by Kelly J. Larson

My hands and kitchen have cranked out countless cinnamon rolls through the years and this is my current favorite.

Kelly’s Cinnamon Rolls

BEGIN WITH YEAST

• 1 cup milk, heated in microwave 1 minute (make sure it’s not too hot)
• 1 tablespoon SAF instant yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar

Stir together in mixer bowl and wait five minutes until surface appears bubbly.

MAKE DOUGH, FIRST RISE

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, heated in microwave 30 seconds to melt
• 3-3/4 cups all purpose flour

Add eggs, salt, butter and flour to yeast mixture. Knead all together in mixer for 5 minutes. Cover bowl 1 to 2 hours to let dough rise.

SHAPE, SWEETEN

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Turn dough onto lightly floured counter surface. Roll into a large rectangle. Spread the butter evenly over dough, then the brown sugar and cinnamon combined.

ROLL UP, CUT, LET RISE

Roll dough up into a long roll. Slice into 12 cinnamon rolls with a large serrated knife, gently cutting back and forth without smashing dough. Place each roll onto a buttered 9-inch by 13-inch baking sheet. Cover with a thin, clean kitchen towel and let rise one hour. Optional: Cut into 15 (instead of 12) cinnamon rolls and bake on a larger baking sheet.

BAKE, FROST

Uncover risen rolls. Bake at 375° F for 15 minutes. (Ovens vary greatly.) Use electric mixer or mix icing well with a whisk until creamy.

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk

Spread icing over cinnamon rolls, then serve warm. The desired freshness only lasts a day — so consume, share or freeze them quickly.

Freeze remaining cinnamon rolls individually to reheat. Three small square pans allow baking at different times and dividing to gift four cinnamon rolls at a time.