Cinnamon Rolls
1 ½ cups lukewarm water
2 packages yeast
6 cups all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon salt
2 sticks of butter
2 eggs
3 Teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ Teaspoons Vanilla
15 ounces of Raisons
8 ounces of walnuts
2 cups brown sugar
1 small bottle Karo syrup
Place water in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let stand for 15 min.
While that is going on, scald milk. Stir in salt, 1 tblspn sugar, and add ½ stick butter. Set aside and let cool.
Now combine 1 ½ cups of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 3 teaspoons of cinnamon. Beat mixture into yeast mix with wooden spoon until free of lumps. Cover with a damp towel and rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. (I use the oven. Just turn it on low for about 10 minutes before you start everything, and then turn it off. It will stay warm for a long enough time)
After the milk mixture has cooled down add the 2 eggs and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla and beat the eggs into the milk. Then take at least a stick and a half of butter and milt it for brushing.
Once the half hour is up, add in the milk mixture into the yeast and mix well. Then add in enough flour to make a soft dough.
Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for about 10 minutes adding flour as needed until it is smooth and elastic. Place in a grease bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Put it back in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 45 min to an hour).
It should look like this:
This is a big bowl!!!!
Next turn into your board and divide it in half.
Roll one out to about 3/8” thick, which will give you a square of about 22-24” x 12-14”.
It doesn’t have to be perfect! Just close enough to be able to roll it up. Next butter the surface and sprinkle on more cinnamon, raisons, half the brown sugar, and drizzle Karo syrup over the whole thing. And make sure you get as close to the edges with everything as you can.
Starting with one edge, slowly roll the thing up and set aside. Then do the next one. If you try and cut it now before you do the other one you will have a big mess on the board and won’t be able to roll out the dough for the next one!
Now cut them into 1 ¼ inch sections and place on a greased dish.
You should get about 30 + or – depending on how you rolled out the dough.
Spacing is something to consider! I spaced these out to make it easier to get them out of the dishes because I was talking them to a dinner. They end up being a little more bready(?) than if you pack them closer together. If they are closer together they will swell into each other and rise in height.
Once they are in the dish, brush the sides of each one with butter. Then place in a warm place to rise for about an hour. Notice that mine have closed the gaps but the bread portion its self is larger than the filling. Crowding them keeps the bread denser.
Now place into a 350 degree oven. After 10 minutes baste the top with butter and drizzle with Karo syrup.
Let cook for another 15 minutes and baste again. Then cook for the last 10-15 minutes to lightly brown. But be careful not to burn the bottom by waiting too long to take them out!
Remove from oven, and if you want remove from dish, but be very careful! Hot caramelized syrup burns and will stick to you!!! But, if you wait till they are cool they are much tougher to get out of the dish.
