I frosted these rolls while they were still warm, but not right out of the oven. Let them cool off just a bit.
I ate one immediately; I'm weak when it comes to warm cinnamon rolls-very, very weak! These were fantastic and made my husband so happy. I hope you'll give them a try when the craving hits you.
In this recipe, I changed the margarine to butter, made more filling and gave more directions for making these delicious rolls. There just wasn't enough directions for someone who might want to make cinnamon rolls for the first time. This may look like a long recipe, but it's easy and comes together quickly.
Amish Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting
adapted from a recipe at Tasty Kitchen
Ingredients:
For the rolls:
2 teaspoons plus 2/3 cup of sugar-divided
1 cup warm water
2 packages yeast, 0.25 (1/4) ounce packets
4 whole eggs, beaten
2/3 cup melted salt-free butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup homemade mashed potatoes-room temperature
about 6 cups bread flour- you may not use all of it
For the filling:
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 6 tablespoons softened butter
For the Caramel Frosting:
1 stick butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk - I used around 2 more tablespoons to thin down the frosting some
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
1. For the rolls, mix the 2 teaspoons of sugar, warm water and yeast together in a bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. It will get bubbly.
2. In a large bowl, combine the beaten eggs, the remaining 2/3 cup sugar, melted butter and the mashed potatoes and combine well.
3. Stir the yeast mixture into the egg mixture. Now add 2 cups of bread flour and combine well.
4. Add more flour, 1 cup at a time, combining well after each addition. When you add the fifth cup, dough will be less sticky so add only as much flour as needed to form dough into a ball. I used about 5 1/2 cups flour, but used the rest while kneading the dough and rolling it out.
5. Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough just until it all comes together in a smooth ball. Add extra flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking to your work area. Place dough in a large bowl and let rise until doubled. Directions say 2 hours, but mine was ready in 1 hour 30 minutes.
6. When dough has risen, punch it down in the bowl, deflating the air. Knead a few times on a lightly floured surface. Now you can roll out all the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness, but I cut the dough in half and worked with half of it at a time. In my small kitchen, that was easier for me. Try to roll the dough into a rectangular shape. I rolled each half of my dough into approximately a 20 in. by 16 inch rectangle.
7. In a small bow, mix together the filling ingredients-the brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.
8. Spread the softened butter gently over the rolled out dough; sprinkle the filling ingredients over the rolled out dough and lightly press into the dough.
9. Starting at the edge closest to you, begin rolling up the dough. Continue until it's all rolled and then try pinching the edge to seal it. Cut this roll into sections. I made 28 rolls; that fit 7 rolls into each of my four, 9 inch round pans. So, I cut the long roll in half, then each half in half again, and kept going until I had 28 fairly even sections of rolls. Place each roll in a greased pan (I used 4 round pans). Cover with clean towels and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pans of rolls in the oven and bake until golden, 20-25 minutes.
10. While the rolls are baking make the frosting. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt. Cook for about 2 minutes; mixture will be grainy. Add the milk and cook for about 30 seconds until no longer grainy.. Remove pan from heat and add the vanilla. Stir in the powdered sugar and let cool. (If the powdered sugar is lumpy, you may need to sift it, or use an electric mixer to beat it until smooth).
11. Remove the rolls from the oven. Let cool slightly.
12. Frost the rolls. If the frosting is too thick, add a bit of milk to thin it to the desired consistency.
Enjoy the fruit of your labor!
NOTE: These rolls could be baked in a large baking sheet also. I also think that 3 round pans could be used; it would just make larger rolls.
