Cinnamon Rolls and A Red Dress

There is nothing quite like finishing a new frock, only to discover that you must pick it apart and remake it. Thankfully, because of my Esteemed Husband, I am quite used to taking apart a garment that is not quite right and remaking it to very particular specifications. Sigh. This time it was the bodice that was giving me problems. I used the paper pattern I traced from my fitted toile a few months ago, but added 2" extra to the front edge to make a turned facing. Well. When I finished the dress and tried it on yesterday I found that I hadn't needed to add the 2" extra. I had already included enough for a turned facing when I traced my toile. The finished bodice was too large across the chest, causing ghastly vertical folds of fabric. The waistline was also too large. So I had to take the bodice apart and cut down the front openings, take off the collar, redo the neckline piping and take off the whole skirt and reset it and cut the waistband down a bit.

Still, there is a secret, wild, exultant joy that comes with remaking something. A feeling of intense satisfaction of knowing a garment will be made right and will be finished instead of tossed into a deep dark closet with other projects of uncertain success. I still have to finish adding (again) the hooks and then I need to work buttonholes and make covered buttons for the cuffs and add a wee frill to each sleeve cap but that should be the work of an hour, perhaps. It will be done today. Which is good, since I need to wear it this weekend.

I also need to make a double batch of cinnamon rolls to take with us. Several dear commenters mentioned the cinnamon rolls I talked about briefly in a recent post. Here is my favorite recipe for cinnamon rolls. (And I've tried lots!) The original recipe calls for making the dough in a bread machine and cutting them into mini cinnamon rolls. I always double the recipe and make big size cinnamon rolls instead and, of course, I make the dough the good old fashioned way since I do not have a bread machine.

Maple Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 and 1/3 c. milk


• 2/3 c. maple syrup (note: due to sometimes not having enough grocery money to spend on real maple syrup, I've also used the fake Aldi stuff and though the flavor is not as wonderful as the real thing it is still very good).


• 2/3 c. soft butter


• 2 eggs


• 1 1/2 tsp. salt


• 6 c. flour


• 2 pkg. yeast (I buy yeast in bulk, so um, dump in what looks to be about right) :)

Filling:

• 1 c. packed brown sugar


• 4 TB flour


• 3 TB cinnamon


• 1 stick cold butter

Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar


• 3 TB butter, melted


• 3 TB maple syrup


• 1 to 2 TB milk

Method:

In a saucepan, warm milk, syrup and butter til butter is melted - do NOT boil. Cool to a warm temperature beneficiant to yeast (I do this by feel; there MUST be a scientific temperature for putting yeast into liquid but I do not know what it is). When nicely warm to the touch, put in yeast.

Stir in eggs and salt. Mix in 3 cups of flour. Add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto board or floured counter and knead for 10 minutes. Pat dough into ball, place on greased platter and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour.

Punch dough down and divide into two. Roll each ball into a rectangle, appx. 12" x 18" (very appx.!) Combine filling ingredients in bowl, cut in butter to make a crumbly mixture. Spread filling evenly over rectangles of dough. Roll up each rectangle into a fat log.Cut each log in half, then cut each half into 5 rolls. (I know it makes a weird number of rolls - 20 - but it is what works best for me). Place 15 rolls on a baking sheet. The remaining 5 rolls put into a seperate baking sheet. Cover and let rise for forty minutes.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake rolls for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and top with a clean towel. (if you don't do this the rolls will get hard on top). Let rolls cool beneath towel while you make the icing.

Combine the confectioners sugar, melted butter and syrup in a bowl. Add in enough milk for desired consistency. Spread over warm rolls and let rolls cool, uncovered, completely. When cool put into an air tight container.

These will be our breakfasts this weekend! We are going cooler-less. :) David finally got fed up with hauling it.

Love,

Sarah