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Help with Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls!

CinnamonGirlMT's picture
CinnamonGirlMT

Help with Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls!

While I have never had them (she passed before I was born), my family raves about Grandma's cinnamon rolls yet no one can manage to make them. They have tasked me with making them, and I'm stumped as well. Below is her recipe, as written (the picture was just too hard to read):

 

In large bowl put 1 pkt yeast, T sugar, 1/4 water (warm)

Heat 1 cup milk to extra warm; add 1 cup sugar 1/2 cube butter. Let cool slightly.

Pour over yeast

With wooden spoon pour in flour to make a soft dough - add vanilla or lemon extract. Cover.

Let rise until double.

Pour onto flour board. Mix with rubber spoon. Cover. 

Let rise for 20 minutes.

 

 

There is more of course, but this is the important part as no one can get past the first rise because, well, it never rises. My guess is that she left out kneading after all of the ingredients are mixed before the first rise, but that seems like such a major step to omit that I have to wonder if she knew something we don't? She does omit some other major things too though...like how much flour (this is the full recipe, no separate ingredient list!).

Anyone an expert in interpreting Grandma recipes?! And any ideas why she specifically says to use a wooden spoon in one place and a rubber one in another?

 

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

That one made me chuckle; it reminded me of how my grandma 'measured' ingredients. :)

Let's see. The first step is to prove the yeast (I'm assuming 1/4 cup of water). Once it's bubbling (15 minutes). The milk is heated to 'extra warm' to de-activate the enzymes (also called scalding; usually to almost boiling point). That's a lot of sugar, but not unusual for an old recipe. It needs to cool down substantially before adding it to the yeast or you'll kill the yeast for sure. Maybe 110F or less.

The amount of flour is enough to make a soft dough. I'll leave that one up to you. I'd suggest it is mixed in a bowl with the other ingredients, and with a wooden spoon because that is rigid and makes it easier to mix the soft dough. And yes, I would also do a bit of gentle kneading until the dough is smooth. I don't know about you, but my hands are not strong enough to use a wooden spoon to mix dough to that level of development. I need to knead!

I would interpret "pour onto flour board. Mix with rubber spoon" to mean turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter / bench / board and fold it with a rubber spatula (or your hands). This would be the equivalent of de-gassing, turning, folding or 'punching down', all terms which are used to describe the need to re-distribute the yeasts and gases at some point in the bulk fermentation.

I'm assuming after the second rise that the next step is to roll out the dough, spread the cinnamon, sugar, butter and maybe raisins over the dough, then roll it up, cut it and do the final proof?

CinnamonGirlMT's picture
CinnamonGirlMT

Yep, the rest of the recipe is exactly as you said, just rolling out, adding filling etc.

 

My first theory was that everyone was probably putting the milk in too hot, followed by wondering about the kneading. When I tried today, the yeast proofed perfectly (lucious beautiful foamyness!), I let the milk/butter/sugar mixture cool to 105 degrees and then did about 5 minutes of gentle kneading until the dough was smooth and slightly tacky, but not sticky...and now it’s been sitting in a covered bowl in a 70 degree room for almost an hour without one iota of growth. I’m at a loss!

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

A dough with a lot of butter and milk probably won't 'grow' too much anyway.  Just do the next step (spread it out on a lightly floured board and do a stretch & fold or two, then let it sit for another 20 to 30 minutes). See how it turns out.

CinnamonGirlMT's picture
CinnamonGirlMT

Since I have never had them I can’t say if they live up to the family hype, but they are nice fluffy rolls that baked just how they should have! Thanks!

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

Pictures? :)

CinnamonGirlMT's picture
CinnamonGirlMT
suminandi's picture
suminandi

You should reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup. The amount of sugar in there will seriously inhibit yeast growth. Perhaps be more generous with the filling sugar to make up for the lost sweetness.

CinnamonGirlMT's picture
CinnamonGirlMT

Reduce the total sugar to 1/4 cup, or just reduce the amount that goes into the scalded milk? Thanks!

suminandi's picture
suminandi

The total in the dough should be about 1/4 cup. ( the extra tablespoon in the proofing is fine too). 

You can put however much sugar in the filling that gets rolled with the dough. ?

i see that just waiting also worked. ?

CinnamonGirlMT's picture
CinnamonGirlMT
Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

They look amazing! And I bet they didn't last long. :)

CinnamonGirlMT's picture
CinnamonGirlMT

My hubby thought I was a bit heavy handed with the cinnamon, but I thought they tasted perfect ?