Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Yield:  12

You don't even need a mixer for this dough!

Step 1: 

1/4 warm water with 2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or one packet) - allow to dissolve for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl add:

1 cup warm water

1/3 cup sugar

Stir.

Then add dissolved water and yeast

1 organic egg, beaten

2 tsp. homemade vanilla extract

Using a wooden spoon add 2 cups of organic all purpose flour.  Stir for at least 100 strokes with the wooden spoon.

 Cover bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

It will look like this after 15 minutes.

Step 2: 

Add:

1 1/2 tsp. salt

Then add:

4 Tbsp. organic butter, softened

Add:

1 3/4-2 cups more flour, adding it about 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir well each time you add flour.

Flour your hands and knead the dough right in the bowl when you can't stir it any long (2-3 minutes).

Step 3:

Place the dough on a floured surface (pastry cloth or counter), and knead for about 7 minutes.

Step 4:  Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl turning to coat each side and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm area for about 1 hour (or until it doubles in size).

I use my dehydrator, since it's large enough.  I just place a pan in the bottom with water to keep the dough from drying out, and moisten a flour sack towel to cover it in the dehydrator.  Most dehydrators have "rising bread" selection.

Step 4:

Once dough has risen, remove from pan, and punch down.  Knead dough for about 1 minute on lightly floured surface, then cover with plastic wrap and let "rest" for 15 minutes.

Step 5:  

While dough is resting, mix these ingredients together in a bowl:

3/4 c. organic brown sugar, packed

3/4 c. organic pecans chopped

2 tsp. organic cinnamon

4 Tbsp. of softened organic butter

Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Step 6:

On a floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 12 x 16 inch rectangle.  Dough should not spring back.  If it does, let it rest longer.

  Place mixture from Step 5 onto the dough evenly, leaving 1 inch at the top and 1 inch at the bottom free.  Starting at the bottom, and moistening the 1 inch areas with water, roll the dough slightly tight (not loosely).

Using a knife score the dough to cut 12 rolls.  Place rolls in prepared pan, buttering the edges of each one lightly to keep them from sticking together in the pan.

Cover again (plastic wrap or use your dehydrator with a damp cloth over it) and allow to rise for 35-45 minutes.  Or when they have doubled in size.

Note:  I place a piece of parchment paper over the pan before covering with the moistened towel in my dehydrator

.

Step 7:

Heat oven to 350°F.  Remove plastic wrap from your pan and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes.

At this point, after baking them, you can do what you want really.  I leave them to cool in the pan, frost later and take out to eat whenever.  

You can also remove them from the pan and place on a cooling rack, and drizzle the frosting so the sides get some too.

Icing

Mix together in a bowl

1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. organic milk (or light cream)

2 Tbsp. of melted organic butter

A few drops of homemade vanilla extract

Note:  You can also use organic walnuts vs. pecans.

Suited Up ~ One Roasted Chicken

Okay, Mama Pea said she wanted "picture proof."  

Here it is:

I'm not moving very fast in all the get-up either, but it is keeping me warm and well covered.  I just have to be careful when walking.  Hubby's old carharrt is a bit long for me (oddly).  I had a problem with steaming up my sunglasses, but that morning sun was piercing my eyeballs yesterday.  I am thankful for it (sunshine), so no complaints. I wear Hubby's hat over the face mask in colder weather too.


Want to know how far one roasted chicken stretched for us?

Normally, one home raised, roasted chicken lasts about two days around here.  However, with Son gone (and oldest Daughter gone more often), we have more leftovers.

Snow arrives...

I took this photo Monday morning.  Winter has officially arrived - rain, freezing rain, snow and bitter temperatures (but not as bad yet as last winter).  

Yesterday, although a bit cold, the sun was shining and there was a pretty good wind out there.

Larger towels were dried in front of the wood stove.


I've sort of been hibernating and ever so slowly finishing up some crochet and knitting ventures.  

I took this crochet project camping in August of 2014.  I found it in a bag in my closet while cleaning. . . .

Healthy Breakfast Sides

I'm cutting breakfast costs down, by eliminating organic/natural boxed breakfast cereals.  That cuts down on buying organic milk as well.  

That leaves breakfast to some type of egg dish, because our faithful chickens are supplying us an abundance right now.  So, in search for a veggie side (that was not a bread or meat, or a vegetable mixed into the eggs) that I can add to scrambled eggs, I found several.

It's tough to find time to roast vegetables, so I roasted them for dinner, making extra for leftovers.  Then I simply re-heat them as a side for breakfast.

What did we try?