cinnamon rolls

Cinnamon rolls have always been a favorite of mine. As a child, on occasion, my parents would treat me and my siblings to Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. Most kids would probably start with a half, maybe end up eating a whole. I ate 2! I ended up sick on the way home. That didn't taint my love for the sweet rolls of goodness! Here is my tried and true recipe:

Rolls:
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2/3 cup sugar +1tsp sugar
1 cup warm milk
2/3 cup butter melted
2 tsp salt
2 eggs slightly beaten
7 cups of flour

Filling:
3/4 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp cinnamon

Icing:
4 oz butter
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:
In measuring cup dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in warm water. (I can tell the water is just right when I can swirl my finger in it and not be scalded.) You will know your yeast is active when it bubbles and becomes foamy.

In mixing bowl with paddle attachment combine 3 cups flour, salt, milk, butter, eggs and yeast mixture. Beat on med-high until well combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl and change attachment to dough hook. Add additional 3 cups flour. Knead and add additional flour as kneaded to create slightly sticky, ropy dough. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and turn dough a couple of times to create a smooth, elastic ball. Place in buttered bowl, cover and let rise 2 hours or until doubled.

Roll out dough into a 15"x20" rectangle. Spread softened butter over entire rectangle. generously sprinkle filling onto dough. Roll up dough. Cut into rolls approx 1 1/2" thick. (I use dental floss to cut my rolls. Get a strip of dental floss. Slide under dough gently. Cross the floss to create an 'X' and pull tight. Voila!) Place rolls in buttered pan butting rolls up against each other to encourage upward rising. Cover and let rise 1-2 hours, until just reaching the top of the pan. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, generously top with the icing and then devour these delicious rolls!

These can also be made the evening before if you wish to serve them for breakfast. Once you roll them up and place them in the pan, refrigerate over night and then follow through with the rising in the morning. You may have to add an additional 30-45 minutes to the rising time though. Or, if you keep your house cool as I we do at night (60-65 degrees) you can prepare them right before bed and let rise overnight. (So long as your house is cool, they shouldn't rise too much.) Then bake them as soon as you wake up!