Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

So this was my very first time making homemade cinnamon rolls, and these were heavenly. These may have been the best cinnamon rolls I had ever tasted. Honestly. They turned out so much better than I expected. And all of our neighbors could smell them in our complex. The only thing I would suggest is to half this recipe if you're just making them for a couple of people. We had to give some away to friends because we had about two whole pans of these suckers. They were absolutely DELICIOUS though. Enjoy!

·         1/2 c. very warm water

·         1 T. sugar

·         2 T. yeast

·         1/2 c. melted butter

·         2 eggs

·         2 t. salt

·         1/2 c. sugar

·         1 1/2 c. warm milk

·         5 1/2 c. flour (I usually sneak in about 2 cups whole wheat and then finish it off with unbleached)

·         butter

·         brown sugar

·         sugar

·         cinnamon

Icing

·         butter

·         vanilla

·         milk

·         powdered sugar

1.      Combine water, 1 T. sugar and yeast.  Set aside for 5 minutes to activate.

2.      Mix 1/2 c. sugar, melted butter, eggs, and salt.  Add yeast mixture.

3.      Stir in warm milk.

4.      Add 5 cups flour, 1-2 cups at a time.

5.      Knead dough on a well-floured surface, adding flour as necessary, until dough isn’t sticky.

6.      Let rise until double in a clean, oiled bowl.

7.      Punch down risen dough.  Separate into two pieces.

8.      Roll out dough in a large rectangle.  Spread with softened butter.  Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon.

9.      Roll dough.  Floss dough into about 12 (1-inch) rolls.  Place in 9×13 pan.  Let rise until double.

10.  Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes.  Spread icing while hot.

For icing, melt butter (about 2 T.).  Add 1 tsp. vanilla and 2 T. milk.  Sift powdered sugar into mixture and stir well.  I never measure this.  You can absolutely use more of any ingredient.

Recipe Credit: The Finer Things in Life