Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

It was my turn to take breakfast treats to Sunday School this morning. Bob’s nickname for me is “Over Zealous” for good reason. I decided to tackle homemade cinnamon rolls which I have not made for a very long time. But man do I love to get my hands dirty and make a mess in the kitchen (probably because I have a sweet little elf who comes in behind me and cleans up after me). This recipe is not hard but it is time consuming and very therapeutic if you are like me and baking is your stress reliever (after prayer of course!).  So tackle them some day when you have time to enjoy it. You can make them ahead and freeze before baking. They will keep at least a month in the freezer. Then……wa-la………..you can pop them out when you have company and man do they make the house smell good. Enjoy~! 

Jailhouse Potato-Cinnamon Rolls

(from Rebecca Rather’s Pastry Queen)

2 medium russet potatoes

peeled, quartered, boiled and mashed

reserve 3 cups of potato water

1 oz active dry yeast (4 packages)

3/4 cup sugar

1tsp sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp salt

9 cups flour

filling:

4 cups toasted pecans

(in 350 oven on a cookie sheet in a single layer for 9 minutes)

4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 sticks butter, melted

icing:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Prepare two 9X13 disposable foil pans by greasing using butter or Pam.

After boiling the potatoes, set aside 3 cups of the potato water and let cool to 110 degrees using a candy thermometer, or to the temp of hot water coming out of the faucet. Mash potatoes in a large bowl, set aside.

Sprinkle yeast over the water, stir until dissolved, add 1 tsp. sugar. Allow to rest for 5 minutes until foamy.

Whisk the mashed potatoes and 3/4 cup sugar and melted butter, eggs , salt and potato water in a large bowl. Add the flour 3 cups at a time stirring with a spoon. Place the dough in a large greased bowl.

Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Leaving the dough in the bowl, flour your hands and punch it down until it deflates. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. At this point the dough can be refrigerated until the next day. You can proceed from here, but it is easier to handle the dough after it has chilled.

With floured hands, remove the dough from the bowl onto a well floured surface and divide in half. Using a rolling pin, roll each half into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. About 20 X 10. Spread each rectangle with half the butter. Then half the brown sugar mix. Then half the chopped pecans.

Starting with the long side carefully roll the dough. Using a very sharp floured serrated knife, cut each roll crosswise in 2 to 3 inch slices. Place the slices, cut side down, in the foil pans spacing about one inch apart so they have room to expand. Make sure the end flap of each roll is set snugly against a side of the pan. Put 8 to 10 rolls in each pan. At this point the rolls can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and a layer of foil and frozen up to 3 weeks. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or for one hour at room temperature and continue following the directions from this point. Leaving them covered, set the rolls in a warm draft free place and let them rise until they get puffy, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Remove covering and bake the rolls for 30 minutes or until light brown.

Combine icing ingredients with a whisk and drizzle over warm rolls.