Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

I have a new favorite cinnamon roll recipe! The recipe is from The Sisters' Cafe and oh my these cinnamon rolls are good! My whole family said they preferred them to my usual cinnamon rolls (and I agree) so I guess I'll make these from now on.

*Sorry for the horrible out-of-focus picture! My camera has been giving me grief. I'll try to get a better picture of these fabulous cinnamon rolls soon!

Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

2 cups milk
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast (2 packets)
1/3 cup warm water
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
8 cups flour
1 stick butter
brown sugar
cinnamon

Heat milk and 2 sticks of butter till butter is melted (I did this in the microwave), set aside and allow to cool.

Mix yeast and warm water in the bowl of a mixer and let stand for 5 minutes. Add cooled milk/butter mixture, sugar, salt, eggs and mix. Add 4 cups of flour and mix. Gradually add 4 additional cups of flour till dough is firm but sticky and pulled away from sides of the bowl (I added 1/3 cup more flour than called for). Turn dough out into an oiled bowl, cover and allow to raise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours (it took 2 hours for me).

Punch down and turn out dough onto a floured surface (may need to knead a little). Divide dough in half. Roll half of the dough into a rectangle about 1/2" thick. Spread 1/4 cup softened butter over the dough. Spread a good layer of brown sugar over the butter and then sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Roll up as tightly as possible. Slice into equal pieces (about 1 1/2 ") with a sharp knife and place either side by side in baking dishes (I used 9" cake pans) for pull-apart rolls or place apart on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper for individual rolls (I prefer the baking dish way having tried both methods, but The Sisters' Cafe does it the cookie sheet way). Repeat process for the other half of the dough.

Cover rolls with plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and put in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours* (it depends on how warm your kitchen is) or until doubled in size. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until just lightly golden brown, you don't want to over bake these. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. Drizzle with glaze (recipe below) or with cream cheese frosting while they are still warm. Makes 3-4 dozen. (Definitely lots to share with friend, neighbors, or co-workers.)

*It said on The Sisters' Cafe that you can put them in a cold place (like on top of the freezer in my garage) overnight to raise and bake them as soon as you wake up in the morning. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm going to next time.

Butter Cream Glaze:
1 stick butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
dash of cream of tarter
1 lb box powdered sugar
heavy cream

Beat together butter, vanilla, salt, cream of tarter, and about half the box of powdered sugar with a little cream. Add more cream and mix. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix. Add more cream as needed until the glaze is a spreadable consistency.