After a short cat nap in the early evening, I made the decision to use my night at home to get ahead of the game by mixing up a double batch of my mother's best ever sweet roll bread recipe. In the spirit of gift giving and family traditions, I embarked on this aggressive endeavor a bit late in the evening for common sense to be involved! (And a double batch, what was I thinking?!)
My mother's recipe is a tried and true favorite, but while studying some new menu options for my Christmas dinner and the days afterward, I came across an adaptation that I decided to try for this year.
A double batch of sweet roll dough is no small amount! 14 cups of flour and a pound of butter later...
A half a pound of butter goes into the yeast dough and the other half pound is waiting for the rolling out process. I soften this portion to the point of spreading with my pastry brush on the soft rolled out dough.
The new addition I mentioned is brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling...
and confectioner's sugar blended with heavy cream lines the bottom of the pan. Yum!
After separating my large dough into six equal parts, I began the rolling out process. The first pan began the final rise while I hurried to get the remaining portions rolled out.
The misfits (small end cuts) get their own special pan for "poison control" as my sister calls them! We always taste these to make sure all is well!
One of the finished pans just out of the oven (many hours later, I might add! I like the new adaptation alright, but am not sure it trumps my mother's old standard!! The recipe calls for baking 20-25 minutes. I baked my first pans for 20 minutes, as they looked browned and not overdone, but when I turned them out, the topping wasn't caramelized. The second pans I baked for the 23 minutes, and this was the result. Better.
...the poison control rolls were put to the test...
Too bad Sneelock already went to bed...I've got quite a project ahead of me to clean up!
Here is the basic sweet roll recipe:
Disolve 2 TBL yeast in 1/2 cup warm water w/2tsp sugar
Melt 1 cube butter; ad 2 cups water and 2/3 cups powdered milk
Put milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tsp salt in Bosch (or Kitchen Aid) dough mixer
Add 3 cups flour and beat well
Add yeast mixture and beat well again.
Add 2 eggs, beat well, very well (till bubbly).
Add another 4 cups flour. Dough will be soft. Transfer to a large mixing bowl that has been brushed with oil, or Pam spray. Cover with a tea towel and set in warm place to rise.
let rise 2 times about 45minutes to 1 hour each (depending on altitude).
Divide dough and roll out into desired shapes (sweet rolls, or cinnamon bread).
Bake in 375 degree oven 20-25 minutes.
*note to self* Start bread making project before 9:00 p.m.
I feel happy that this part of my celebration is ready and waiting.
