Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients
2 cups scalded milk 
½ cup sugar
½ cup oil
2 teas. Salt
2 eggs
½ cup cool water
2 T yeast
7 cups flour

Filling
½ cup butter
1 ¼ cup sugar (brown makes it more caramelly or white or both)
1 ¾ teas. cinnamon

Tips & Directions

• Easily scald milk by pouring it into a quart jar and microwave until it foams on top.
• Pour milk into mixer bowl and add oil & sugar. Mix until sugar is well dissolved. Turn off mixer and sprinkle yeast on top of mixture. Cover and let proof (bubble) 
• Once proofed start mixer and add cold water to cool the mixture so as to be able to add the eggs without cooking them.
• Beat eggs in a small bowl and then add to the mixer.
• Add 6 cups of flour to the mixture.
• Sprinkle salt over the flour ~DON’T FORGET THE SALT~. Do not add the salt before the flour, adding salt directly to the yeast risks a chance of killing the yeast.
• Mix the flour into the rest of the mixture and form dough. 
• Add additional flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. 
• When working with dough that is intended for a pastry type food it is important to keep the dough as sticky as possible and still be able to work with it.
• When the dough has reached the desired consistency, mix it further to develop gluten. It is a common misconception that over mixing/kneading yeast bread makes for tough bread. However the dough must be mixed/kneaded sufficient to develop the gluten and be chewy. Mix/knead for approximately 6 minutes, then spray your hands with PAM and cut a golf ball size piece of dough. Roll it into a ball and allow it to cool a bit, if it is warm the test doesn’t work right. Then stretch it between your fingers. This is called the “Stretch a Window” test. If you can stretch the dough until light passes through it then you know that the gluten is sufficiently developed, if not, continue mixing/kneading. Check the dough every minute or so until it passes the window test. IF after 12 minutes the test isn’t passing it is best to give it up and move forward.
• Spray the top of the dough with PAM, loosely cover and let rise till double. Two hours or more.
• Using PAM instead of flour prevents the rolls from becoming too dry and it is easier to clean up.
• Punch down dough. This can be accomplished by turning on your mixer for a few seconds.
• Spray the counter with PAM and Roll dough in a rectangle. Decide where you will start rolling. Rolling it long ways will yield more, smaller rolls while rolling it width ways will yield fewer, larger rolls.
• Spread filling over dough; leave the end opposite where you will start your roll without filling, about a ½ inch in. Spread filling to the very edge of the other 3 sides.
• Roll from end and as you roll pull back to make the roll tighter. When the dough is all rolled up pinch the ends closed and then pinch the uncovered edge to the roll. If there is filling it is harder to pinch closed.
• When all closed up, use dental floss or thread to slice rolls. Slide floss under roll, criss cross around the roll and slice through.
• Place on baking sheet. I fit 12-16 on a normal size cookie sheet. 
• Let rise 45 min-1 hour
• Bake at 350* until golden brown on top. About 12-20 minutes depending on size and how tightly packed they are.
• Frost with your favorite Cream Cheese Frosting. For variety use maple extract instead of vanilla in frosting.


Paula Dean's Cream Cheese Frosting 
1 lb cream cheese
1 cup butter
1-2 teas. Vanilla
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
Let cream cheese & butter come to room temperature. Whip with mixer till light and fluffy, add vanilla, then add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

I put in a zip-loc bag, clip corner, and frost.