Cinnamon Rolls

The food in Alaska has been a bit less than stellar. In fact, some of it has been downright bad. But then the momma, with a little assistance from the poppa, came to the rescue, with the purchase of a five pound bag of flour, a generous container of cinnamon, and a bit of butter. We waited several days to actually make the cinnamon rolls since we were without our own kitchen until we reached Seward. But yesterday morning, these delicious treats emerged from our sketchy oven and made their way quickly into our hungry bellies!

Cinnamon Rolls

Kathy Gondring [Mom]

Makes 10 rolls.

Dough
In a large bowl, mix together:
1 cup water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

One half cup at a time, mix in:
about 2 cups flour
Kneed dough for about ten minutes, so that it is soft and tacky. Cover and let rise until dough has doubled in height, about 90 minutes. The warmer the room, the faster the rise, so rise time will depend upon the temperature of your kitchen.

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.

Filling
In a small bowl, use a fork make a crumbly paste:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Set aside until ready to use.

Punch down the dough and roll out into a 12x18 inch rectangle. Use a spatula to spread the filling over the dough. Roll dough into a long cylinder. Cut the roll into 3/4 inch pieces with a very sharp serrated knife - or even better, unwaxed unflavored dental floss.

Place rolls in buttered casserole dish. Place in the refrigerator and let rise overnight.

In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature about 2 hours.

Preheat oven 350º

Let rolls bake for 20 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, prepare icing.

Icing
In a medium bowl, combine:
2 cups confectionary sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
If the icing is too thick, add a little more milk until the consistency feels right. Use a spoon to drizzle over the warm rolls. Serve immediately.

Eat up!