Simply Sweet Cinnamon Rolls!

Along the lines of my last post - this one is dedicated to my mom. As noted previously, my mom was not really "into" baking. Cooking was done in order to feed the family. She did not enjoy cooking or working in the kitchen (for me, cooking/baking is like therapy/stress relief - nothing better than handing over the boys to Eli after a long day and making some cookies or something!). BUT, she did and still does make some killer cinnamon rolls!

Although she is notorious for not following recipes in an exact manner, my mom does carefully measure and make bread in order for it to turn out right. Therefore, this was one recipe that I was actually able to copy down and not hear a "well, I just put a little of this, and little of that"!

I can't tell you the number of times that my mom, my younger sister, or I have brought this cinnamon rolls to a shower or event, and gotten rave reviews. YUM. That's all there is to say. And although Jonah does not eat any other type of yeast bread, he devours Cinnamon Rolls.

The recipe is not unique. Probably almost the same to many others. But, if you have never tried to make homemade cinnamon rolls, or a recipe that you attempted previously just did not turn out well, I'd love for you to get these ones a try!

My Mother's Cinnamon Rolls

1/2 c. water
3/4 c. milk
1 T. yeast
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
3-4 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt

*Warm milk and water together. Pour into mixing bowl and add yeast and sugar. Give a swirl and let the yeast proof for about 5 min. Add in butter, egg, and 1 c. of flour. Mix well. Add rest of flour and salt in 1 c. increments, kneading until you get a slightly sticky dough. Knead an additional 2-3 min. Place in greased bowl and let rise until doubled - about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let rest 10 min. Roll out to about 14x10 or so (I just have this large cutting board that I roll out on until I get to the edges all around). Spread with 6 T. of softened butter or margarine, 1/8. c. white sugar, 1/4 c. brown sugar, and LOTS of ground cinnamon (I never measure this, just sprinkle over liberally until everything looks good and covered)!. Roll up and cut until 12 rolls. Place in greased 9x13, cut sides up. Let rise until doubled, and then bake at 375 degrees about 20 min - DO NOT OVERBAKE! Just until tops are browning. Pull out of over, and spread with desired glaze or frosting. We prefer cream cheese frosting! Eat, eat, and enjoy!

I did not take pictures to create a tutorial, because there are so many great tutorials already posted, like Gina's. But, here is my finished creation:

And the boy who was eagerly asking all morning when they were going to be done!