Makes 12 large rolls
Elizabeth Puopolo of Easton sent this into The Recipe Box Project, in which readers give us their favorite dishes. “This is my mother’s recipe for cinnamon rolls,” writes Puopolo. “I imagine that she must have learned it from her grandmother, who raised her after her mother (my grandmother) died when my mother was 3. Sadly, my mother died when I was 8, but I do remember her making these when I was a child growing up in a large family in Boston. My sister-in-law had an old parish cookbook that had this and another of my mother’s recipes in it. It is said that our sense of smell can evoke distant memories when triggered by something familiar. Well, I wholeheartedly agree! Whenever I make these for my family, I close my eyes, and am once again transported to my childhood.”
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DOUGH
| 1 | cup milk |
|---|---|
| ¼ | cup (½ stick) butter, cut up |
| 2 | packages dry yeast |
| ¼ | cup warm water |
| ½ | cup granulated sugar |
| 1 | egg, lightly beaten |
| 1 | teaspoon kosher salt |
| 3½ | cups flour |
| Extra flour (for sprinkling) | |
| Vegetable oil (for the bowl) |
1. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, scald the milk. Add the butter and mix until melted. Pour into a large bowl; set aside to cool.
3. In another bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water. Set aside for 10 minutes. Add the yeast mixture to the milk mixture with the sugar, egg, salt, and flour. Mix until it forms a dough. Turn out onto a floured counter and knead until smooth.
4. Scrape the bowl clean. Add a little oil. Turn the dough in the bowl so it is covered with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for 1 hour or until double in bulk.
FILLING AND ICING
| ¼ | cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature |
|---|---|
| ⅓ | cup granulated sugar |
| Pinch of salt | |
| 2 | teaspoons ground cinnamon |
| ½ | cup raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained, and patted dry |
| 1¼ | cups confectioners' sugar |
| 3 | tablespoons milk |
1. Turn the dough onto a floured counter. Punch it down. With a rolling pin, roll to ¼-inch thickness (about 16½-by-10-inches). Spread the butter on top to within ½ inch of the edge.
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2. In a bowl stir together the granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the dough. Sprinkle with raisins. Beginning with one long side, roll the dough as you would a jelly roll. With a sharp knife cut the dough into 1½-inch slices (12 pieces). Place them on the baking sheet, 1½ inches apart, cut sides up. Leave to rise for 1 hour or until double in bulk.
3. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes. Leave to cool.
4. In a bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Drizzle the icing over the rolls. Leave to set. Adapted from Elizabeth Puopolo.