What better way to celebrate a day of love than to do so with a pan (or 5) of sweet rolls. Not just any out-of-the-can variety cinnamon rolls, mind you, but the world famous (at least in our world), incredibly awesome, ooey-gooey sticky, super-duper yummy: "grandma sweet rolls".
I've known about these treats since Clarence and I started dating and have indulged in my fair share of them... always perfectly delicious. This is one of those wonderful recipes that has been part of a family history but never officially documented on paper. You know those recipes that only one person is able to make because their are no specific measurements... it's mixed just until the dough "feels right" and then sprinkled with this and that until there's "enough". Magical and maddening at the same time! This winter break I had the pleasure of sharing the day with my talented mother-in-law while she made her sweet rolls-- only this time she measured every ingredient (for my benefit) while I quickly scribbled notes to get all the details on paper.
This recipe (and by that, I mean chicken scratch notes on a crumpled sheet of paper) would be a true test of culinary skills. With my trusty baking partner at my side (and his gaggle of penguins), Levi and I set out to make this delicious treat as a valentine surprise for the rest of our crew.
My dough runneth over! I think my yeast worked quite well... although, I may need a larger bowl next time... add that to my growing list of desperately needed kitchen supplies! Norma has a huge bowl that accommodates this massive amount of dough, and Clarence recalls her using the same one for as long as he can remember.
After a morning of letting the dough rise, punching it down, and letting is rise again... it was time to roll, sprinkle, and roll.
Slice and dice: into the pan to let the dough rise one more time... now I know why these were often served as that night's supper and then the next day's breakfast!!
Freshly baked and out of the oven to cool. True to grandma's tradition: we made one pan of "heels", which are the end pieces of each roll that aren't as neat as the middle slices-- this pan can be "tested" (i.e.: "eaten") immediately... and it was!
Mixing the frosting: we slathered it on THICK and probably made at least 3 batches of that sweet confection for our pans.
The finished product: incredibly scrumptious and almost as good as grandma's... Levi gave it a "second place", for which I am quite proud!
YUM... Happy Valentine's Day!
and thank you, grandma, for sharing your love!
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