Aunt Linda's Cinnamon Rolls and Cinnamon Bread

Cinnamon Rolls –

This makes 2 jelly roll pans or more (cookie sheets) of rolls.

Bread:

4 ½ - 5 ½ cups flour (see instructions below)

½ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoon salt

2 packages yeast

½ cup milk

½ cup water

¼ cup butter

2 eggs

Topping:

Melted butter

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Icing:

1/3 cup softened butter

3 cup confectioner’s sugar

About 3 Tablespoons cream (milk)

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

Blend butter and sugar together.  Stir in cream (milk) and vanilla until smooth.  Add milk if needed.

Bread:

• Eggs should be room temperature.  If refrigerated, set them out before starting this recipe.
• In a large bowl: stir together 1 ½ cups flour and dry ingredients
• Warm butter, milk, and water together in the microwave or on the stove.  (I usually soften the butter and then add the water and milk.) Check temperature by putting a drop on your wrist like you would check milk for a baby.  It should be warm, but not hot!
• Mix dry ingredients with milk/margarine.  After blended together, continue to mix for 2 more minutes.
• Add eggs one at a time and mix.  
• Add flour, a little at a time, to make a stiff dough.  Do not add all of the flour. Just enough to make the batter start to cling to the beaters.  After blended together, continue to mix for 2 more minutes.
• Put enough flour on a pastry sheet so that the batter won’t stick.  Knead, adding flour as needed so that the batter doesn’t stick. Continue to knead until well mixed.
• Grease a large bowl.  Add batter (in a ball shape).  Turn batter over so that it is greased lightly on all sides.  Let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. (I put it inside the oven, which is not turned on, with a cup of boiling water set to the side.  Do not put the water in the dough!)
• After it has doubled in size, remove it from the oven, make a fist, and punch it down in the center. Pull the edges toward the center.  Place the dough on a lightly floured pastry sheet. Knead enough to reshape into a ball. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes.  Cut into 2 pieces. If there are bubbles in the dough, remove them by squeezing them with your fingers.
• Roll one piece into a 9 x 15 rectangle.   
• Brush with melted butter.  Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle generously over the butter.  Roll into a jelly roll shape (15 inches long)
• Prepare jelly roll pans by lining with parchment paper or lightly greasing.  Cut jelly roll into one inch pieces using kitchen scissors or dental floss. Space apart like when you make cookies.
• Repeat the last three steps with the other half of the dough.
• Place in the oven, NOT turned on, with a cup of boiling water on the side.  Let raise for an hour or until doubled in size.
• Remove the pans from the oven, and set them on the countertop while preheating the oven. 
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  (Bake one pan at a time. Two can be baked at a time if you have a convection oven and space the racks accordingly.)
• After baking, remove rolls from pan and cool on wire racks.  
• Frost when completely cooled.

Cinnamon Bread -

Makes 2 loaves – (You will need a large mixing bowl and 2 bread pans for this recipe)

Bread:

4 ½ to 5 ½ cups flour (see instructions below)

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package yeast

1 ¼ cup milk

¼ cup butter 

2 eggs

Topping: 

Melted butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

Bread:

• Eggs should be room temperature.  If refrigerated, set them out before starting this recipe.
• In a large bowl: stir together 1 ½ cups flour and dry ingredients
• Warm butter and milk together in the microwave or on the stove.  (I usually soften the butter and then add the milk.) Check temperature by putting a drop on your wrist like you would check milk for a baby.  It should be warm, but not hot!
• Mix dry ingredients with milk/margarine.  After blended together, continue to mix for 2 more minutes.
• Add eggs one at a time and mix.  
• Add flour, a little at a time, to make a stiff dough.  Do not add all of the flour. Just enough to make the batter start to cling to the beaters.  After blended together, continue to mix for 2 more minutes.
• Put enough flour on a pastry sheet so that the batter won’t stick.  Knead, adding flour as needed so that the batter doesn’t stick. Continue to knead until well mixed.
• Grease a large bowl.  Add batter (in a ball shape).  Turn batter over so that it is greased lightly on all sides.  Let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. (I put it inside the oven, which is not turned on, with a cup of boiling water set to the side.  Do not put the water in the dough!)
• After it has doubled in size, remove it from the oven, make a fist, and punch it down in the center. Pull the edges toward the center.  Place the dough on a lightly floured pastry sheet. Knead enough to reshape into a ball. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes.  Cut into 2 pieces. If there are bubbles in the dough, remove them by squeezing them with your fingers.
• Roll one piece into a 9 x 12 rectangle.   
• Brush with melted butter.  Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle generously over the butter.  Fold in thirds or roll. Place in greased and floured loaf pan with the seam on the bottom of the pan.  Gently press down to cover the bottom of the pan.  
• Repeat the last two steps with the other half of the dough.
• Place both in the oven, NOT turned on, with a cup of boiling water on the side.  Let raise for an hour or until doubled in size.
• Remove the bread from the oven.  Set it on the countertop while preheating the oven. 
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  When it is up to temperature, put the bread in.  Bake about 30 minutes. (I cover with an aluminum foil tent for the last 10 minutes of baking.)
• Set on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then remove from pans.
• If you like the crust to be soft, brush with butter while hot.  

Let cool before cutting.