Cinnamon Rolls

I am a big sucker for homemade pastries... emphasis on the big. I don't have a lot of time to make them, as most are very much time consuming.... but every once in awhile, the craving hits me for one of those HOT and FRESH, out of the oven delights. And I have to give in, simply have to. Well, ok, maybe I don't have to, but I do.

Anyway, so one of those cravings hit me this week, and it happened to be for some cinnamon rolls. There is only one recipe that I have ever used for cinnamon rolls, I have been using it for several years. I actually got it out of a fiction book based back in frontier days and this lady had a bakery and she made these, and... ok, back to the cinnamon rolls... In this recipe was an optional filling that I had never seen before, chocolate chips rather than nuts with the cinnamon sugar. I wasn't sure how it would taste, but I tried it, and LOVED it. Some people are not a fan of

cinnamon rolls with chocolate chips, and if that's the case, you don't have to put them on the whole thing, or even at all. Cinnamon sugar works well by itself. I often put chocolate chips on half and leave the other half with just the cinnamon sugar.

These things may look difficult, but they aren't really. Just time consuming. In fact, it's really easy, when you get right down to it. Just try them, you'll love them.

Dough:

2 packages yeast (or 2 tblsp)

1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 cup warm water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shortnening

1 tblsp salt

2 eggs, slightly beaten

6 cups flour

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

2-4 tsp softened butter

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup pecans (optional)

1/2 chocolate chips (optional)

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Dissolve yeast and 1/4 cup sugar in water. Set aside.

In saucepan, scald milk (don't quite boil it, but heat till it's bubbly around the edges.) Add shortening, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Stir until shortening is melted. Cool until just warm to the touch. (Here, I must say that I do not scald the milk, but rather put the milk , shortening, sugar, and salt into the microwave until the shortening has started to melt. Then I let it cool a little before dumping it into the yeast.) Add to the yeast mixture. Add eggs; stir well. Add 3 cups flour; stir until mixture is smooth and well blended. Add 3 more cups flour, or as much as is needed to make a soft but easily handled dough.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (I use the KitchenAid hook to knead, but I do have to knead it by hand for a couple minutes if it becomes too much for the machine.) Place dough in greased bowl, turning to greased top. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft free place until double. Punch dough down and let stand 10 minutes (ooops, forgot that 10 minutes last time I made these, and they still tasted good:)

Roll dough into 15x10 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter or margarine. For filling, combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over dough. If desired, sprinkle optional ingredients over the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll dough up from long side, jelly-roll fashion; pinch edge to seal. Slice into about fifteen 1-inch slices.

Arrange slices in a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise again until doubled in bulk. The past few times that I have made them, I have put them in the pan, and then put them in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning, I take them out and let them sit for half an hour before putting them in the oven. I've heard it's not good to put cold glass into a hot oven, so I obey...for once:).This way, you get fresh rolls for breakfast.

Preheat oven to 375F. Bake rolls about 20-30 minutes. They should be lightly browned both top and bottom. Cool in pan wire rack for 5 minutes; drizzle with glaze.

(I will post more pics later)