Cinnamon Rolls

I wanted to share Elizabeth's cinnamon roll recipe on here.  This way it will be nicely typed out, even for me, since what I use, I hand-wrote on the back of a piece of scrap paper a million years ago (okay, not really, but it seems like it)!

I'm not the best at yeast doughs, but this recipe has always turned out well for me.  Plus it tastes delicious!  I usually make these at least for Christmas morning, which is definitely something the kids look forward to.  The recipe makes up 2 big pans of rolls.  The dough fits well in my Electrolux Assistent and Elizabeth's Bosch, but it would not fit in a KitchenAid, I don't think--for sure not a 5 qt. one.

If I was one of those fancy food bloggers, I would have a bunch of artistic pictures of a cinnamon roll from different angles and in different stages of preparation, but I'm not--and the pan Anna made on Thursday is long gone, so I no longer have any "models".  Alas.  You'll just have to make your own!

Elizabeth's Cinnamon Rolls

1 c. warm water
2 tsp. sugar
2T yeast
1 c. flour

Proof together for 5 minutes.

4 eggs
1 c. water
2T salt
2 sticks butter or 1 c. oil (I used 1 c. coconut oil)
3/4 c. sugar
9-10 c. flour

Mix these ingredients into the proofed mixture.  Add 6-7 cup of flour slowly, then the last few cups, so that your dough doesn't end up too dry.  Knead for 7-8 minutes.  Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

Punch the dough down, and divide in half.  Roll out each half as thin as you can in a rectangle.

Melt 1 stick of butter; spread on dough all the way out to the edges.
Mix up about 3/4 c. sugar plus 1 tsp. cinnamon, and sprinkle all over the rectangle.
Roll up from he long side.  Use dental floss to cut off 1 1/2 inch slices.  Place on greased cookie sheets or jelly roll pans.

At this step you can go a few different directions.  You can let the rolls rise on the cookie sheet for another hour and then bake them.  You can refrigerate them over night, letting them come to room temperature in the morning for about 30 minutes before baking them.  Or you can even freeze the rolls, putting them back on a cookie sheet and letting them thaw for a day or so before baking them.  That's what I usually do with the second pan, in an attempt to discourage gluttony, LOL.

Bake them at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Frosting (probably enough for both pans)

2 oz. cream cheese
3T butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar
1-3 T milk, depending on consistency

Or if you don't have cream cheese, just use 1 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and enough milk or orange juice to make a good spreading consistency.