Cinnamon Roll Heritage

Heritage, a word that evokes a tradition passed down from generation to generation. That is my Mom, Great Grandmother and Dad above. My Great Grandmother taught me to bake at her farm in Texas. My Mother is a master bread maker and my Dad, well, he loved to bake and cook, as well as eat!

I remember when I was in grade school, my Dad worked in a town called Yoder, Kansas. Yoder is an Amish town, filled with the old and new. You will see the juxtaposition of a horse drawn carriage next to an automobile. What I think of Yoder, cinnamon rolls come to mind; my Dad would bring back a dozen every Friday. I don’t know where he bought them from, but I do recall the doughy, cinnamon goodness and thick icing on top.

I have not baked a yeast based bread in a few years, so I decided in my Dad’s memory that I would bake a few and eat them in his honor, sit back and reflect on his life. The only difference here, is that I injected something new into the recipe, as I cannot ponder only the past, we have to evolve and move forward; this will be a new tradition.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Rolls

1. 4 cups of flour
2. 1 package of dry yeast
3. 1 cup of milk
4. 1/3 cup butter
5. 2/3 cup of sugar
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
7. 2 eggs
8. 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
9. 3 tbs of unsalted butter
10. 1/2 cup sugar
11. 4 teaspoons cinnamon (combine with 1/2 cup of sugar and set aside)

In a large mixing bowl for a mixing stand, combine 2 cups of the flour and yeast.

In a medium saucepan heat the milk, 1/3 cup of butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until just warm and butter is melted. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and combine well. Add eggs and continue mixing about 3 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead in additional flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and place in a large, buttered bowl. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

Punch dough down, place on the floured surface and divide into two. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes longer. Roll the dough into two rectangles. Brush the melted butter over the flattened dough, sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mix, sprinkle chocolate chips onto dough and roll into a log shape. Do the same with additional rectangle.

Cut logs into 1 inch thickness and place into 2, 9″ round pans, cover and set aside to rise again for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes until golden on top. Cool slightly and ice with recipe below.

Powdered Sugar Icing

1. 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar
2. 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3. 1-2 tablespoons of milk

Add all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

YUM!!!!