FAMILY Guest Post - Melissa from Sew BitterSweet Designs

I've asked some of my favorite people to share something special about their FAMILY this month, and our first guest post comes from Melissa at Sew BitterSweet Designs. 

Hi Everyone! I'm Melissa from Sew BitterSweet Designs. I would like to thank Kristy for having me here today. I would love to say that I have some sewing or even quilting to share with you today, but I don't. I am working on a quilt for my cousin and a pillow for Anne (my 3 yr old) but no finishes.

When Kristy first approached me about a month honoring family, one of the first things I thought of is all the cooking I do for my family. I pour my heart and soul into my cooking for them. It makes my heart sing when someone goes back for seconds or requests a specific item. The number one all time favorite in my house is homemade cinnamon rolls, which makes sense as it was (and still is) the number one favorite that my mom used to cook too.

Homemade bread truly is a labor of love and this is no different!

This recipe is adapted from Betty Croker's Christmas Cookbook - (c) 1982

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients: 

2 packages active dry yeast 

1 egg 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees) 

6.5 to 7.5 cups all purpose flour 

2 cups lukewarm milk 

1/4 cup margarine or butter (scalded then cooled) (softened)

1/3 cup sugar 

1/2 cup sugar 

1/3 cup vegetable oil or shortening 

1 tbsp plus 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

3 tsp baking powder 

2 tsp salt 

My recommendations - my mom has been baking these since I was a baby - We use King Arthur Bread Flour and find that it makes the world of difference in making the perfect cinnamon roll. We also use unsalted butter where it calls for butter or margarine and shortening where it calls for vegetable oil or shortening. 

To scald your milk, microwave it in short increments until a film forms. Let cool to lukewarm. (do this first! Do not dissolve yeast until you have cooled your milk.) 

Instructions: Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl (I use my kitchen aid mixer). Stir in milk, 1/3 cup sugar, the oil, baking powder, salt, egg and 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth, Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. 

Turn dough onto well-floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl; then turn the dough over so that both sides of dough are greased. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double original size (approx 1.5 hrs). Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched. 

Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll 1 half in rectangle 12x10 inches. Spread with half the butter. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle half the mixture over rectangle. Roll up beginning on the 12" side. Pinch edges to seal the dough and stretch to make even. 

Cut into 1" slices, place slightly apart in a greased baking pan (I use cake pans). Warp tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours but no longer than 48. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove foil from pans. Bake until golden brown - 30 to 35 minutes. Frost with powered sugar frosting while warm. Makes approximately 24 rolls.

Powdered Sugar Frosting

Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla until smooth. (I always double this!). I hope you enjoy making these and eating them with your family. We love them best on a lazy Sunday morning while watching one of our favorite cartoon movies. In fact, while we were eating them last Sunday we watched Shrek 2 together. Great way to make some fun lasting memories. 

 If you have time, I would love it if you stopped by my blog and looked around!
 

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to head to the kitchen and try these out! They look AMAZING!!!! Thank you Melissa for sharing this special family treat with us. :)