Cinnamon Rolls (with potato water)

The name doesn't sound extremely appetizing--but it does let you know which Cinnamon Roll recipe this is.  :)  Potato water is the water reserved after boiling peeled and cut potatoes--like what you pour off after boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes.  It adds something extra that makes the cinnamon rolls have a wonderful texture.

Cinnamon Rolls (with Potato Water)
2¼ tsp. yeast in 2 Tb. warm water (110°)
4 Tb. melted butter or margarine
1½ cups warm potato water (or substitute ¼ cup dry instant mashed potatoes and 1½ cups water)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ cup dry non-fat milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4-5 cups flour
1/8 tsp. cardamom, optional

Dissolve yeast in water. When yeast is foamy, mix it with 4 Tb. margarine, the potato  water, sugar, salt, non-fat milk, eggs, and 4 cups flour. Turn dough out on floured board and knead 5 minutes, adding flour as needed to make a smooth, silky dough. Roll dough into ball and place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place 1-2 hours, until double in bulk. 

Here it is ready to be punched down.  This is a double batch in my trusty, well used, simple plastic bowl.

Grease a 9x13 baking pan or a jelly roll pan. Turn dough out on floured board, knead 1 minute, and roll into a rectangle. You can also use the Dinner Rolls (Bread Machine) recipe (rolled out to 16 by 24 inches, rolled up with filling and cut into 16 rolls) for a nice, soft  dough.

Filling:
2 Tb. butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tb. cinnamon
Raisins and chopped nuts, optional
 
Brush dough with melted margarine. Combine sugars and cinnamon and sprinkle onto buttered dough. 

Roll dough up like a jelly roll and cut into about 12 slices. 

Cinnamon rolls are easily cut by wrapping a piece of dental floss or thread around the roll and pulling gently in opposite directions. 

Place the slices in the prepared baking pan, cut side up, and cover loosely.  

(At this point, you can put the pan in the fridge to raise overnight and put straight in the oven in the morning.) Raise rolls until double in size. Bake risen rolls in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes.  

{If you don't pack them into a baking pan you would cook them differently.  I like to make average sized rolls spread out on a cookie sheet.  Bake them like dinner rolls at 375° for about 15 minutes--until they are lightly browned.}

Glaze:
2 Tb. butter or margarine, softened
1 Tb. water
1½ cups powdered sugar
 
While rolls bake, make glaze by beating butter and water into powdered sugar. When rolls are still warm from the oven, spoon on glaze.

Tiffany's Notes: Mindy and I got this roll recipe years ago at a church youth activity.  We met at a ward member's house and made a batch of these.  The original recipe was from a newspaper clipping and was supposed to make gigantic rolls--the entire roll recipe was supposed to be made into 6 rolls.  Yes.  6 rolls.  I think they were about 1000 calories each!  Yummy, but a little much for most people.  

When I made these recently I was taking them to a party and wanted small rolls.  I worked hard to make them little--it was kind of tricky! I also decided that orange colored glaze would make them look more Halloween-y for a Halloween party.  Um. No.  Orange colored glaze makes it look like you poured cheese sauce over your cinnamon rolls. 

Luckily (in context of the creepy foods at the party) nobody asked us why we brought cheese covered rolls to share.  :)