As I mentioned in an earlier post, Carl and I do an ethnic heritage dinner on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we eat a yummy breakfast and don't do anything for the rest of the day. The best part is that I make breakfast the day before and just stick it in the oven while we're opening presents. It's great because we get something tasty to eat, and no one has to miss anything! We always make Carl's Aunt Susan's cinnamon rolls. I have never had any difficulty making them, and I'm a huge fan of any recipe that consistently comes out great every time. Also, this recipe has a caramel topping, but you can skip that and frost with cream cheese frosting (which I have also done, and it's also very tasty). So without further ado, enjoy Aunt Susan's cinnamon rolls:
Rolls:
- 1 pkg. yeast (you can use the rapid yeast if you want)
- 1⁄2 c. warm water
- 1⁄2 c. lukewarm milk (not hot)—scalded then cooled a bit
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1/3 c. butter, softened
- 1 t. salt
- 1 egg
- 3 1⁄2 to 4 cups flour (usually closer to or more than 4)
Caramel:
- 1⁄2 c. butter
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 4 T. corn syrup
Filling:
- 4 T. butter, softened
- 1⁄2 sugar mixed with 4 t. cinnamon
Dissolve yeast in warm water by slowly sprinkling it over the water in a 2 cup measure with a 1⁄2 teaspoon of sugar mixed in. Allow to foam so that you know it’s active. Add the milk to this then pour all into the bowl of the Kitchen Aid. Add the sugar, butter, salt, egg, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Add remaining flour half at a time and mix until a ball forms around the paddle (you may need more than 4 but not much more). Knead the dough with the dough hook for about 5 minutes or so—you know, until the dough feels soft like a baby’s cheek (or bum, whichever). (You can knead it by hand on the counter if there’s no Kitchen Aid—that takes about 10 minutes solid, until the dough is smooth and elastic.) Place in a buttered bowl and let rise until doubled. (Use one of the butter wrappers to butter the bowl.) This takes about 1-1 1⁄2 hours.
While the dough is rising, make the caramel: melt the butter in a saucepan, add the brown sugar and corn syrup and stir until combined. Spread this on the bottom of a 13x9 pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Once dough is doubled, punch down, knead a bit so that it hangs together well. Roll out on the bare counter top (don’t flour or it will slide around) to about a ~12x18” rectangle. Spread 4 T. butter over the dough and sprinkle with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up the dough from the long side into a log and pinch the edge to seal. Cut into 12-16 rolls (not that crucial really; score it at the half mark and work it out from there). Place the rolls evenly in the pan on top of the caramel. Let rise until almost double or so. Bake in a preheated 375* oven for about 25 minutes. Flip onto a platter while still warm but watch the caramel, it’s really hot at first.
