Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls

• Serves: 6-10
• Prep Time: 1.5 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm milk
• 3 packets of dry yeast (not fast rising)
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 7 - 71/2 cups flour
• Filling-1 cube softened butter
• Filling-1 cup white sugar
• Filling-2 cups dark brown sugar
• Filling-1 cup raisins
• Filling-1 cup or more chopped pecans
• Filling-couple good TBSP's cinnamon

Instructions

*using a bread making machine to cheat on time of kneading :)
Use dough phase
Put into bread maker in this order:
2 cups warm milk
... 3 packets of dry yeast (not fast rising)
or 2 cakes compressed fresh yeast (cakes are 1 ounce each) that has been crumbled into and soaked in 1/2 cup of the warm milk first, until it begins to bubble up
1/2 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
7 - 71/2 cups flour

If you have no break maker then use a tradition method of making the dough using this same recipe.

Set bread maker to dough where it will mix then knead the dough and allow to rise once. (takes 1 1/2 hours)
grease large bowl with lid like the super big tupperware bowl- plop risen dough into this bowl and punch down, turning once to allow the greased bottom to be on top- let rise again until double in size - usually about an hour - punch down and allow to rise 30 minutes while you get pans prepared- you can usually get 3 pie plates of rolls from one batch. Generously grease pie pans with butter- use a good coating on the bottom if you intend on making the pecan rolls- like a well butter slice of bread.
Pat dough out on well floured table- into a rectangle shape and allow to sit for 15 minutes to rest or you will never get it rolled out right- then roll it out about 1/2 inch thick in a rectangle that is about PC keyboard size
(10x18)?

Roll dough out on floured surface- after it is rolled into a nice rectangle about 1/2 inch thick in this basic size- smear the softened butter evenly on the entire surface - you can use a bit more if you like - sometimes I do.

Evenly sprinkle the white sugar on the entire surface not to forget getting it close the the edges, or the outside rolls will have no filling - do the same with the brown sugar - and cinnamon, and raisins (if your raisins are kinda hard or dry- before you add them to the dough topping, soak them for a few minutes in hot water, squeeze out the excess water and sprinkle them on the dough. Roll them up lengthwise so you end up with a roll the longest length you have- roll tightly as possible so you don't have gaps and when you have it rolled nicely pinch the edge of the dough to the roll to get it to stay closed. -
Roll the entire roll onto the "seam" and then with a sharp knife cut the roll into pinwheels about an inch thick leaving them in a line until you are all done and ready to place them in the pans. This should make about 18 rolls. Figure 6 per pan. If you don't want to make the pecan rolls, then just place the cut rolls on their sides in the pan one in the center and the other 5 around it- sprinkle the top with additional sugar and cinnamon. If you are making pecan rolls- before you place the rolls in the pan, put about a cup of dark brown sugar in the bottom of the well buttered pie pan coating it evenly- add the pecan pieces - Then place the rolls on this- when you have all the rolls in the pans, place a paper towel over them and allow to sit in a warm kitchen for 30 minutes to rise in the pan.

Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes. The rolls will rise more in the oven- remove from oven and immediately flip the pan upside down on a large piece of foil - let sit for a couple minutes (but no longer or you will have a stuck mess) before removing the pan to allow all the sugar on the bottom to release from the pan and end up on the rolls - allow to cool a few minutes and then close up the foil tightly - or eat. The pecan rolls will have the pecan brown sugar glaze on the bottom - no need to ice these type of rolls as they are sweet and rich enough without a glaze. If you plan ahead, you can make a few batches and foil them up - place each pan of rolls in foil and in a gallon sized zip lock and freeze. They keep well- and are best warmed in the oven not the microwave.