Cinnamon Rolls

These are soooo good. My son even asked for them for his Birthday instead of a cake.  You really have to go by touch when adding the flour, so pay attention.  They are worth the effort I promise you!

1 cup very warm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast (or 1 tbsp)

¼ cup powdered milk

1/3 cup sugar1 tsp salt

1 egg

¼ cup soft shortening

2 ¾ - 3 ¾ cups flour

¼ cup softened butter

1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Raisins (optional)

Mix together water, yeast, powdered milk, sugar, salt, egg and shortening. Slowly add flour ½ cup at a time. This will be a soft dough, so only add flour until you can work with it. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead by hand until smooth (about 5 minutes). You can knead in a mixer, but the finished product will not be quite as light. Place dough in a large greased bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (about an hour). Punch down and roll out the dough into a rectangle (about 15x9”). Spread with softened butter and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Roll up tightly, beginning at wide side. Seal well by pinching edges of roll together. Cut roll into about 1” slices. Place in a greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise until the dough has doubled in size (about 35-40 min). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Frost while warm with butter cream frosting. Yield: 1 dozen rolls.

Tip: I use dental floss to cut the rolls. Slide the dental floss under your rolled up "log". Bring the ends up over the top, criss cross them and pull. This will cut the cinnamon roll and retain its shape better than using a knife.