Here is the best cinnamon roll recipe you will ever find. This was my Grandma Dow’s special recipe. I am sharing this recipe today in honor of what would have been my grandma Elma Dow’s 100th birthday. She lived a long, full life; 95 years of baking, crocheting, and crafting. This is a recipe she made often to share with neighbors, friends, and family. She knew the recipe by heart, without measurements, just by the look and feel of the dough. It was not until about eight years ago that Elma and my sister Angie put this recipe down on paper in the form it is in now. This cinnamon roll has a delightfully light and soft dough that is wonderful and has a fresh yeasty flavor. Very different from the rolls you buy in the store, there really is no comparison. Be prepared to eat two or three when they come fresh out of the oven.
This is a picture of my Grandma Dow, holding me, sitting next to my cousin Christie.
To start the cinnamon rolls, mix the following ingredients to make the yeast mixture in a bowl: 1/2 cup warm water (temp. the water to 100-110 degrees), 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons yeast (or two packages). Stir it in the bowl until just mixed and let it sit for 10 minutes. It will foam up quite a bit. The reason you check the temperature of the water is to make sure that it is not too warm so it does not kill the yeast, but that it is warm enough to activate it.
Next, on the stovetop in a saucepan you can make your butter mixture, you warm 2 cups of milk, 1/2 cup of softened butter, 1/2 cup of sugar with it heaping in the cup and 1 teaspoon salt. Heat the mixture until warm about 100-110 degrees.
After your yeast mixture has sat for 10 min (it will be foamed up) and your butter mixture is warm, stir the two mixtures together in a mixer with dough hooks.
Now beat two eggs in a bowl and pour them in your mixer and mix until combined.
Now it is time to add the flour to your mixture. Slowly add 8 cups of flour, mixing as you add the flour.
Put the dough into a large, butter greased bowl and flip the dough around so the butter gets on all the sides of the dough.
Cover the bowl with a clean dish cloth and put the bowl with dough in it in a warm spot in your kitchen and let it rise for 1 hour or more. After the hour has passed, the dough will have rose up in the bowl like this.
Knock the dough down. That means use your hands and hit the air out of the dough. Sprinkle some flour on your counter and start rolling out the dough. Roll it out to about 24 inches in length.
Butter the dough with your softened butter.
Sprinkle sugar all over the buttered dough.
Then sprinkle with cinnamon.
Roll the dough up.
Cut the dough in one inch slices.
Put the slices on a greased cookie sheet to rise.
Let the dough rise one hour or more in a warm spot until the rolls are light. They will look like this.
Bake the rolls in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. When the rolls are done, they will be golden brown.
Now it is time to frost the rolls. You can make a batch of Buttercream Frosting. All you need to do is mix your 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 cup butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Mix until it is smooth.
Frost your rolls with a butter knife while they are hot.
Now it is time to sit back with a cold glass of milk and enjoy your rolls.
Remember these rolls are preservative free, which means you need to freeze what you don’t eat that first day so you can enjoy them for days to come with the same fresh taste and soft texture.
- (Yeast Mixture)
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons yeast (or 2 packages)
- --------------------
- (Butter Mixture)
- 2 cups of milk
- 1/2 cup (heaping) sugar
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- --------------------
- 2 beaten eggs
- 8 cups flour
- --------------------
- (Filling)
- 1/2 cup butter to spread on dough
- 1/2 cup sugar to sprinkle on dough
- Cinnamon to sprinkle on dough
- To start the cinnamon rolls, mix the following ingredients to make the yeast mixture in a bowl 1/2 cup warm water (temp. the water to 100-110 degrees), 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons yeast (or two packages). Stir it in the bowl until just mixed and let it sit for 10 minutes. It will foam up quite a bit. The reason you check the temperature of the water is to make sure that it is not too warm so it does not kill the yeast, but that it is warm enough to activate it.
- Next, on the stovetop in a saucepan you can make your butter mixture, you warm 2 cups of milk, 1/2 cup of softened butter, 1/2 cup of sugar with it heaping in the cup and 1 teaspoon salt. Heat the mixture until warm about 100-110 degrees. After your yeast mixture has sat for 10 min (it will be foamed up) and your butter mixture is warm, stir the two mixtures together in a mixer with dough hooks.
- Now beat two eggs in a bowl and pour them in your mixer and mix until combined. Now it is time to add the flour to your mixture. Slowly add 8 cups of flour, mixing as you add the flour.
- Put the dough into a large, butter greased bowl and flip the dough around so the butter gets on all the sides of the dough. Cover the bowl with a clean dish cloth and put the bowl with dough in it in a warm spot in your kitchen and let it rise for 1 hour or more. After the hour has passed, the dough will have rose up in the bowl. Knock the dough down. That means use your hands and hit the air out of the dough. Sprinkle some flour on your counter and start rolling out the dough. Roll it out to about 24 inches in length.
- Butter the dough with your softened butter. Sprinkle sugar all over the buttered dough. Then sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll the dough up. Cut the dough in one inch slices. Put the slices on a greased cookie sheet to rise. Let the dough rise one hour or more in a warm spot until the rolls are light.
- Bake the rolls in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. When the rolls are done, they will be golden brown.
- Now it is time to frost the rolls. You can make a batch of Buttercream Frosting. All you need to do is mix your 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 cup butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix until it is smooth. Frost your rolls with a butter knife while they are hot.
- Remember these rolls are preservative free, which means you need to freeze what you don't eat that first day so you can enjoy them for days to come with the same fresh taste and soft texture.
- 1 lb. powdered sugar (or 3 3/4 cups)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- All you need to do is mix your 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 cup butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mixer until smooth.
