EVERYBODY EATS: Cinnamon rolls

Tuesday was the best day of the week at my high school.

On Tuesdays the school cafeteria served a Mexican dish with a freshly baked cinnamon roll about the size of my hand on the side.

An odd flavor combination, perhaps, but to this day, I can't eat Mexican food without craving a cinnamon roll.

Despite my love for the sweet, sticky goodness, before last week, I'd only made cinnamon rolls from scratch once. I figured it wasn't worth the time and effort. I decided to give it a try, though, when a recipe card for cinnamon rolls showed up in my mailbox. It features a basic yeast-bread recipe (like the one we shared last week) with a sweet twist.

OLD-FASHIONED CINNAMON ROLLS

4 3/4 to 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup and 3 tablespoons butter

1 cup sugar, divided

3 eggs

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 creamy glaze recipe (see below)

In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour and yeast. In saucepan, heat and stir milk, 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt just until warm and butter almost melts. Add to flour mixture; add eggs. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until dough ball forms and pulls away from side of the bowl.

On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough of the remaining flour to made a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic, about 3 to 5 minutes. Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 9-by-1/2 inch round baking pans. Roll each half of the dough into a 12-by-8 rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over rectangles. Starting from a long side, roll up each rectangle into a log. Seal seams. Cut each log into 12 slices. Place slices in prepared pans. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap, leaving room for rolls to rise. Chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Uncover; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven. Cool for one minute. Carefully invert rolls onto wire rack and cool slightly. Invert again onto a serving platter. Drizzle with creamy glaze.

CREAMY GLAZE

Mix 1 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1 tsp. light colored corn syrup and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Stir in enough half-and-half, about 2 tbsp., to make drizzling consistency.

Source: Our Best Recipes mailer.