Missing Willow Farm

Cinnamon rolls are a holiday staple at our house.  We have them Christmas morning every year.  I tried one year to make them before I went to bed so they would be ready to pop into the oven the next morning but they rose and then fell before I woke up.  Now I just lay out everything I’ll need the night before and get up early to get them going.  This recipe came from a Family Circle magazine probably 15 or 20 years ago.  It was billed as the T.J. Cinnamon’s recipe.  It is so very good, I hope you’ll try it!

Start by dissolving two packages of yeast in 1/2 cup of warm to the touch water and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.  Let it stand for at least 5 minutes to get foamy.  In a mixing bowl, combine 3 cups all purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon salt.   At low speed, gradually add in 1 cup warm milk, 1/3 cup salad oil, 2 eggs and the yeast mixture until well blended.  Slowly add in another 1.5 cups flour and knead the dough for 10 minutes.  I knead mine with a dough hook in my stand mixture but you could knead it by hand on a floured surface.

The dough is smooth and elastic after kneading.  At this point, put it in a bowl with about a tbsp. of oil in it, cover with a clean towel and let it rise for an hour.

While the dough is rising, make the filling.  You’ll need 1/2 stick of butter at room temperature, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon.

Just mix all ingredients until they come together.

Here’s the dough after rising for an hour.  Turn it onto a floured surface.

Roll the dough into a rectangle approx. 18 by 10 inches.

Spread the cinnamon filling on top then roll it up on the long side.  You’ll end up with an 18 inch long log of cinnamon filled dough.  Cut the dough log into 14 equal slices.

Place the slices into greased 9 inch round cake pans.  This recipe makes two pans.

Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes.  Heres what they look like after rising.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (until golden brown).  I remove them from the cake pan after about 10 minutes and glaze with a mixture of 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 1 Tbsp. milk and 1 tsp. vanilla.   I hope you’ll give them at try, they will not disappoint!