each of butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and orange juice, and bake for 5 minutes more. And I usually make half of the dough with raisins (plumped, of course) and half with pecans. Then my husband likes the lily gilded with cream cheese frosting. I'm happy with pecans and without any frosting, but I just work here...
Oh my. Those buns have all my favourites (orange, brown sugar, cream cheese). They must smell heavenly baking.
ReplyDeleteWow, cinnamon rolls when a 5.4 earthquake hits in IL. n San Fran's "pretty big one" in 1989 (7.1 Richter, and I was *in* SF), I therefore oughtta prolly have cooked the equiv of a Thanksgiving dinner! :-)
ReplyDelete- Raymond