Uncle Stutzman's Favorite Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade cinnamon rolls are a staple of Amish culinary culture. Really, what can be more basic than flour, butter, cinnamon, and eggs? Those are the basic building blocks of a good homemade cinnamon roll and the Amish have perfected numerous variations. Admittedly, most of us couldn't pack away cinnamon rolls each morning for breakfast, but the hard-working Amish will burn off whatever breakfast calories they eat, so might as well make it a sinful cinnamon roll. This is a classic caramel-iced Amish cinnamon roll from an Amish woman in Kentucky that makes a roll similar to the one pictured (which I bought at an Amish bakery).
Homemade cinnamon rolls are a staple of Amish culinary culture. Really, what can be more basic than flour, butter, cinnamon, and eggs? Those are the basic building blocks of a good homemade cinnamon roll and the Amish have perfected numerous variations. Admittedly, most of us couldn't pack away cinnamon rolls each morning for breakfast, but the hard-working Amish will burn off whatever breakfast calories they eat, so might as well make it a sinful cinnamon roll. This is a classic caramel-iced Amish cinnamon roll from an Amish woman in Kentucky that makes a roll similar to the one pictured (which I bought at an Amish bakery).
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 6 cups bread flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 stick butter
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- for the filling:
- for the rolls:
- 2 teaspoons sugar plus 2/3 cup, divided
- 2 packages yeast 0.25 ounce packets
- 4 whole eggs beaten
- â…” cup butter melted
- 1 cup homemade or instant mashed potato
- for the caramel frosging:
- Carbohydrate 1876.23272399053 g
- Cholesterol 2123.96875008356 mg
- Fat 224.243928434742 g
- Fiber 41.4872229687271 g
- Protein 211.943827957097 g
- Saturated Fat 118.515763116411 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (3150g)
- Sodium 3703.03594942775 mg
- Sugar 1834.7455010218 g
- Trans Fat 25.3534741364293 g
- Calories 10305 calories
Step-by-step
- For the rolls, mix together 2 teaspoons sugar, warm water, and the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Mix together the rest of the roll ingredients in a large bowl and add the yeast mixture gently. Cover dough and let rise until double in size. (This usually takes around 2 hours.)
- While the dough is rising, make the filling. In a small dish mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Once it’s finished rising, roll out dough in a rectangular shape to about 1/4 inch thickness. Spread with the melted butter and the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Roll up and cut into 1-inch slices. Place slices approximately 1 inch apart on a baking sheet greased with melted margarine. Let rise for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20- 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the rolls are baking, go ahead and make the caramel frosting. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in the brown sugar and salt. Cook on low for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add milk. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool and then add the powdered sugar.
- Spread a thin layer on the rolls once they have cooled off.
Incorporating mashed potatoes into a sweet dough changes the internal crumb structure by introducing extra starch and moisture that resist staling. Bread flour supplies the necessary gluten network to trap expanding gases during fermentation without tearing under the weight of butter and sugar. Managing this balance requires close attention to temperature and technique.
- Activate dry yeast in water measuring between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent thermal shock while ensuring rapid cell multiplication.
- Allow the initial bulk fermentation to proceed until the dough volume doubles completely, which generally takes about two hours in a draft-free environment.
- Roll the dough to an even thickness of one-quarter inch to maintain uniform spiral spacing and prevent dense raw centers after baking.
- Whisk the caramel frosting ingredients over low heat for precisely two minutes to dissolve the brown sugar crystals before incorporating the powdered sugar.
Staggering the preparation steps allows the dough to rise during downtime without disrupting the baking schedule. Proper cooling prevents the caramel icing from liquefying on contact with the pastry.
