Day 2: Feb. 16
A Day to BAKE
Bread, like God, is not a mystery to be mastered or solved. Bread is at once simple — a mix of flour, water, yeast, and salt — and infinitely complex. Thousands of years after our ancestors made their first loaf, bakers are still learning new ways to pull flavor and texture from grain. We can commit our entire lives to the rhythms of baking, of drawing out the nuances of wheat, and still have more to learn. The goal should not be mastery in and of itself, but curiosity and joy. Breadmaking, like faith, is a craft to hone over the course of a lifetime, a truth that is at once exciting and liberating. – Kendall Vanderslice
Mom’s Cinnamon Rolls from Becky Garrett
4 cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup Butter Crisco
1 cup milk, scalded & cooled
1 pkg dry yeast
½ cup warm water
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick margarine
Frosting
¼ cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Hot water
Scald milk and let cool. Dissolve 1 pkg yeast in ½ cup of warm water. Mix milk and yeast and add two eggs. Combine flour, ½ cup of sugar, 1 tsp salt and the Butter Crisco. Mix together with pastry blender until crumbly. Add milk and yeast mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Dough will be very soft.
When ready to roll dough, cream together butter flavored crisco, ¾ cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl with electric mixer. Mixture should be soft and creamy and easy to spread.
Divide dough and roll out on pastry cloth, using enough flour to make rolling easy. Knead a few times before rolling. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough and spread half of the butter and cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough. Beginning at long side, roll and slice.
Take each slice of dough and roll out flat with rolling pin. A little flour may be necessary to keep dough from sticking. Place in baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Let rise until double. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Frosting: Mix ¼ cup butter and 1 cup powdered sugar with enough hot water to make a thin frosting. Add ½ tsp vanilla. Frost as soon as rolls are taken out of oven. A pastry brush is helpful to use while frosting the rolls.