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Mom's Cinnamon Rolls or Monkey Bread

Makes: 24 cinnamon rolls or 1 bundt cake pan of monkey bread
Course: Breakfast
Author: Mom
Servings: 12
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Rising Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
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Ingredients  

Dough:

  • 4 ½ tsp yeast
  • ½ cup water (warm)
  • 2 cups milk (warm)
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 5-6 cups all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Roll Filling:

  • 4 Tbsp butter (softened)
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon

Monkey Bread Filling:

  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon

Caramel Sauce: Make 1 recipe worth for Monkey Bread & 2 recipes worth for rolls.

Instructions: 

Dough:

  • In a mixer, dissolce the yeast in the warm water, milk and sugar. Let set until foamy.
  • When foamy, add the oil, baking powder, salt, egg, and 3 cups of flour. Knead until smooth.
  • Continue to knead and add up to a total of 6 cups of flour, or until no longer sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic.
  • Place in a large, greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Caramel Sauce:

  • While the dough is rising, make the caramel sauce (making sure to double it).
  • If you are making cinnamon rolls, grease 2 9x13 pans, pour the caramel sauce evenly into them, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of pecans in each pan.
    If you are making monkey bread, set the sauce aside until later in the recipe.

For Cinnamon Rolls:

  • Once the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough in half.
  • Working with one half at a time, roll out, spread with butter, and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar.
  • Roll the dough up tightly, cut into 12 slices, and place in the pan.
    (It works really well to slide a piece of dental floss under the dough, position it where you want the dough cut, then begin to tie it. It will slice cleanly through the dough.)
  • Repeat with the other half of dough.
  • Allow the rolls to rise another 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 30-35 mintues.

For Monkey Bread:

  • When the dough is risen, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon in a bowl.
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, roll into 1" balls (you can roll the dough out and cut into 1" squares, then roll them into balls if you want).
  • Roll the balls in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and arrange the balls and 1 cup of pecans in a greased bundt pan.
  • Allow to rise until doubled again.
  • While the dough is rising in the pan, make the caramel sauce and allow it to cool.
  • Preheat the oven to 350.
  • When the dough is risen, pour the cooled caramel sauce over the dough balls and bake.
    *Place on a cookie sheet to catch drips if it bubbles over.
    **If it starts to get too brown before it's completely baked, cover loosely with foil.
  • Normal rolls bake for 30-35 mintues, but this could take up to 50 mintues becasue it is so thick.

Notes:

Make Ahead: You can refrigerate these - just make the recipe up to the point of rising in the pan, then cover them and keep them in the fridge until ready to bake. Pull them out of the fridge about an hour before baking to give them time to rise.