Traditional Cinnamon Rolls from Long, Long Ago

That’s my daughter’s name for these cinnamon rolls. She gets to name them because she made them. She remembers when we used to make cinnamon rolls when we lived in another house, in another place, when she had a purple bedroom with a great big window that looked out on her own little garden that her grandparents built for her. We often made cinnamon rolls in that house and sometimes they would raise up over the edges of the pan and make some really funky shapes. They looked a little crazy, but they were so good.

It was only a few years ago really, but it seems like a long time ago. We had a different life back then. Different schools, different people, different house, different town, and her daddy. We lived in the country and had lots of space around us and a creek running through our back yard. There was a big hill that was great for sledding, lots of tulips, marigolds, petunias, daisies, and lilies. Her best friend lived just down the road and they would walk over to each others’ houses all the time.

I think these cinnamon rolls remind her of that time. I’m glad she has those fond memories in her heart.

Traditional Cinnamon Rolls

My daughter made these cinnamon rolls and she took the photos herself too. All I did was put the ingredients in the bread machine and press the dough button. She did the rest.

• 1 1/3 cups cold water
• 4 t. yeast (or about 2 packets)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 T. canola oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. vanilla

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in  the bread machine and start it up on the dough setting.
2. When the dough is done, roll it out flat, spray with cooking spray, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
3. Roll it up lengthwise, and slice it into rolls with dental floss.
4. Set the rolls in a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray, leaving space around each roll to give it room to rise.
5. Spray the rolls with cooking spray, cover and let rise in a warm place till they are about double in size. I usually allow an hour for this, but it depends on how warm your warm place is.
6. Bake at 325 for about 40 – 50 minutes or until they look done in the middle. I often cover them with foil for part of the baking time to keep them from getting too brown on top before they are done in the middle.