Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Sorry for the off-color picture...I only snapped a photo with my camera phone to gloat to my facebook friends. Ha!

A few years back, I took a cooking class. Women from my church brought their own recipes and then taught us how to make them. One week we made potstickers (chinese dumplings...delicious!!!), one week we made the BEST strawberry and walnut spinach salad and one week we made these amazing homemade cinnamon rolls. To.die.for. Don't let this recipe scare you...it's really quite simple! And don't let the use of yeast scare you--so many times I see and hear people shy away from recipes that use yeast simply because they're unfamiliar with it. Don't be scared!

This recipe makes 2 dozen rolls (unless you make them a bit larger) - the rolls in the photo above are all from one batch!

Cinnamon rolls:

• 2 packs yeast (2-1/4 tsp = 1 pack)
• 1/2 cup warm water (not hot)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon mace or nutmeg
• 1-1/2 cups warm milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2-3 cups of flour, more as needed
• 1/4 cup melted butter (add more as needed)
• Cinnamon & sugar

Glaze:

• 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar
• 1/4-1/2 cup milk, adding more as needed (more milk = thinner glaze)
• I have also substituted just a titch of coffee before...mm-mmm!

How to do it:

1. Mix water and yeast together. 
2. Add sugar and salt and mix well.
3. Add milk, eggs and mace/nutmeg.
4. Add flour and oil and stir well. Continue to add flour until your dough is no longer sticky.
5. Pour out onto a well-floured counter and knead.
6. Place in well-oiled bowl, oil top of dough and cover with a warm, wet towel.
7. Let the dough ride until it has doubled in size, punch down and let it rise for a second time.
8. When the dough is ready, roll out into a rectangular shape. Brush your dough with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar mixture.
9. Roll the dough into a log and slice into rolls with a dough scraper. Arrange in a pan (or two) and bake at 350 until golden.
10. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with (more) butter.
11. Drizzle with glaze or your favorite icing and ENJOY!

See?! Easy as pie! (Errr...rolls.)

A big thanks to Shawna Williams for sharing her recipe! She's such a gem!